[Fingerprinting varieties of foxtail millet using probe gFM31]

Fifty-nine genotypes (landraces, varieties or breeder's lines) of foxtail millet (Setaria italica Beauv.) were used in DNA fingerprinting with a highly polymorphic probe, xPSF31. Fifty-eight types were distinguished, with only two genotypes giving identical band patterns. DNA sequencing of xPSF31 did not reveal any relationship with mini-or micro-satellite sequences. The probe revealed only weak signals in genomic DNA from other cereal species, wheat, barley, maize, rice, and pearl millet, indicating that xPSF31 is a Setaria genus specific sequence.