Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) is a historically significant and resilient cereal crop known for its adaptability to diverse environmental conditions, nutritional benefits and economic potential. Despite its importance, foxtail millet remains underutilized compared to major cereals. Recent advances in breeding techniques and molecular marker technologies have substantially enhanced efforts toward its genetic improvement. Conventional breeding approaches, including selection, hybridization and mutation breeding, have contributed to trait improvement, while modern strategies such as marker-assisted selection (MAS), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping have accelerated the identification of genes associated with desirable agronomic traits. The development of high-resolution genetic maps and the use of molecular markers, including simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have further facilitated genomic studies and breeding programmes. In addition, association mapping has emerged as an effective approach for identifying genomic regions linked to important agronomic traits, thereby supporting precision breeding. With the integration of genomics, transcriptomics and genome-editing technologies, foxtail millet improvement is progressing towards enhanced yield, stress tolerance and nutritional quality. This review summarizes recent advances in foxtail millet genetics, breeding strategies and molecular marker technologies, highlighting their significance for sustainable agriculture and global food and nutritional security.
Pareek et al. (2026) studied this question.