International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid tropics (ICRISAT), India is a major repository for
world Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.J R. Br.)
germplasm. ICRISAT’s gene bank consists of 37,904 accessions of Sorghum from 91 countries and 21,594
accessions of Pearl millet from 50 countries. In order to enhance the use of germplasm for screening of
specific traits core and mini core collections, representing the diversity of the entire collection have been
developed by ICRISAT, for both these cereals. However, these germplasm accessions of Sorghum and Pearl
millet have not yet been profiled for their prebiotic diversity. Hence profiling of accessions, of the
germplasm collections of Sorghum and Pearl millet, with the aim to identify accessions with desirable
prebiotic traits for development of functional (probiotic) foods is being undertaken
