Native Australian grass used for millennia reveals unusual chromosome secret
Researchers have discovered that channel millet, a native Australian grass historically harvested by the Mithaka people, possesses a unique genetic structure with 12 copies of each chromosome. This discovery suggests that ancient indigenous agricultural practices may have influenced the plant's evolution and survival in arid environments.
Why it matters
It provides scientific evidence of the sophisticated ecological knowledge and land management practices of First Nations peoples in Australia.
Seen from the air, Channel Country in outback Australia looks like a vast, living tapestry. A web of rivers and creeks fans out across more than 280,000 square kilometres of desert, creating one of the world’s last truly free‑flowing arid river systems. In the heart of this landscape, in southwest Queensland, live the Mithaka people.For at least 3,000 years, Mithaka ancestors built and maintained a sophisticated trade and exchange system that stretched across the continent. At the centre of their economy were plants. More than 200 species were used for food, medicine, tools, shelter and ceremony, reflecting an intimate, long‑term relationship with local ecosystems.One of those plants is channel millet (Echinochloa turneriana), a native grass that Mithaka people harvested for thousands of years.
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