The oldest record of finger millet comes from an archaeological site in Africa dating to the 8th century AD. © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. It is generally considered as a drought-tolerant crop, but compared with other millets, such as pearl millet and sorghum, it prefers moderate rainfall (500 millimetres (20 in) annually). In the tribal and western hilly regions of Odisha, ragi or mandiaa is a staple food. [11] In East and Southern Africa, the closely related species Eleusine indica (common name Indian goose grass) is a severe weed competitor of finger millet. This is the famed kali or keppai kali. Striga, a parasitic weed which occurs naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia, can severely affect the crop and yield losses in finger millet and other cereals by 20 to 80%. Finger millet blast can also infest finger millet weeds such as the closely related E. indica, E. africana, Digitaria spp., Setaria spp., and Doctylocterium spp. The finger millet types were selected on the basis that they represented the varied finger millet germplasm found in Southern and East Africa. Drilling in rows: Seeds are sown directly in the untreated soil by using a direct-seed drill. The most Millet families were found in the USA in 1880. Planting should be done 3 cm depth in the soil, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 22:00. Sturmiopsis inferens). Furthermore, the delicate seed can get crushed during the milling. Ragi is called koozh – a staple diet in farming communities, eaten along with raw onions and green chillies. Therefore, it is advisable to keep rotating the kind of millets we are eating. It is also eaten as a soup (kurrakan kenda) and as a sweet called 'Halape'. Facilitates organic weed management due to better distinction of weed and crop. Finger millet, plant producing edible grain; Ragi (Sikhism), a Sikh person skilled in performing ragas Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast also known as ragi yeast Heat tolerance of finger millet is high. Moistening the millet seeds prior to grinding helps to remove the bran mechanically without causing damage to the rest of the seed. [11] Chemical measures can be direct spraying of systemic fungicides, such as the active ingredients pyroquilon or tricyclazone or seed dressings with fungicides such as trycyclozole.[11][13]. - 2011. However, it was grown since ancient times as a traditional food for the Keiyo, Marakwet, West Pokot, Tugen, Giriama, Taveta, Teso, Luo, Luhya, Kisii, Kikuyu, Ilchamus, Embu, Taita, Kuria, and Kamba. [4], Finger millet is a short-day plant with a growing optimum 12 hours of daylight for most varieties. Millet flour is 9% water, 75% carbohydrates, 11% protein, and 4% fat (table). This preparation is boiled in water and used as a substitute for milk powder-based beverages. for Determining Population Structure of Finger Millet Germplasm of Diverse Origins Anil Kumar,* Divya Sharma, Apoorv Tiwari, J.P. Jaiswal, N.K. [14] Striga can be controlled with limited success by hand weeding, herbicide application, crop rotations, improved soil fertility, intercropping and biological control. Cultural measures to control finger millet blast suggested by ICRISAT for Eastern Africa include crop rotations with nonhost crops such as legumes, deep ploughing under of finger millet straw on infected fields, washing of field tools after use to prevent dissemination of the pathogen to uninfected fields, weed control to reduce infections by weed hosts, and avoiding of high plant densities to impede the pathogen dispersal from plant to plant. The grains should then be cured to obtain maturity by heaping the harvested earheads in shade for one day without drying, so that the humidity and temperature increase and the grains get cured. 16 17. Finding plant domestication on the Indian subcontinent. [4] The pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens) and the shoot fly (Atherigona milliaceae) are considered as the most relevant insect pests in finger millet cultivation. This was about 37% of all the recorded Millet's in the USA. [4], Finger millet originated in East Africa (Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands) and came to India around 2000 BCE. The flour is consumed with milk, boiled water, or yogurt. Another method to process the finger millet grain is germinating the seed. [10] Measures to control Sesamia inferens are uprooting of infected plants, destroying of stubbles, having a crop rotation, chemical control with insecticides, biological measures such as pheromone traps, or biological pest control with the use of antagonistic organisms (e.g. Nevertheless, finger millet is found to be grown at 30°N in the Himalaya region (India and Nepal). This is then rolled into balls of desired size and consumed with sambar (huli), saaru (ಸಾರು), or curries. All earheads, including the green ones, should be cut. [citation needed]. Eleusine africana (Kenn.-O'Bryne), Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn, Eleusine floccifolia (Spreng), Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn, Eleusine intermedia (Chiov.) The reasons for its decline is its low yields compared to maizeand to the tedious nature of tradi… It was claimed to have been found in an Indian archaeological site dated to 1800 BCE (Late Bronze Age); however, this was subsequently demonstrated to be incorrectly identified. Finger millet stands unique among the minor cereals such as barley, rye and oats with higher nutritional contents and has outstanding properties as a subsistence food crop. Unlike many other food products, this grain grows well in dry, arid climate zones and high altitudes. While some millets, such as finger millet, are full of calcium, some like jowar have potassium and phosphorus, and foxtail is fibrous while qodo is rich in iron. Finger millet is very adaptable to a wide range of environmental and climatic conditions, thrives at higher elevations than most other tropical cereals and tolerates salinity better than most cereals. [10], Finger millet pests are bird predators, such as quelea in East Africa. In Tamil Nadu, ragi is called kezhvaragu and also has other names like keppai, ragi, and ariyam. Not affiliated The seeds should be sown about 3 cm deep in the soil. The oldest record of finger millet comes from an archaeological site in Africa dating to the 8th century AD. Finger Millet, also known as Ragi is considered important millet grown extensively in numerous regions of India and Africa. [7], There are ten species under the genus Eleusine Gaertn, seven diploid (2n=16, 18 and 20) and three tetraploid taxa (2n=36 or 38). This service is more advanced with JavaScript available, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips. Eleusine coracana Eleusine coracana Épis d'éleusine. Some sources report a storage duration up to 50 years under good storage conditions. Cultivated finger millet was domesticated about 5 000 years ago from the wild subspecies in the highlands that range from Ethiopia to Uganda. [11] Measures to control weeds include cultural, physical, and chemical methods. [4] Finger millet can tolerate moderately acidic soils (pH 5), but also moderately alkaline soils (pH 8.2). Read full article By Yerroju Sridevi @ Pinnacle IHM Photo Credit: ICRISAT Finger millet popularly referred to as Ragi in Telugu, has taken its origin in Africa and later spread […] [4] The long storage capacity makes finger millet an important crop in risk-avoidance strategies as a famine crop for farming communities.[4]. Massachusetts had the highest population of Millet families in 1840. Whole grain millet is fermented to make tongba. Finger millet is the fourth millet in terms of worldwide production after sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) (Upadhyaya et al., 2007). Finger millet originates from east Africa, possibly Uganda or Ethiopia. Ragi malt porridge is made from finger millet which is soaked and shadow dried, then roasted and ground. Origin. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2, Reference Module Humanities and Social Sciences, Floors and Occupation Surface Analysis in Archaeology, Florence Charter on Historic Gardens (1982), Foraging to Farming Transition: Global Health Impacts, Trends, and Variation, Forensic and Archaeological Analyses: Similarities and Differences, Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology in Disaster Response, Forensic Anthropology: Investigating Human Rights Violations, Formal Education up to Age 18, Archaeology in. 99 ($0.20/Ounce) Get it as soon as Fri, Dec 11. This is a preview of subscription content. Finger millet is the common English name of the crop Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn., a domesticated cereal of African origin which spreads in prehistory to Asia, also sometimes referred to as korakan or ragi (a widespread local name in India) or dagusa (in Ethiopia). After this drying, threshing and cleaning as after the first harvesting. [11], Finger millet is generally seen as not very prone to diseases and pests. In other East African countries, finger millet malt is often combined with pearl millet malt to make a … After this drying, threshing and cleaning the grains by winnowing. The pathogen leads to drying out of leaves, neck rots, and ear rots. This method is used in conservation agriculture. Ragi is also used to make roti, idli, dosa and conjee. Lam. It is also made in the form of pancakes with chopped onions and tomatoes. is a small cereal grain grown in the semi-arid sub-tropical and tropical regions of Africa and Asia where it is one of the cereal staples (ICRISAT/FAO 1996, Obilana and Manyasa 2002). Africa is the center of origin and also a major producer of several cereals like sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, teff and African rice. Transplanting the seedlings: Raising the seedlings in nursery beds and transplant to the main field. Cultural methods could be sowing in rows instead of broadcast sowing to make distinction between finger millet seedlings and E. indica easier when hand weeding. [5] Interesting crop characteristics of finger millet are the ability to withstand cultivation at altitudes over 2000 m above sea level, its high drought tolerance, and the long storage time of the grains. Finger millet can be kept for up to 10 years when it is unthreshed. The organic weed management with this method is a problem, because it is difficult to distinguish between weed and crop. It is taken with sambar or kuzhambu. Furthermore, the industrial use of whole grain finger millet flour is limited. However, finger millet is difficult to mill due to the small size of the seeds and because the bran is bound very tightly to the endosperm. Another pathogen of relevance in the finger millet cultivation is the fungus Helminthosporium nodulosum, causing leaf blight. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a member of the CGIAR consortium, partners with farmers, governments, researchers and NGOs to help farmers grow nutritious crops, including finger millet. Finger millet can be ground into a flour and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Therefore, the main product of finger millet is whole grain flour. Its ability to bear waterlogging is limited, so good drainage of the soils and moderate water-holding capacity are optimal. 3.7 out of 5 stars 20. [8][9], Main cultivation areas are Eastern and Southern African countries (Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Sudan, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique) and Southern Asia (mainly India and Nepal). Mudde is prepared by cooking the ragi flour with water to achieve a dough-like consistency. Furthermore, it can tolerate soil salinity up to a certain extent. Finger millet is originally native to the highlands of East Africa and was domesticated before the third millennium BCE. The development of commercial mechanical milling systems for finger millet is challenging. India leads as the largest producer of finger millet in the world. [11][12] Finger millet blast can be controlled with cultural measures, chemical treatments, and the use of resistant varieties. Table 2.1.1 shows the identities and origins of the finger millet … However, in Africa, finger millet is second and represents 19% of millet production, after pearl millet … The flour is made into a fermented drink (or beer) in Nepal and in many parts of Africa. Its scientific name is Eleusine coracana. Different studies confirmed that Eleusine coracana was originated from E. indica and E. floccifolia genomes and selected for cultivation from its wild type E. Africana. A brief history of millets Millet grains have been discovered in pots used for storing grans and seeds discovered at archaeological sites in present day China, India, Europe and different parts of Africa. Finger millet [Eleucine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] A type of flat bread is prepared using finger millet flour (called ragi rotti in Kannada) in Northern districts of Karnataka. [20] Ragi is dried, powdered, and boiled to form a thick mass that is allowed to cool. in Himalaya region). Finger millet originated in East Africa (Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands) and came to India around 2000 BCE. In southern India, on pediatrician’s recommendation, finger millet is used in preparing baby food, because of millet’s high nutritional content, especially iron and calcium. [2][3] It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species probably evolved from its wild relative Eleusine africana. Kezhvaragu is used to make puttu with jaggery or sugar. The finger millet types were selected as they varied in visual kernel colour from creamy white to dark brown. $12.99 $ 12. The finger millet or ragi is malted and its grain is ground into flour. Proso millet is tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36) (Saha et al., 2016) with an allotetraploid origin (Hunt et al., 2014). Satva, pole (dosa), bhakri, ambil (a sour porridge), and pappad are common dishes made using finger millet. It is still a major crop among the Kuria, Ilchamus, West Pokot District, Tugen, and Marakwet. In northwest Vietnam, finger millet is used as a medicine for women at childbirth. Its cultivation had spread to South India by 1800 BCE. It's hearty nature and long-term storage potential make it an important food crop throughout Africa, Asia, and India. is a cereal grass grown mostly for its grain, which is a staple food in many African and South Asian countries (for information concerning the feed uses of the grain, see the Finger millet, grain datasheet).Finger millet is a robust, tufted, tillering annual grass, up to 170 cm high, with erect, slender stems rooting at the lower nodes. All these make it one of the healthiest millets in the world. Introduced to India approximately 3,000 years ago. Finger millet is a traditional crop of many ethnic groups in Kenya, but "nowadays grown to a relatively smaller extent than before." It is commonly called kodo in Nepal where 877 accessions have been maintained by National Plant Genetic Resource Centre, Khumaltar, Nepal. In Karnataka, finger millet is generally consumed in the form of a porridge called ragi mudde in Kannada. Millet definition: Millet is a cereal crop that is grown for its seeds or for hay . Finger millet is native to the Ethiopian highlands (D’Andrea et al., 1999). At the first harvest, all earheads that have turned brown should be cut. Hence, it can be cultivated on higher elevations than most tropical crops. Eleusine coracana (Uburo, l’Éleusine, Finger millet) Plante aux mille grains et aux innombrables vertus. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. [11] These symptoms can drastically impair photosynthesis, translocation of photosynthetic assimilates, and grain filling, so reduce yield and grain quality. According to the US National Research Council (1996), finger millet has many good qualities. Eleusine coracana, or finger millet, is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. Its main growing area ranges from 20°N to 20°S, meaning mainly the semiarid to arid tropics. The dough, on other hand, can be made into thick bread (rotee) spread over flat utensil and heating it. The second harvest is around seven days after the first. It is grown from about 500 to about 2400 m above sea level (e.g. In 1840 there were 26 Millet families living in Massachusetts. The flour is made into flatbreads, including thin, leavened dosa and thicker, unleavened roti. Distribution.. Is an important staple food in both Eastern and Central Africa and South Asia. In addition, intercropping with legumes, such as cowpea or pigeon pea, are also quite common in East Africa. It is a hardy crop that can be grown in very diverse environments from almost at sea level to about 2400 m.a.s.l. [18], Propagation in finger millet farming is done mainly by seeds. A minority use finger millet flour to make alcohol. This has disadvantages, such as reduced storage time of the flour due to the high oil content. Relative to other species (pearl millet and sorghum), finger millet has a higher tolerance to cool temperatures. In Nepal, a thick dough (ḍhĩḍo) made of millet flour (kōdō) is cooked and eaten by hand. Finger millet can grow on various soils, including highly weathered tropical lateritic soils. The majority of worldwide finger millet farmers grow it rainfed, although yields often can be significantly improved when irrigation is applied. This is the common method because it is the easiest way and no special machinery is required. Classification APG III (2009) Règne Plantae Clade Angiospermes Clade Monocotylédones Clade Commelinidées Ordre Poales Famille Poaceae Sous-famille Chloridoideae Tribu Cynodonteae Sous-tribu Eleusininae Genre Eleusine Espèce Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. It has poor content of calcium, potassium, and sodium (less than 10% DV, table). It ranks sixth in production after wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and bajra in India. This grain is valued as staple food. Several species in the family Gramineae, in particular common millet (Panicum miliaceum), of temperate regions, the tropical finger millet (Eleusine coracana), which is a staple in parts of Africa and India, and pearl millet ‘They grow cereals (sorghum, finger millet, and maize), oil seeds (sesame and niger seed), legumes, and root crops.’ For example, the Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (HOPE) project is increasing yields of finger millet in Tanzania by encouraging farmers to grow improved varieties. It is then eaten with a spicy meat curry and is usually swallowed in small balls, rather than chewing. In a 100-gram (3 1⁄2-ounce) reference amount, millet flour provides 1,600 kilojoules (382 kilocalories) of food energy and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, several B vitamins, and numerous dietary minerals. 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Insects or moulds names like keppai, ragi is called koozh – a staple diet among many communities across world... We are eating difficult to distinguish between weed and crop at childbirth, powdered, and nutrients compared weeds...