MILLETS- INTRODUCTION
'Millets' refer to small seeded cereals and grasses used for food, feed or forage. These include 10 genera and at least 14 species. Both in acreage and yield, India occupies the first position in the world. Millets are grown in all African countries, in China and in some parts of Russia. Follow the link below to find out the latest data on millet growing countries.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/millet-production-by-country
Pearl millet
Botanical name- Pennisetum americanum
Family- Poaceae
Vernacular- Bajra
Pearl millet is among the most important millets grown in India and has greatest potential. It is probably the most drought resistant and tolerant of all grain crops. It is associated with high temperature, light soils and semi arid growing conditions. Areas of production are hot, dry plains of Southern Asia, and the Southern periphery of the African Sahara. It is grown practically all over the Indian peninsula in soils of poor fertility. The crop is grown as a rain fed or irrigated crop in semi arid regions of Africa and India.
Origin
Pearl millet has been cultivated in India and Africa since prehistoric times. Werth (1927) believed that Pearl millet was domesticated first in India and then moved to Africa, but Krishnaswamy (1962) states that Africa is the centre of origin of pearl millet, and that it was introduced into India later from there. Vavilov (1951) was of the opinion that Abyssinia and Sudan in Africa was the centre of origin. Murty et al (1967) observed large amount of variability for nearly all characters in the African collections, much exceeding the variability found in India. Burton and Powell (1968) reported cytogenetic evidence, based on occurrence of accessory chromosomes. Accessory chromosomes occur mostly in primitive types and of all the types examined accessory chromosomes were found only in the varieties which originated in Sudan and Nigeria. The African origin of pearl millet is further supported by the fact that a large number of related wild species are found in Africa. In India so far, no related species has been found in wild conditions.
Botany of the plant
- Annual, erect, tillering plant 1.5-1.8m tall,
- Root fibrous,
- Stem is round to oval, green, usually solid, divided into notes and internodes,
- Leaves are long, scabrous, medium- broad, linear-lanceolate, wavy margin, green or light green.
- The inflorescence is a spike (panicle). The spikelets are small, lanceolate in shape and sharply acute. Each spilt consists of two florets, the lower usually male and the upper hermaphrodite,
- Grain gray, rarely yellow, a caryopsis, 3-4 mm long, 3-10 mg in weight.
- P. americanum- Cultivated widely for its grain.
- P. cladestinum- (kikuyu grass) low, copiously branched, rhizomatous perennial grass, forming mats with numerous stolons having short internodes.
- P. orientale- A perennial grass arising from a stout rootstock. Is a good soil binder. A good fodder grass and grains are used in brewing industry in Russia.
- P. pedicellatum- An annual grass with much branched stems, 30-150 cm high. Found in Bengal, Bihar, U.P, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Abdhra Pradesh. It is drought-resistant and high yielding. It is considered to be a good fodder grass for cattle and horses.
- P. polystachyon- Thin, napier grass, An annual or perennial grass, with culms 2m or more high. It is found throughout India except for north-western parts. It is a good fodder grass.
- P. purpureum- Napier grass, elephant grass, a robust, deep-rooted perennial grass, with creeping ryhizomeforming large clumps, uptown 1 metre across. This is a native of tropical Africa, and is a popular fodder grass in India. The grass is valuable as a silage crop.
- P. purpureum var merkeri- (merker grass) It is a fodder grass similar in habit to Napier grass.
- P. alopecuroides- It is a perennial grass with knotty woody rhizome and strong roots. Found in naga hills in Assam.
- P. divisum- A perennial grass with bushy dichotomously branched stem. Fodder for horses and donkeys.
- P. flaccidum- It is densely tufted perennial grass. It yields fodder, grazed by sheep and goats.
- P. hohenackeri- A coarse perennial grass with high, stout, erect, densely tufted stems. It grows in wet or marshy places.
- P. lanatum- It is a perennial grass with woody creeping rootstock. It is found in Western Himalayas from Kashmir to Garhwal.
- P. villosum- A perennial tufted grass, native of Ethiopia, cultivated for fodder.
- It is grown as a pure or mixed crop and is rotated with cotton, sorghum, Niger, wheat and in Rabi with pulses as a mixed crop.
- The crop is sown immediately after the onset of monsoon in early June, in the Deccan and Rajasthan.
- This seed is mostly broadcast, but sometimes drilled in rows 45 to 90 cm apart.
- The seed rate varies from 3.3 kg/ hectare in black soils to 9 to 10 kg/ hectare in other soils.
- Bajra grain is dehusked before consumption. It is usually broken and cooked or ground into flour and made into unleavened bread (roti).
- Flour can be cooked in water till it a paste of suitable consistency (sangati, hittu, mudde).
- In Punjab bajra flour is mixed with butter-milk, fresh or stale, is cooked on fire after adding necessary salt and spices. It is also used in preparation of khichdi.
- Elephant grass or Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is favourable fodder grass. Otherwise bajra fodder is considered inferior and where fodders like sorghum, paddy or rags are available it is discarded or used for other purposes like, thatching, fuel, etc.
- Rust caused by Puccinia pennisetii
- Downy mildew, caused by Sclerospora graminicola (Green ear disease).
- Smut, caused by Tolysporium penicilliriae
- Top rot, caused by Fusarium moliriforme
- Leaf spot, caused by Arothecium penniseti
- Bunt disease, caused by Tilletia airekari
- Ergot caused by Claviceps
- Leaf spot, caused by Xanthomonas penisetti
- The rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzeae)
- Paddy borer beetle (Rhizopertha dominica)
- Red-headed hairy caterpillar (Amasacta albistriga)
- Black hairy caterpillar (Estigmone lactina)
- Black-headed hairy caterpillar (Diacrisia obligua)
- Green plant bugs
- Earhead bugs
- Blister beetle
- Army worm
- Acridiid grasshopper
- Seed bug
- Tirunelveli wingless grasshopper
- Birds- sparrows, crows
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