The plant resembles maize or corn but all of the ornamental types were selected for their attractive foliage and … [19]:505, Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) was definitely domesticated in Africa by 3500 before present, though 8000 before present is thought likely. The different species of millets are not necessarily closely related. [10] The oldest evidence of noodles in China were made from these two varieties of millet in a 4,000-year-old earthenware bowl containing well-preserved noodles found at the Lajia archaeological site in north China. There has been cooperation between poor countries to improve millet yields. Maltbys' Stores 1904 Limited 10kg WHITE MILLET SEED WILD BIRD FOOD CAGE BIRD FOOD. Slightly darker purple than Purple Majesty, with leaves that are shorter and wider for easier shipping, on a plant … Millet grows rapidly and can be grazed 5–7 weeks after sowing, when it is 20–30 cm high. It contains a layer of smashed millet and mungbean topped with sliced dried coconut meat wrapped in a crunchy rice cake. SHIROHIE MILLET GROWING GUIDE Shirohie millet is a fast growing, high yielding, leafy plant for either grazing, hay or silage. It is a common ingredient in seeded bread. [10] Evidence at Cishan for foxtail millet dates back to around 8,700 years ago. Millets (/ˈmɪlɪts/)[1] are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Millets also formed important parts of the prehistoric diet in Indian, Chinese Neolithic and Korean Mumun societies. Nodes are bearded and slightly swollen. Ragi, as it is popularly known, is dark in color like rye, but rougher in texture. Millet is also the main ingredient in a Vietnamese sweet snack called bánh đa kê. In 2016, global production of millet was 28.4 million tonnes, led by India with 36% of the world total (table). Works well with [37] Nevertheless, while millet does not contain gluten, its grains and flour may be contaminated with gluten-containing cereals.[38][39]. This is due to a number of factors: it gives better regrowth and is later to mature compared to other Japanese millets; it is cheap – cost of seed is $2–$3 per kg, and sowing rates are around 10 kg per hectare for dryland production; it is quick to establish, can be grazed early, and is suitable for both sheep and cattle. Japanese reed millet is a strongly upright species, meaning that it stands later into the winter than other millet species. Choose a millet variety. In developing countries outside Africa, millet has local significance as a food in parts of some countries, such as China, India, Burma and North Korea.[3]. Leaf-blades are flat, 50-100 cm long and 8-70 mm wide. Millet is also an important food item for the population living in the drier parts of many other countries, especially in eastern and central Africa, and in the northern coastal countries of western Africa. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The seed starting flat needs to stay on the heating mat until the seedlings are ready to transplant to individual pots. 5 - 10kg per acre / 12.5kg - 25kg per ha Research on millets is carried out by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research in Telangana, India, and by the USDA-ARS at Tifton, Georgia, United States. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Forage use: Foxtail millet has been used as a hay forage crop for decades in … These must be prepared and cooked as appropriate for human consumption. Primary existing uses for harvested foxtail millet seed to people wanting the seed to plant as a forage crop. Niger also had significant production. Foxtail Millet is thought to be native to southern Asia and is considered one of the oldest cultivated millets. Millet, Foxtail Setaria italica. The tiny seeds should be planted from October to November and if conditions are good, they will germinate within five days. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/plant/millet-plant, millet - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), millet - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Millet is one of the easiest ornamentals to sow directly since it thrives in dry and sandy soils. If this is the case the millet is broadcast after the maize has be drilled. In processed and cooked form, the relative nutritional and antinutritional contents of each of these grains is remarkably different from that of raw forms reported in this table. Vigorous seedlings. Pearl millet is one of the two major crops in the semiarid, impoverished, less fertile agriculture regions of Africa and southeast Asia. Raw millet is 9% water, 73% carbohydrates, 4% fat and 11% protein (table). Proso millet—also called common, or broomcorn, millet (Panicum miliaceum)—ripens within 60–80 days after sowing and is commonly used in birdseed mixtures. Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of … This breed was selected for trials in Zimbabwe. A 100-gram (3 1⁄2-ounce) reference serving of raw millet (Panicum miliaceum or proso millet) provides 1,580 kilojoules (378 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, especially manganese at 76% DV (USDA nutrient table). [29] Millets are not only adapted to poor, droughty, and infertile soils, but they are also more reliable under these conditions than most other grain crops. [40] Millet does not contain prussic acid, which can be in sorghum. Millets are major food sources in arid and semiarid regions of the world, and feature in the traditional cuisine of many others. The most commonly cultivated millets are in bold and marked with an asterisk (*).[4]. Millet is a C4 plant, which means that it has good water-use efficiency and utilizes high temperature and is therefore a summer crop. Millet (Panicum miliaceum) is a small, starchy grain that is easy to grow and harvest. [11][12], Palaeoethnobotanists have found evidence of the cultivation of millet in the Korean Peninsula dating to the Middle Jeulmun pottery period (around 3500–2000 BCE). Planting densities should be similar or slightly higher (100 000 to 175 000 plants/ha) than for sorghum. The highest feed value is from the young green leaf and shoots. at Excavations in Turkey and Iran", https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/1091#Hesiod_0606_290, https://archive.org/details/enquiryintoplant01theouoft/page/78, "Progress with Proso, Pearl and Other Millets", "A New Generation of Pearl Millet on the Horizon", "World Regions/Production Quantity for millet, 2016; from picklists", "Millets: a solution to agrarian and nutritional challenges", "Bánh đa kê - món quà vặt của người Hà Nội", "The Oslo definitions for coeliac disease and related terms", "Quality characteristics of gluten free cookies prepared from different flour combinations", "The gluten-free diet: safety and nutritional quality", List of top international rankings by country, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Millet&oldid=995064659, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 01:09. They are somewhat strong in taste and are mainly consumed in flatbreads and porridges or prepared and eaten much like rice. Millet is a confusing term used broadly to describe five completely different genera of plants: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), Japanese millet (Echinochloa frumentaceae), Brown top millet (Panicum ramosum), and Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum).. Grasses grown in the garden provide interesting contrast and often ease of care for the home gardener. The carbohydrate-rich cereals compare favourably with the protein-rich foods in energy value; in addition, the cost of production (per calorie) of cereals is less than that of almost all other foods and they can be stored dry for many years. 2. [14] Millets and their wild ancestors, such as barnyard grass and panic grass, were also cultivated in Japan during the Jōmon period some time after 4000 BCE. Compared to forage sorghum, which is grown as an alternative grazing forage, animals gain weight faster on millet, and it has better hay or silage potential, although it produces less dry matter. Good emergence from depth, to 50 mm. Its cultivation had spread to South India by 1800 BCE. 'Okashana 1' became the most popular variety in Namibia, the only non-Sahelian country where pearl millet—locally known as mahangu—is the dominant food staple for consumers. The plant can quickly come to head, so it must be managed accordingly because as the plant matures, the value and palatability of feed reduces. The seed heads of red millet tends to be more open and loose, while white millet is more upright and compact. For example, 'Okashana 1', a variety developed in India from a natural-growing millet variety in Burkina Faso, doubled yields. It is about 7 to 10 days earlier than Sunrise. Japanese Millet is a warm season grass that produces an abundance of grain in as little as 50 – 60 days. In China, it is eaten without milk or sugar, frequently with beans, sweet potato, and/or various types of squash. 6. In western India, sorghum (called jowar, jola, jonnalu, jwaarie, or jondhahlaa in Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and Marathi languages, respectively; mutthaari, kora, or panjappullu in Malayalam; or cholam in Tamil) has been commonly used with millet flour (called jowari in western India) for hundreds of years to make the local staple, hand-rolled (that is, made without a rolling pin) flat bread (rotla in Gujarati, bhakri in Marathi, or roti in other languages). Suitable for silage or hay. [4] Finger millet, proso millet, and foxtail millet are also important crop species. Lambs do better on millet compared to sorghum. Stems: Stems erect, 150-300 cm long, 10-20 mm diameter. Frost Tolerance. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, "Annex II: Relative importance of millet species, 1992–94", "Millet: How A Trendy Ancient Grain Turned Nomads Into Farmers", "Crop Production under Drought and Heat Stress: Plant Responses and Management Options", "Millets older than wheat, rice: Archaeologists", "Earliest domestication of common millet (Panicum miliaceum) in East Asia extended to 10,000 years ago", "pearl Millet – Domestication and History", "Some Recent Discoveries of Millet (Panicum miliaceum L. and Setaria italica (L.) P.