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ELEUSINE CORACANA Common names:

African finger millet, goose grass, osgras (Afrikaans), uphoko (Zulu),

mpogo (Pedi), majolothi (Ndebele), mufhoho (Venda), vogel gierst

(Dutch), tailabon (Arabic), petit mil, eleusine cultiv?e (French),

Fingerhirse (German), wimbi (Swahili), ulezi (Swahili), dagussa

(Amharic/Sodo), tokuso (Amharic), barankiya (Oromo), ragi (India),

mugimbi (Kikuya), mawere, lipoko, usanje, khakwe, mulimbi, lupodo,

malesi, mawe (Malawi), koddo (Nepal), ceyut (Bari), mbege (Tanzania),

bulo (Uganda), kambale, lupoko, majolothi, mawale, amale, bule

(Zambia), rapoko, zviyo, njera, rukweza, mazovole, poho (Zimbabwe).

Taxonomy:

Chloridoideae; Chlorideae. There are about 9 species occurring in

tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Origin and geographic distribution:

E. coracana is found in warm temperate regions of the world from India

to Africa and also in Japan and Australia. It is present in

archaeological records of early Indian and African agriculture that

date back 5000 years, and it probably originated somewhere in the area

that today is Uganda (National Research Council 1996). It is an

important staple crop in many parts of india(mainly in hilly region)

and has been cultivated in eastern and southern Africa since the

beginning of the iron age. Before maize was introduced it was the

staple crop of the southern African region.

Desription:

A tufted annual grass that grows to a height of 210-620 mm tall. The

leaf blades are shiny, strongly keeled and difficult to break and are

220-500 mm long and 6-10 mm wide. The leaves and culms are typically

green in colour. It has an exceptionally strong root system and it is

difficult to pull out of the ground by hand (Van Wyk & Van Oudtshoorn

1999). The culms and the leaf sheaths are prominently flattened. The

ligule is a fringed membrane. Inflorescence consists of spike-like main

branches that are open or contracted and are digitate or sub-digitate.

The spikelets are 5-8 mm long and 3-4 mm wide. The spikelets do not

disarticulate (break apart at the joints) at maturity. The grains are

globose. There are two subspecies of African finger millet, the wild

form (E. coracana subsp. africana) and a cultivated form derived from

it (E. coracana subsp. coracana). Wild African finger millet (E.

coracana subsp. africana) is similar to Indian goose grass (E. indica)

and may be confused with it, but the latter has smaller spikelets and

oblong, not rounded, grains. The grains of Eleusine are unusual in that

the outer layer (pericarp) is not fused and can be easily removed from

the seed coat (testa) below (Van Wyk & Gericke 2000). Uses:

Archaeological excavations show that improved forms of finger millet

were once the staple grain diet of southern Africa. In India it is

still an important grain today. In east Africa, where it is cultivated

as a cereal, five races are distinguished on the inflorescence

morphology (Gibbs-Russell et al. 1989). It is the principal cereal

grain of Uganda and is planted on more than 0.4 million hectares there.

It has been successfully grown in the United States as far north as

Davis, California, but with considerable problems of photoperiod

sensitivity (National Research Council 1996). It is a versatile grain that can be used in many different types of

food. It is eaten by grinding the grains up for porridge or, as in

Indonesia, eaten as a vegetable. Sometimes it is ground into flour and

used for bread or various other baked products. The sprouted seeds are

a nutritious and easily digested food that is recommended for infants

and the elderly (National Research Council 1996). The grain may be left to germinate to make malt, which is very popular

in southern Africa due to the sweetness of the malt (Van Wyk & Gericke

2000). Its ability to convert starch to sugar is surpassed only by

barley (National Research Council 1996). In Ethiopia a powerful

distilled liquor called arake is made from finger millet. In India finger millet is widely enjoyed as a popped grain. Finger millet straw makes good fodder and contains up to 61% total

digestible nutrients (National Research Council 1996). It is used in traditional medicine as an internal remedy for leprosy or

liver disease (Van Wyk & Gericke 2000). Parts of the plant (the leaves and culms) are used to plait bracelets

(Gibbs-Russell et al. 1989). Chemicals can be obtained from the plant, namely hydrocyanic acid. E. coracana is probably the most important weed in cultivated lands in

southern Africa due to its exceptionally strong root system that makes

it difficult to control mechanically. It is also a weed in many other

parts of the world, namely North America, where it is listed as a weed.

In Africa, the wild form (E. coracana subsp. africana) is considered to

be a weed where the cultivated form (E. coracana subsp. coracana) is

grown and is especially problematic since they are so similar in

appearance.

Cytology:

Chromosome base number, x = 9. E. coracana subspecies coracana is a

tetraploid that derives from the wild diploid subspecies africana

(National Research Council 1996).

Leaf blade anatomy:

C4 photosynthetic pathway.

Toxicity:

Not toxic.

Ecology:

the cultivated form more commonly requires 500-1000 mm of rainfall per

year. This should be well-distributed throughout the growing season and

with an absence of prolonged droughts (National Research Council 1996).

The altitude limits of the species are unknown, but most of the

cultivated finger millet in the world is found from 500-2400 m

elevation (National Research Council 1996). It tolerates cool climates,

but thrives under hot conditions and can grow where temperatures are as

high as 35oC (National Research Council 1996). E. coracana appears to

be photoperiod sensitive, the optimum photoperiod being 12 hours, which

is considered to be relatively short.

Drought tolerance:

It tolerates dry spells in the early stages of growth and then grows

rapidly.

Tolerance to flooding:

It will not tolerate flooding.

Soil requirements:

It can be grown in any soil type as long as the rainfall is higher than

800 mm per annum (Van Wyk & Gericke 2000). Cultivated crops of E.

coracana are frequently produced on reddish-brown lateritic soils with

good drainage but reasonable water holding capacity (National Research

Council 1996). It has greater ability to utilize rock posphate than

other cereals do (Flack et al. 1987).

Propagation and planting:

E. coracana is much hardier and less susceptible to pests and diseases

than other grain crops.

Growth and development:

From germination cultivated plants take 2.5-6 months to mature. In

southern Africa the wild form flowers any time from October to May.

Diseases and pests:

Suffers little from diseases and insects. However, it is subject to

bird predators, most notably the quelea. A fungal disease called

"blast" can devastate whole fields of finger millet. The seeds can be

stored for years without insect damage, which makes them perfect for

famine-prone areas (National Research Council 1996).

Performance:

The cultivated form is considered to be a highly productive crop

(National Research Council 1996). Yields vary tremendously from

600-5000 kilograms per hectare and are not affected much by bird

damage. However, yield per unit labour is considered to be more

important in rural areas and also that there is at least some yield

during times of drought (Van Wyk & Gericke 2000). Cereal from this

species is considered to be more nutritious than any other major cereal

species. It has high levels of methionine, an amino acid which is

lacking in the diets of poor people who live on starchy foods such as

cassava and plantain (National Research Council 1996). This may be the

major reason why people of central Africa are so physically healthy

despite a limited diet.

Palatability:

The straw is used as low-quality roughage in India and Uganda.

Nutritive value:

Finger millet has variable nutritive value; protein contents ranging

from 6?14% have been reported, fat 1?1.4%, iron 5mg per 100g and food

energy 323?350 Kc. These are the more frequently given levels but in

some samples they are much higher. For the essential amino acids, the

most noteworthy is methionine which is reported to be 3%, an

exceptional figure for a cereal grain (National Research Council 1996).

100gms of millet consists:

344mg of calcium 283mg of phosphorous 7.3gms of protein 3.9gms of iron 1.3gms of fat

Main attributes:

It can be stored as grain for long periods without insecticides. The

seeds are small, they dry out quickly, and insects cannot live inside

them. This is important in humid Uganda where maize is difficult to

store. Called a "famine" crop because it could be stored for lean

years. Used as a first crop in new land in Kenya and Tanzania.

WE CAN SUPPLY YOU THIS CROP IN BULK QUANTITY AT LOWEST PACKAGE.