Botany of small millets

Climate-smart and nutrient-rich crops

1. Botany of Small Millets T.Nivethitha , GPB

2. Small millets Small millets are considered as climate-smart and nutrient rich crops Globally grown in a limited acreage, and are used as food, feed and fodder purposes

3. Play an important role in food and nutritional security in rural households characterized by high micronutrient content, particularly rich in calcium and iron, and high dietary fibre . agronomic advantages - including diverse, adaptation , less affected by biotic and abiotic stresses, short-duration, high water use efficiency, drought tolerance, etc. Small millets are under-utilized and under-researched crops, Their presence in the food basket has been declining over the years Currently there is an increasing recognition of small millets’ nutrient composition and benefits as healthy food.

4. Finger millet- Highly tolerant to alkalinity, even >pH 11.0 Domesticated about 5000 years B.C. in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia) Introduced into India about 3000 years ago Staple food in parts of Eastern and Central Africa and India Also known as African millet . In India, the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh produce most of the ragi crop. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu produce about 61% of the total crop.

5. DIFFERENT SPECIES. Diploid species Eleusine indica Eleusine oligostachya E.tristachya E . poranansis E. jaegeri E. flacifolia Tetraploid species . 1.Eleusine coracana 2. E. africana 3. E. Longipoides 4. E. verticillata 5. E. cagopoides

6. Cultivated types of ragi Indian ragi (2n = 4x = 36) E. Coracana ( tetraploids ) Short fingers, small grains, photo insensitive . African ragi ( 2n = 4x = 36) E. africana ( tetraploids ) It has long fingers, bold grain, stiff straw, photosensitive and uneven grain maturity phase.

7. Eleusine indica Eleusine coracana Eleusine africana

8. Botany Habit : Annual or Perennial, herbaceous. Height : about 1m. Root system: Adventitious. Stem : Compressed, elliptic . Culm : Compressed and culms are typically green in colour . Culm nodes are glabrous. Culm internodes solid or hollow. Leaf sheath : Leaf sheaths are prominently flattened. Leaf blade : Leaf blades linear, narrow, flat or folded, without cross veination

9. Inflorescence : It consists of a group of digitally arranged spikes in a terminal umbel Spikelet : strongly compressed laterally, curved into two over lapping rows on the outer sides of the spike . Each spikelet has 4-6 flowers, flowers per ear head 1500 – 3000 .

10. Lemma : Pointed, awnless , hairless . Palea : Present,awnless . Lodicules : Present and two in number joined or free, fleshy . Glumes : Two, more or less equal.Lower glume 1 nerved. Stamen: Flower contains 3 stamens, short anthers and long filament. Pistil: Ovary glabrous. Styles free to their bases. Branched stigma with white or brown in colour . Fruit : The grains are globose .

11. Floral structure Terminal whorl bearing 2 to 10, but averaging 5 or 6 spikes arranged like a birds foot at the top of the peduncle. The lowest spike is separated by 2 to 5 cm from the other spikes and which arise from the same point at the end of the stem In each finger there are about 70 spikelet's , each spikelet having five to seven complete flowers. In the spikelet the flowering proceeds from bottom to top and in a finger the order of flowering is from the top spikelet downward . An ear head contains 1,500 to 3,000 flowers , and the flowering period varies from six or seven to ten days

12. TOP INCURVED OPEN TYPE

13. Anthesis commences from top spikelet and progress downwards. Each spikelet contains 4 to 6 flowers, the opening of the florets starts from bottom to top. One floret in the spikelet opens per day. Flowering takes place simultaneously in all fingers. Complete emergence of the inflorescence requires 7 -8 days. Depending upon the ear shape –Flower opening period will vary Compact : 2-3 a.m. Fisty : 3-5 a.m. Open : 1-2 a.m. Pollen viability is very short, 10 – 15 min.

14. Anthers require about 45 minutes for dehiscence after emergence The stigma is receptive for about five minutes after emergence from the glumes Self pollination is the general rule because the period of anthesis is very short. Cross fertilization by wind and insects is less than 1 per cent.

15. Foxtail millet Domesticated in China and Europe, and grown Valued for its drought tolerance, short duration, and grains are nutritionally superior to other cereals including rice and wheat. China ranks top In India, foxtail millet is cultivated mostly in the states such as Telangana , Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka , Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh

16. Annual grass ; seminal roots three followed by numerous thin adventitious roots , culms erect, slender, internodes hollow, leaf sheath longer than internodes, ligulate ; leaf blade linear; tip acuminate; mid rib prominent . Inflorescence spike like panicle , carrying 6-12 two flowered sub sessile spikelets each subtended by 1-3 bristles; stamens three ovary with two longstyles ending in plumose stigma ; fruit caryopsis tightly enclosed by lemma & palea .

17. Varieties in TN:CO 6 -90 d, CO5 – 95 d

18. Proso millet - Highly drought resistant Domesticated in China and Europe(Harlan 1975) Used for feeding birds and as livestock feed in the developed countries and for food in some parts of Asia. Hog millet, Brown corn millet, Russian millet . Rainfed crop

19. A shallow rooted erect annual grass , free tillering , internodes hollow, cylindrical ; leaflamina linear lanceolate . Inflorescence a slender panicle ; spikelet with two florets with two glumes; lower floret sterile; upper floret fertile with lemma, palea , two lodicules , three stamens and two styles with plumose stigmas; fruit a caryopsis enclosed by persistent lemma and palea

20. Varieties: CO 3 – 75d, CO 4 – 70d & K2 75d

21. Little millet - Highly drought resistant & tolerant to water logging Little millet was domesticated in India particularly in the Eastern Ghats of India, An annual tufted grass with slender culms, soft leaves, inflorescence a panicle with erect hairy branches. Spikelets in pairs with 2 glumes Floret with 2 lemma, 2 lodicule, 3 stamens, Ovary with plumose stigma. Fruit - caryopsis

22. Varieties in TN: CO3- 85d, CO2 – 85d, CO1 – 90d, PAIYUR 2 – 100d

23. Kodo millet - Highly drought resistant Minor crop throughout India.

24. An annual tufted grass; leaves in two ranks, stiff, erect. Inflorescence a panicle; 2-8 spikelets in flattened rachis; Spikelets usually in two rows; each spikelet has two florets; Lower floret sterile, upper bisexual with lemma, palea , two lodicules, three stamens andplumose stigma; grain enclosed in hard horny persistent husk which is difficult to remove.

25. Cereal can be sown after continuous drought Seed viability longer Should be used only fully matured grain Mostly in S. India Var : CO3 – 120 d, APK-1 100 d

26. Barnyard millet - Highly drought resistant & tolerant to water logging E. crusgalli domesticated in Japan 4000 years ago E. colona domesticated in India fastest growing of all millets Produces a crop in six weeks

27. A robust tufted annual grass; seminal roots followed by adventitious roots; stem smooth, glabrous , producing tillers; internodes hollow; leaf blade linear, lanceolate ; tip acute; margin finely toothed . Inflorescence a panicle; spikelet two flowered , awnless , pedicellate , subtended by bristles , two glumes; lower floret sterile with lemma and palea ; upper floret hermaphrodite, five nerved lemma and five nerved palea , two lodicules, three stamens, two distinct style with plumose stigma . Fruit a caryopsis enclosed in white shining hardened lemma and palea .

28. Varieties: CO 1 – 110d, K1 85d, K2 – 90d

29. Conclusions There is an increasing recognition of small millets’ nutrient composition and benefits as healthy food Alternate/supplement crop to widen food basket to ensure food, feed and nutritional security More research efforts on – Germplasm collecting, conserving, evaluating and utilizing, and – Developing high yielding cultivars, processing and utilization technologies, – Policy innervations To promote small millets cultivation, and for food and nutritional security of vulnerable population under climate change scenario.

30. Reference Botany of tropical plants- Dr. V.Krishnan & Dr.N.Senthil . SMALL MILLETS IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURE Floral Biology and Pollination System in Small Millets- 2012.