Finger Millet

This presentation is done by 2010/2011 batch of Export Agriculture students of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka as a requirement for the subject which is “Rice & Field Crop Production”. Note that the information included here is relevant to Sri Lankan condition.

1. Finger Millet Eleusine coracana Group 05

2. Finger millet is an annual plant widely grown as a cereal Originally native to the Ethiopian highlands Cultivate in more than 25 countries in; Africa (eastern and southern) Asia (from Near East to Far East) As a staple food grain The major producers are Uganda, India, Nepal, and China Introduction

3. Nutrient Composition of Finger Millet Moisture  - 13.24 % Protein - 7.6 % Carbohydrate - 74.36 % Fiber - 1.52 % Minerals - 2.35 % Fat - 1.35 % Energy - 341.6 cal/100 g

4. Kingdom : Plantae Order : Poales Family : Poaceae Subfamily : Chloridoideae Genus : Eleusine Species : E. coracana Botanical name: Eleusine coracana Scientific classification

5. In Sri Lanka…… Average yield : 1324 kg/ha Extent : 5665 ha (2001-DOA) Production : 4212 mt (2001-DOA) Grown in rain fed uplands in the Dry zone and Intermediate zone of Sri Lanka Can be grown during in low land paddy fields during yala season

6. Major growing areas: Anuradhapura Monoragala Hambanthota Kegalle Rathnapura Nuwaraeliya Ampara Badulla Jaffna

7. Ecological Requirements Climatic conditions Finger millet grows best with medium rainfall Annual temperature range of 11 to 27°C Low relative humidity

8. Soil well-drained soils silt loams grows well on Reddish brown earth Calcic red yellow latasols Sandy regosols Soil pH of 5.0 - 8.2

9. Recommended Varieties Variety Days to maturity Ravi 90 - 100 Ravana 90 - 100

10. Land preparation T raditionally grown on Chenas during Maha season U sually planted without land preparation Soil is worked to a fine tilth with a disc harrow or mammoty for higher yield U pland seeds should be planted in moist soil and protected them biological hazards

11. Seed Establishment Can done in 3 ways Broad casting Row seeding Transplanting In Sri Lanka normally done broad casting In row seeding seeds are sawn with 30 cm spacing In transplanting, 20-25 days old seedlings can be transplanted

12. Fertilizer application Basal Urea 50 kg/ha TSP 50 kg/ha MOP 50 kg/ha Top dressing- apply 50 kg /ha of Urea at 3-4 weeks after planting To apply fertilizers their should be moisture in the soil

13. Irrigation I rrigate the field once in every 4-5 days until seedlings are establish During dry period supplementary irrigation is provided at weekly interval's Raise beds or the basin systems can be adapted for irrigation

14. Finger Millet seedlings are slow growing and require a weed free environment for 45 days to develop vigorous plants Seedlings in rows facilitates weed control Weed control Hand weed twice on 10th and 20th day after transplanting

15. Finger millet matures in about 3-5 months time 80 % of the ears become brown in colour can be harvested Most labor intensive operation of the production The ripe heads are individually picked with knife Harvesting

16. Dried in the sun on a clean hard ground Good care is needed to prevent any physical mixing during harvesting and drying When heads are dried enough, then they can be threshed and winnowed Average yield - 1324 kg/ha Cont’d…

17. Finger millet is piled in heaps for a few days and stored as heads If kept dry, it can store for as long as five years During storage, insect pests do not attack it At onset of rain, the grain springs to life and can be ready to harvest in just 45 days Storage

18. No severe insect pests have been reported on finger millet in Sri Lanka But plants are damaged by stem borer during Yala season Symptoms : t ypical dead heart in older plants larvae are found in the stem Pests

19. Control- Chemical - ( Diazinone , Furadan ) Cont’d…

20. Bacterial Blast ( Pyricularia spp ) : Plants are affected by blast mainly during maha season Symptoms – Diamond shaped, greyish white lesions bordered by a brown margin develop on leaves Diseases

21. Empty fingers and broken pedicels Seedlings may be killed under epidemic condition Control - Avoid dense plant population - Avoid heavy N fertilizer - Chemical control ( Benomyl , Edifenphos ) Cont’d

22. Commonly cooked and made into a porridge to accompany other foods Used in common food stuffs, such as idly and laddu Grain may used in the brewing of alcoholic beverages Millet straw can be used as an animal feed U ses

23. Great source to extract energy Helps in bone development For losing weight Aid for diabetics Treatment of anaemia Reduces blood cholesterol Relaxes body Medicinal values

24. Current annual production of finger millet is about 6,400 mt Present productivity is about 1.1 mt /ha Annual extent of cultivation of finger millet remains at 5,900 ha. About 3,200 mt of finger millet is imported to the country annually Present status

25. Import of finger millet seeds is to fulfill the pure seeds requirements of the industries -due to shortage of local products Finger millet seeds are exported in small amount which is negligible Price (Rs./kg) - Rs.24.00 – 30.00 Cont’d

26. FCRDI has released high yielding variety of finger millets -yield above 3.00 mt /ha under good management conditions With little more efforts to practice proper management conditions, we will be able to achieve self-sufficiency with the existing cultivated extent of finger millet Cont’d

27. Group Members A.M.N.S.K.Abeysinghe UWU/EAG/11/0005 A.P.Kariyawasam UWU/EAG/11/0006 U.L.D.M.S.Gunasinghe UWU/EAG/11/0007 R.M.M.K.Wijerathna UWU/EAG/11/0012  

28. THANK YOU