Breeding Advancements in Barnyard Millet

Abstract

Barnyard millet is a small seeded cereal grown in India, China, and Japan as a substitute for rice in dry areas. It has the fastest growing character among all millets and is generally cultivated in hill slopes and undulating fields of hilly, tribal, or backward areas, where few options exist for crop diversification. Two main species, Echinochloa esculenta (Japanese Barnyard millet) and Echinochloa frumentacea (Indian Barnyard millet), are cultivated and grown as cereals. It has a wide adaptation capacity and grow up to a height of 2000 m during summer season. Globally, more than 8000 accessions of barnyard millet have been assembled and conserved. Least research attention due to small area of the crop is a major reason for nondevelopment of improved breeding methodologies in the crop. Several high-yielding cultivars have been released till date with wider adaptation and adaptability in India. But production gap exists between yields realized at farmers’ fields because of prevalence of local cultivation practices. In recent years, barnyard millet has received attention, mainly because of its high nutritive value and climate resilience.