Finger Millet Research Articles

Effect of Organic Manures Combinations on Yield Attributes of Finger Millet Var. VL Mandua 379

A field experiment was conducted at Himalayan University farm, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, during the kharif season of 2023 with 8 treatments replicated thrice with 24 plots each 3×3 meter in randomized block design, to determine the effect of organic manures on yield of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.). The experiment included the following treatments T1- Control ,T2- Castor oilcake at 2.5kg/ha+ Poultry manure at 2.5kg/ha,T3- Bone meal at 2.5kg/ha + Poultry manure at 2.5kg/ha,T4- Mustard oilcake at 2.5kg/ha + Goat manure at 2.5kg/ha,T5- Bone meal at 2.5kg/ha + Neem oilcake at 2.5kg/ha + Fym at 2.5kg/ha,T6- Neem oilcake at 2.5kg/ha + Goat manure at 2.5kg/ha, T7- Mustard oilcake at 2.5kg/ha + Poultry manure 2.5kg/ha, and T8- Bone meal at 2.5kg/ha + Goat manure at 2.5kg/ha. All the fertilizers were top dressed on the surface layer of the soil after 1 week of transplantation. The highest finger length (cm) recorded was 6.5 cm at harvest, the highest test weight (g) recorded was 3.1 g at harvest, the highest grain yield recorded was (t ha-1) 4.02 t ha-1 at harvest, highest straw yield (t ha-1) recorded was 7.9 t ha-1 and harvest index (%) 36.78 % at harvest were observed with treatment T5– Bone meal at 2.5kg/ha + Neem oilcake 2.5kg/ha + Fym at 2.5kg/ha.

Cross transferability of finger millet SSR markers to little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth. Ex Roem & Schult.)

Little millet is an important cereal known as a “nutra-grain' because of its numerous health benefits. Due to lack of genomic information, the present study analyzed the cross-transferability of finger millet SSR markers to little millet. SSR analysis using genomic DNA with 18 available markers in little millet revealed that 12 SSR markers had unique amplicons with the expected size, indicating 66.66 % cross-transferability. This indicates the conservation of the repetitive motifs AG, CTG, GTT, ACG, CGG, (GA)26, (TC)21, (CA)7N12 (GA)15, and (GA)7AA (GA)19 in both species. Genetic analysis with these transferable twelve SSR markers in 16 little millet genotypes revealed a total of 39 alleles with an average of 3.25 alleles per primer. The highest number of alleles (8) was found at GB-FM -53, while the lowest number of alleles (2) was found at GB-FM -67, GB-FM -87, GB-FM -98 and UGEP-101. Out of the total twelve amplified primers, four primers GB-FM -53, GB-FM -67, GB-FM -70 and UGEP-93 were found to be highly effective and best based on highest SSR primer index value, observed and effective number of alleles, Nei genetic diversity, Shannon information index and polymorphic information content. Finger millet SSR markers distinguished sixteen genotypes of little into two major clusters, where two genotypes, WV-151 and WV-152, were highly diverse. This study establishes the high cross-transferability of finger millet SSR markers to little millet facilitating genomic research and breeding efforts for genetically neglected little millet.

Optimization and quality evaluation of functional pasta made from germinated finger millet, buckwheat, and black gram.

The investigation was conducted to optimize process variables to manufacture functional pasta from composite flour. The selected grains were steeped, germinated, dried, and milled to produce flour. The flours were mixed at optimized proportions (57.31% buckwheat flour, 12.68% finger millet flour, and 30% paheli dal flour) to produce composite flour. The full factorial experimental design opted for optimization of process variables namely, moisture content (mc) (28, 30, 32, and 34%) and mixing speed (60, 80, 100, and 120 rpm). The optimized multi-grain pasta showed shorter processing time, in-range cooking loss, and higher cooking weight and water absorption capacity (WAC). The highest overall acceptability was recorded for multi-grain pasta processed at 60 rpm with an initial mc of 32%. Proximate analysis of optimized multi-grain pasta showed that pasta contained protein (13.95%), crude fiber (5.05%), ash (2.05%), a lower amount of fat (0.74%), and carbohydrates (71.71%).

Effect of Zinc-fertilizer on varietal performance of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and soybean (Glycine max) in western Kenya

Soil zinc deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a major contributor to poor crop responses to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K) fertilizer leading to low economic returns on fertilizer use. Despite being drought-tolerant crops, finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and soybean (Glycine max) yields are consistently lower than 1000 kg ha−1 in western Kenya. On-farm trials were conducted in Bungoma and Siaya Counties of western Kenya during two subsequent cropping seasons (long & short rains of 2019) to evaluate the responses of two varieties of finger millet (U15 and SEC915) and soybean (SB19 and SB134) to N, P and K after addition of Zn. Zinc was applied at 0, 1.5, and 3 kg ha−1 and N, P and K at blanket rates. Results showed that application of Zn fertilizer alongside N, P and K fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) increased grain yields, grain Zn concentration and grain Zn uptake. The largest Zn agronomic efficiency (AEZn) was realized when Zn was applied at 1.5 kg ha−1 for both crops. Application of Zn was profitable (VCR >1) for growing finger millet and soybean in Bungoma and Siaya during long rains and short rains. We recommend applying Zn along with N, P and K fertilizer in Zn-depleted soils to increase finger millet and soybean yields.

Formulation of Fortified Millet Chikki using Selected Millet Grains

Fortified Millet Chikki is a nutritionally enriched snack crafted from millet grains, an ancient gluten-free staple. This innovative take on traditional chikki blends the goodness of millets with essential nutrients, catering to modern health-conscious consumers. Since, millets are known to be rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it provides a sustainable source of energy while promoting digestion and overall well-being. Through fortification, key nutrients like iron, calcium, and vitamins are added, addressing prevalent deficiencies and enhancing nutritional value .This study is put up to focus at providing additional nutrition to the people in easy, ready to eat, sweet desert form. Fortification leads to fulfill additional vitamins and mineral in food so that it can prevent malnutrition and deficiencies in population. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and finger millet (Eleusine coracana) are selected because of easy availability and nutritional properties .These fortified millet chikki can be consumed by any age group as an additional source of nutritive food.

Proposed Optimized Cropping Pattern for Different Water Availability Scenarios in Markonahalli Reservoir for Upper Shimsha Irrigation Project, Karnataka, India

The optimization model has been developed using linear programming by considering the stochastic nature of the inflows to the reservoir and solved for different storage water availability levels in reservoir viz., 60 per cent, 70per cent, 80per cent, 90per cent and 100 per cent to obtain various cropping patterns under canal command area. Linear programming is used either to maximize or minimize a given objective function. The total command area for cultivation is likely divided between the Kharif and Rabi seasons, with different crops being prioritized in each season based on their growing conditions and water availability. The existing area of 2639.38 ha for paddy is significantly reduced to a constant 1000 ha in the optimized scenarios, regardless of water availability. Sugarcane, with present area of 296.54 ha, the area is increased to 1722.13 ha under 100 per cent water availability but is reduced progressively to just 410.13 ha at 60per cent water availability. Optimization trend highlights finger millet's resilience and suitability under lower water conditions, making it a preferred crop when water is scarce.

Exploring finger millet storage: an in-depth review of challenges, innovations, and sustainable practices

Exploring finger millet storage: an in-depth review of challenges, innovations, and sustainable practices

Predictive modeling of allowable storage time of finger millet grains using artificial neural network and support vector regression approaches

The study aimed to establish safe storage guidelines for long-term preservation of finger millet grains and to develop a model for predicting the allowable storage time. The experiment was conducted at various temperature (15, 25, 35 and 45 °C) and moisture contents (8, 11, 14, 17 and 20% wb). Changes in response variables such as germination, free fatty acid and mold growth were systematically monitored. Finger millet with a moisture content above 14% should be dried to safe moisture levels within 3–5 weeks at 30 °C or within 5–10 weeks at 15 °C to preserve grain quality. To maintain high quality and seed viability of finger millet, moisture content and storage temperature should be below 12% and 20 °C, respectively for up to 34 weeks. The study also assessed the use of artificial neural network and support vector regression models in predicting the safe storage period for finger millet grains.

Genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) genotypes

An investigation was carried out with 101 finger millet genotypes for assessment of genetic variability and heritability in four environments during Kharif 2021. Variation due to genotypes for all the traits under study was found significant suggesting high amount of variability among different genotypes for different traits providing ample scope for selection and further evaluation as well as improvement in the seed yield and its component traits. Grain yield per plant (g) had moderate heritability estimates along with high genetic advance expressed as per cent of mean which implied that the character is controlled by genes having additive nature. High heritability combined with high genetic advance expressed as per cent of mean was noted for the characters viz., main ear head length, finger length, 1000-seed weight, protein content, calcium content, iron content and zinc content. Simple selection for such characters would be rewarding.

Agronomic biofortification of finger millet for zinc, and its influence on yield and partitioning of zinc, iron, and calcium in the plant

Zinc (Zn) deficiency in humans is the most common, and zinc requirement is catered mainly by cereal food grains which have lower zinc content. Finger millet is one of the staple food crops in Africa and India and has only 25 to 30 µg Zn g−1 of grain. Breeding efforts have improved the grain-Zn content to nearly 40 µg g−1 of grain, which is far below the recommended dietary allowance of 15 mg day−1 adult−1, and such varieties are not suited to all the finger millet cultivation regions. Therefore, the objective of the present studies is to enhance the grain-Zn content of locally adapted varieties through agronomic biofortification, which can be adapted for any variety and region. The easy, promising, and cost-effective approach is the soil or foliar application of zinc to increase the grain-Zn content. Present studies over four years revealed that the foliar application of 0.5% ZnSO4·7H2O solution at flowering and 20 days after flowering (DAF) is apt to increase the grain-Zn significantly to 40 µg g−1 of grain. Whereas the soil application of ZnSO4·7H2O at 12.5 kg ha−1 is appropriate to increase the grain yield to 504 g m−2 from 444 g m−2 in the control. The partitioning of zinc and calcium was higher toward the leaf sheath, leaf lamina, and husk than the other plant parts, whereas iron was toward the root. Therefore, the translocation of zinc from leaves to grain needs to be improved for further increase in grain-zinc of finger millet.

On Farm Performance of Finger Millet Varieties in Dera District of South Gondar Zone

Finger millet is an important food security crop and beneficial for human health. This study aimed to evaluate the on farm performance of the finger millet varieties in Dera district. The study took place in Korata Kebele and assessed grain yield and farmer feedback. The performance differences between the Necho variety (the demonstrated variety) and the farmers&amp;apos; variety were evaluated. Recent 10 years&amp;apos; grain yield data from the Dera district agriculture office was used to analyze the growth rates of area coverage, production, and productivity in the district using the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). Furthermore, the performance of the Necho variety was compared to its potential and farmer variety using the technology gap, extension gap, and technology index. From 2014 to 2018, the annual growth rate of area coverage and productivity in Dera district declined by 1.6% and 1.7% per year, respectively. Moreover, from 2019 to 2023, the average annual growth rate of area coverage, production, and productivity decreased by 0.75%, 2.6%, and 3.4% per year, respectively. The technology index for the Necho variety in the production seasons of 2021, 2022, and 2023 was -4%, 16%, and 36%, respectively. The higher value in the 2023 season indicated a decline in the performance of the Necho variety compared to the farmer variety. This decline was attributed to the occurrence of blast disease. To address this issue, it is recommended to practice early planting and use recommended fungicides (Natura 250EW and Tilt 250EC). The district agriculture office must ensure easy accessibility of these fungicides in the market for farmers to utilize.

Protein research in millets: current status and way forward.

Millets' protein studies are lagging behind those of major cereals. Current status and future insights into the investigation of millet proteins are discussed. Millets are important small-seeded cereals majorly grown and consumed by people in Asia and Africa and are considered crops of future food security. Although millets possess excellent climate resilience and nutrient supplementation properties, their research advancements have been lagging behind major cereals. Although considerable genomic resources have been developed in recent years, research on millet proteins and proteomes is currently limited, highlighting a need for further investigation in this area. This review provides the current status of protein research in millets and provides insights to understand protein responses for climate resilience and nutrient supplementation in millets. The reference proteome data is available for sorghum, foxtail millet, and proso millet to date; other millets, such as pearl millet, finger millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, tef, and browntop millet, do not have any reference proteome data. Many studies were reported on stress-responsive protein identification in foxtail millet, with most studies on the identification of proteins under drought-stress conditions. Pearl millet has a few reports on protein identification under drought and saline stress. Finger millet is the only other millet to have a report on stress-responsive (drought) protein identification in the leaf. For protein localization studies, foxtail millet has a few reports. Sorghum has the highest number of 40 experimentally proven crystal structures, and other millets have fewer or no experimentally proven structures. Further proteomics studies will help dissect the specific proteins involved in climate resilience and nutrient supplementation and aid in breeding better crops to conserve food security.

Enhancement of structural and functional characteristics of millet flours using non-equilibrium cold plasma

The effect of non-equilibrium cold plasma (NECP) treatment on functional and nutritional properties of finger millet flour was investigated. Finger millet flour was treated at two different exposure times for 5 min and 10 min, and functional and nutritional properties such as Water and oil holding capacity, water binding capacity, color, and dispersibility of the control and plasma treated flour were studied. There was no significant difference in the color intensity and the whitening index (WI) with the treatment. The functional properties such as water holding capacity (WHC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), foaming and emulsifying capacity have shown significant increment with treatment time. FTIR and DSC results depicted the depolymerization of starch in the treated flour. Plasma treatment was observed to enhance the functional properties of the finger millet flour, whilst the physical properties remained unchanged. Overall plasma treatment can be explored for development of a process to enhance functionality of finger millet flour for applications in food systems. There remains plenty of scope for commercial level expansion.

“Panampaniyaaram”: A Traditional Food Product Made with SmallMillet for Revitalization towards Sustainable Nutrition

performed by panelists using a 9-point hedonic scale were used to assess nineteen treatments on different mixtures by altering the flour types and their percentages in four levels, with palmyrah pulp and small-millet flours, including finger millet, little millet, and Foxtail millet. The sample prepared from 100% finger millet flour was chosen as the most preferred sample, based on the results obtained from the sensory evaluations. Physicochemical analysis of the selected treatment revealed that pH was 5.86±0.01 and the total ash content 1.38±0.18 g/100 g was significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher, and crude fat content 9.04±0.02 g/100 g, total salt content 0.201±0.026 g/100 g, and total sugar content 16.38 g/100g, was significantly (p&lt;0.05) less than that of the control sample which contained wheat flour. The selected treatment of the mineral content was significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher than that of the control treatment and contained Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium were 150, 60, 32.7 and 76.8 mg/100 g, respectively. In summary, palmyrah fruit pulp and finger millet can be used to create healthy, nutritional and affordable natural snacks “panampaniyaaram”, which will satisfy consumer preferences. Further studies are required to understand the developed product's organoleptic properties, antioxidant, vitamins, and anti-microbial activities as well as ways to extend its shelf-life. Keywords: Panampaniyaaram, palmyrah pulp, small-millets, finger millet, value-addition

Minor Millets: Miracle Grain of South India

Minor millets are important traditional food crops for dry land farmers in India. India has the third largest area under minor millets cultivation in the world. Minor millets such as finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, kodo millet, little millet and barnyard millet are considered as a climate-smart crop. Since these crops are widely divergent for thermo and photoperiods and hence these are known for their climatic resilience and are relatively less prone to biotic stress factors. Added these crops are rich in protein, fat, crude fiber, iron and other minerals and vitamins with low glycemic index in comparison to cereals like wheat and rice. Hence they are labelled as nutri- cereals and act as the source of food, feed and fodder. Minor millets have curative and nutrient - rich properties in the form of antioxidants which prevent weakening of human health such as lowering blood pressure, risk of heart disease, obesity, prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes etc. Owing to its health benefits, the minor millets output has increased recently due to the availability of high-yielding varieties, pest and disease - resistant varieties, and improved cultivation techniques, rising by 1.05 percent annually. This review aims to document the production status, demand, varietal diversity, current consumption pattern, processing, nutrient composition and therapeutic potential of minor millets for further research on various aspects.

Solid Formulation of &lt;em&gt;Trichoderma virens&lt;/em&gt; for the Management of Banana Anthracnose Caused by&lt;em&gt; Colletotrichum musae&lt;/em&gt;

Trichoderma spp. widely used as biocontrol agents for controllin g a wide range of plant diseases. Banana anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum musae is a prominent, widely distributed postharvest disease. This study was carried ou t to assess the effectiveness of locally isolated Trichoderma virens against C. musae and the mass producti on of T. virens using locally available, low-cost solid substrates. T. virens was tested for the inhibition of C. musae isolate in -vitro and in-vivo by dual plating and inoculating into two varieties of ripened banana: Kolikuttu and Cavendish, respectively. For mass production, T. virens was inoculated into different solid substrates including scraped coconut waste, sawdust, tea waste, seeds from rice, finger millet, and maize, dried pieces of water hyacinth plant, paddy straw, and Panicum maximum leaves; regularly taken spore co unts (cfu/g) and checked for viability by plating after 12 weeks of storage. The pathogen inhibition percentag e by T. virens was 74.10%. Disease severity was 0% in Kolikuttu and 19% in Cavendish after 5 days of T. virens spore appli cation (1x107 spores/ml). Significantly higher (p≤0.05) mean spore production resulted in rice seeds (9.345x109 spores/g) compared to the other substrates and the least resulted in sawdust (1.808x109 spores/g) at the 8th week after T. virens inoculation. Spores of T. virens were viable in all the tested substrates throughout the study period. The results conclude that T. virens is capable of controlling banana anthracnose and can be efficiently mass-produced by using rice seeds, dried pieces of P. maximum leaves, and f inger millet seeds as substrates.

Crop growth and productivity of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) influenced by organic nutrient sources under Guni method of cultivation

Crop growth and productivity of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) influenced by organic nutrient sources under Guni method of cultivation

Nutritional and therapeutic potential of finger millet

Nutritional and therapeutic potential of finger millet

Studies on organic source of nutrients on yield attributes and productivity of finger millet in finger millet-groundnut cropping sequence

Studies on organic source of nutrients on yield attributes and productivity of finger millet in finger millet-groundnut cropping sequence

Characterisation of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) starch isolated by conventional and ultrasound‐assisted starch isolation methods

SummaryStarch is a versatile biomaterial with a wide range of applications across various industrial sectors. Therefore, starch isolation methods play a crucial role in fulfilling the demand for high‐quality starch required for different applications. Waxy maize starch is the most used starch for different food applications. It is isolated using an alkaline extraction method and available in the market at a high price. The traditional process of starch isolation involves labour‐intensive and costly downstream processing that leads to exploring cost‐effective isolation methods for various food applications. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is an underutilised cereal crop composed of 65–70% of starch. In the present study, the starch from finger millet is isolated using conventional and ultrasound‐assisted isolation methods to fulfil the current requirement. The isolated finger millet starch was characterised by morphological structure obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffractogram (XRD), infrared spectrum obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT‐IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, and rheological analysis. The SEM images confirmed the reduced particle size and uniform grain size distribution in the starch isolated using ultrasound‐assisted isolation. The relative crystallinity of starch isolated using ultrasound‐assisted isolation method (69.05 ± 0.57%) was higher compared to other conventional isolation methods (57.18 ± 0.70%, 67.66 ± 1.00%, and 68.34 ± 0.33% for distilled water soaking, alkali soaking, and sodium bisulphite soaking, respectively). The FTIR analysis confirmed no significant changes in the functional group of starch with respect to different isolation methods. Thermal and rheological analysis of isolated starch using ultrasound‐assisted isolation indicated the lowest gelatinisation enthalpy (45.38 ± 1.67 J/g) and showed the lowest loss factor indicating the most elastic behaviour, respectively.