Description
Our millet cereals: Barnyard millet, Finger millet, Kodo millet, Little millet, Foxtail millet, Sorghum millet, Pearl millet, Proso millet.
Barnyard millet- Barnyard millet is a grain crop of lesser importance. It is very drought resistant but is also capable of withstanding water logging conditions. It is generally grown as a rainfed crop. Kudiraivali grains are consumed just like rice. They are also used in making rice pudding (kheer).
Finger millet- Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is important millet grown extensively in various regions of India and Africa, constitutes as a staple food for a large segment of the population in these countries. It ranks sixth in production after wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and bajra in India.
Koda millet-Kodo millet is a highly drought resistance crop. It is the coarsest of all food grains. The kodo millet, also known as cow grass, rice grass, ditch millet, Native Paspalum, or Indian Crown Grass originates in tropical Africa, and it is estimated to have been domesticated in India 3000 years ages.
Little millet-Little Millet (Panicum miliare), one of the small millets, is called kutki in Hindi. It is a relative of proso millet but the seeds of little millet are much smaller than proso millet. It is mostly consumed as rice.
Foxtail millet-Foxtail Millet is rich in Vitamin B12 which is essential for maintaining a healthy heart, smooth functioning of the nervous system, and in general good for skin and hair growth. A diet including Foxtail Millet may improve glycemic control and reduce insulin, cholesterol and fasting glucose in Type-2 diabetes.
Sorghum millet-Potential Health Benefits of Sorghum
Sorghum is known to be rich in phenolic compounds, many of which act as antioxidants. It has also been shown to be good at reducing some forms of inflammation due to its antioxidant properties. Several of the phenolic compounds in sorghum have been linked to anti-cancer effects.
Pearl millet- Pearl millet is one of the four most important cereals (rice, maize, sorghum and millets) grown in the tropics (Figure 3) and is rich in iron and zinc, contains high amount of antioxidants and these nutrients along with the antioxidants may be beneficial for the overall health and wellbeing.
Proso millet- t helps in controlling winter annual grass weeds, managing disease and insect pressure and preserving deep soil moisture for wheat. Proso millet can also be used as a rotational crop with corn or sorghum owing to its tolerance for atrazine, the primary herbicide used in corn and sorghum production systems.
