Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is an annual herbaceous plant. It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species probably evolved from its wild relative Eleusine africana. Finger millet is native to the Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands. It has the ability to withstand cultivation at altitudes over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level and a high drought tolerance. The grain is suitable for decades-long storage. It is widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia.
Taxonomy Finger millet is under the genus Eleusine Gaertn.
Cultivation
History Finger millet originated in East Africa (Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands). It probably evolved from its wild relative Eleusine africana. It was claimed to have been found in an Indian archaeological site dated to 1800 BCE (Late Bronze Age); however, this was subsequently demonstrated to be incorrectly identified cleaned grains of hulled millets. The earliest record of finger millet comes from an archaeological site in Africa which is thought to date to the 3rd millennium BCE, although it has not been precisely dated. By 1996, cultivation of finger millet in Africa was declining rapidly because of the large amount of labor it required, with farmers preferring to grow nutritionally inferior but less labor-intensive crops such as maize, sorghum, and cassava. Such a decline was not seen in Asia, however.
Growing regions Main cultivation areas are parts of eastern and southern Africa – particularly Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania – and parts of India and Nepal. It is also grown in southern Sudan and "as far south" in Africa as Mozambique.
Climate requirements Finger millet is a short-day plant with a growing optimum 12 hours' daylight for most varieties. Its main growing area ranges from 20°N to 20°S, but it is found to be grown at 30°N in the Himalaya region (India and Nepal). It is generally considered a drought-tolerant crop, but compared with other millets, such as pearl millet and sorghum, it prefers moderate rainfall (500 mm or 20 in annually). The majority of worldwide finger millet farmers grow it rainfed, although yields often can be significantly improved when irrigation is applied. In India, finger millet is a typical rabi (dry, winter season) crop. Heat tolerance of finger millet is high. For Ugandan finger millet varieties, for instance, the optimal average growth temperature ranges at about 27 °C, while the minimal temperatures should not be lower than 18 °C. Relative to other species (pearl millet and sorghum), finger millet has a higher tolerance to cool temperatures. It is grown from about 500 to 2,400 metres (1,600 to 7,900 ft) above sea level (e.g. in the Himalaya region). Hence, it can be cultivated on higher elevations than most tropical crops. Finger millet can grow on various soils, including highly weathered tropical lateritic soils. It thrives in free-draining soils with steady moisture levels. Furthermore, it can tolerate soil salinity up to a certain extent. Its ability to bear waterlogging is limited, so good drainage of the soils and moderate water-holding capacity are optimal. Finger millet can tolerate moderately acidic soils (pH 5), but also moderately alkaline soils (pH 8.2).
Cropping systems
Finger millet monocrops grown under rainfed conditions are most common in drier areas of Eastern Africa. In addition, intercropping with legumes, such as cowpea or pigeon pea, are also quite common in East Africa. Tropical Central Africa supports scattered regions of finger millet intercropping mostly with legumes, but also with cassava, plantain, and vegetables. Most common finger millet intercropping systems in South India are with legumes (dolichos, pigeonpea, black gram, or castor bean), cereals (maize, foxtail millet, jowar, or little millet), or brassicas („“such as mustard).
Weeds Weeds are the major biotic stresses for finger millet cultivation. Its seeds are very small, which leads to a relatively slow development in early growing stages. This makes finger millet a weak competitor for light, water, and nutrients compared with weeds. In East and Southern Africa, the closely related species Eleusine indica (common name Indian goose grass) is a severe weed competitor of finger millet. Especially in early growing stages of the crop and the weed and when broadcast seeding instead of row seeding is applied (as often the case in East Africa), the two species are very difficult to distinguish. Besides Eleusine indica, the species Xanthium strumarium, which is animal dispersed and the stolon-owning species Cyperus rotondus and Cynodon dactylon are important finger millet weeds. Measures to control weeds include cultural, physical, and chemical methods. Cultural methods could be sowing in rows instead of broadcast sowing to make distinction between finger millet seedlings and E. indica easier when hand weeding. ICRISAT promotes cover crops and crop rotations to disrupt the growing cycle of the weeds. Physical weed control in financial resource-limited communities growing finger millet are mainly hand weeding or weeding with a hand hoe.
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