''Panicum sumatrense'', known as little millet, is a species of

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

in the family

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

Description

This species of cereal is similar in habit to the

proso millet ''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotany, Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first ...

except that it is smaller. It is an annual

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

, which grows straight or with folded blades to a height of to . The leaves are linear, with the sometimes hairy laminae and membranous hairy

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above g ...

s. The

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s are from in length with long awn. The grain is round and smooth, long.

Subspecies

There have been two subspecies described: *''Panicum sumatrense'' Roth ex Roem. & Schult. subsp. ''psilopodium'' (Trin.) Wet. *''Panicum sumatrense'' Roth ex Roem. & Schult. subsp. ''sumatrense''

Distribution and habitat

In the temperate zones of Asia: the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

and also in the tropics of the continent:

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It can withstand both drought and waterlogging. It can be cultivated up to 2000 m above sea level.

Common names

* * * * * * * * *

Cultivation

The largest cultivation is in central India. Usually, it is planted using a

seed drill file:7263 Canterbury Agricultural College farm.jpg, Filling a feed-box of a seed drill, Lincoln University (New Zealand), Canterbury Agricultural College farm, 1948 A seed drill is a device used in agriculture that sowing, sows seeds for crops by ...

. It can also if necessary be planted spoiled. The green plant can also be used in part as cattle feed. The straw can be mixed with clay or cement be used in construction. The harvest yield is from 230 to 900 kg/ha.

Pests

Pests include the shoot fly ''

Atherigona pulla ''Atherigona pulla'', the proso millet shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. The larvae feed on the central growing shoots of crops such as proso millet and little millet. It is found in South Asia.Ravulapenta Sathish, M Manjuna ...

'', which also affects

.Sathish, R., M. Manjunatha, and K. Rajashekarappa. 2017. Incidence of shoot fly, ''Atherigona pulla'' (Wiedrmann) on proso millet at different dates o sowing. ''J. Entomol. Zool. Stud.'' 5: 2000–2004. Other insect pests include: *shoot fly, '' Atherigona miliaceae'' *armyworms, ''

Mythimna separata ''Mythimna separata'', the northern armyworm, oriental armyworm or rice ear-cutting caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in China, Japan, South-east Asia, India, eastern Australia, New Zealand, and some Pacific islands. I ...

'' and ''

Spodoptera frugiperda The fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda'') is a species in the order Lepidoptera and one of the species of the fall armyworm moths distinguished by their larval life stage. The term "armyworm" can refer to several species, often describing the ...

'' ;Leaf feeders *caterpillars: ''

Aloa lactinea ''Aloa lactinea'', the red costate tiger moth, is a moth of family Erebidae. The species was Species description, first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is found in India, Japan, southern and western China, Taiwan, Java, Sumatra, Sri Lanka, ...

'', '' Amsacta albistriga'', '' Euproctis virguncula'', and ''

Paramsacta moorei ''Paramsacta moorei'' is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1875. It is found in India and Pakistan.Chaetocnema basalis'', '' Chaetocnema indica'', and '' Chaetocnema denticulata'' *larvae of the leaf folder ''

Cnaphalocrocis medinalis ''Cnaphalocrocis medinalis'', the rice leafroller, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in south-east Asia, including Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and most of Australia. This moth typically has a wingspan of appro ...

'' *grasshoppers: '' Chrotogonus hemipterus'', ''

Acrida exaltata ''Acrida exaltata'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is a pest of sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a sp ...

'', '' Aiolopus simulatrix'', and '' Aiolopus tamulus'' ;Earhead feeders *bugs ''

Nezara viridula ''Nezara viridula'', commonly known as the southern green stink bug (USA), southern green shield bug (UK) or green vegetable bug (Australia and New Zealand), is a plant-feeding stink bug. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it can now be f ...

'' and ''

Dolycoris indicus ''Dolycoris indicus'' is a species of true bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is a pest of millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human foo ...

'' ;Panicle pests *spotted stalk borer ''

Chilo partellus ''Chilo partellus'', the spotted stalk borer or spotted stem borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Charles Swinhoe in 1885. It is found in India, Pakistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, T ...

'' ;Others *'' Nephotettix virescens'', ''

Nephotettix nigropictus ''Nephotettix nigropictus'' is a species of true bug in the family Cicadellidae. It is a pest of millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and hu ...

'', and '' Nisia atrovenosa'' *sugarcane leafhopper, '' Pyrilla perpusilla'' *midge, ''

Orseolia ''Orseolia'' is a genus of flies belonging to the family Cecidomyiidae Cecidomyiidae is a family of diptera, flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating ab ...

'' sp.

Archaeobotany

At the

Indus Valley Civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the Northwestern South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...

sites of

Harappa Harappa () is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal, that takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs to the north. Harappa is the type site of the Bronze Age Indus ...

and Farmana, the millet assemblage was dominated by little millet. Over 10,000 grains of little millet were recovered at Harappa. At Harappa, little millet cultivation peaked at around 2600 BC, accounting for around 5% of the total cereal assemblage.

Preparation

Little millet is cooked like

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Sometimes the millet is also milled and baked. The protein content of the grain is 7.7%.

Notes

References

* *W. Franke, (1985): ''Nutzpflanzenkunde''. Stuttgart. *H. Genaust: ''Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen''. 3. Aufl., 701 S. Basel-Boston-Stuttgart, 1996. *V. H. Heywood: ''Blütenpflanzen der Welt''. Basel-Boston-Stuttgart, 1978 * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1308043 sumatrense Millets Crops originating from Asia Grasses of Asia Flora of Sumatra Cereals Harappa