''Echinochloa frumentacea'' (Indian barnyard millet, sawa millet, or billion dollar grass)''Echinochloa frumentacea''.
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. is a species of ''

Echinochloa ''Echinochloa'' is a very widespread genus of plants in the grass family and tribe Paniceae. Some of the species are known by the common names barnyard grass or cockspur grass. Some of the species within this genus are millets that are grown ...

''. Both ''Echinochloa frumentacea'' and '' E. esculenta'' are called Japanese millet. This

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 species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets ...

is widely grown as a cereal in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. Its wild ancestor is the tropical grass ''

Echinochloa colona ''Echinochloa colona'', commonly known as jungle rice, deccan grass, or awnless barnyard grass, is a type of wild grass originating from tropical Asia. It was formerly classified as a species of ''Panicum''. It is the wild ancestor of the culti ...

'', but the exact date or region of domestication is uncertain. It is cultivated on marginal lands where

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

and other crops will not grow well. The grains are cooked in water, like rice, or boiled with milk and sugar. Sometimes it is fermented to make

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cer ...

. While also being part of staple diet for some communities in

, these seeds are, in particular, (cooked and) eaten during

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after co ...

(willingly abstaining from some types of food / food ingredients). For this reason, these seeds are commonly also referred to as "" in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

(i.e., "rice for fasting", literally). Other common names to identify these seeds include () in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, () or () in

Bangla Bangla (Bengali: বাংলা) may refer to: *Bengali language, an eastern Indo-Aryan language *The endonym of Bengal, a geographical and ethno-linguistic region in South Asia *''Bangla-'', a prefix indicating Bangladesh Businesses and organ ...

, in the Garhwal Hills, () in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

-speaking areas, or (, ) seeds in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, or () in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Pests

Insect pests include: ;Root feeders *white grubs ''

Holotrichia ''Holotrichia'' is a genus of beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, which are well known as "chafer beetles" or "white-grubs" for their white larvae that are found under the soil where they feed on the roots of plants. Particularly well known speci ...

'' sp., ''

Anomala dimidiata ''Anomala dimidiata'' is a species of scarab beetle. 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 food. Most species ge ...

'', and ''

Apogonia ''Apogonia'' is a genus of scarab beetles. Some are pests of durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce ed ...

'' sp. (in India) ;Seedling feeders *shoot fly ''

Atherigona falcata ''Atherigona falcata'', the barnyard millet shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. It is found throughout Asia. It is known to affect ''Echinochloa colona'', ''Echinochloa frumentacea'', ''Echinochloa stagnina'', and ''Panicum sum ...

'' *''

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 Manjun ...

'', ''

Atherigona simplex ''Atherigona simplex'', the kodo millet shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae Muscidae are a family of flies found in the superfamily Muscoidea. Muscidae, some of which are commonly known as house flies or stable flies due t ...

'', ''

Atherigona soccata ''Atherigona soccata'', the sorghum shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae whose larvae feed on the central growing shoots of millet crops like sorghum and finger millet, as well as maize, where they can cause serious loss of yiel ...

'', ''

Atherigona oryzae ''Atherigona oryzae'', the rice shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. It is found in Asia and Australia. It is known to affect rice, kodo millet ''Paspalum scrobiculatum'', commonly called Kodo millet or Koda millet,A. E. Gra ...

'', and ''

Atherigona nudiseta ''Atherigona falcata'', the barnyard millet shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. It is found throughout Asia. It is known to affect ''Echinochloa colona'', ''Echinochloa frumentacea'', ''Echinochloa stagnina'', and ''Panicum sum ...

'' *armyworm ''

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. ...

'' *thrips ''

Haplothrips ganglbaueri ''Haplothrips ganglbaueri'' is a species of thrips. 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 food. Most species ge ...

'' *stem borers ''

Sesamia inferens ''Sesamia inferens'', the Asiatic pink stem borer, gramineous stem borer, pink borer, pink rice borer, pink rice stem borer, pink stem borer, purple borer, purple stem borer or purplish stem borer, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species ...

'', ''

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, ...

'', and ''

Chilo diffusilineus Chilo may refer to: *Chilo of Sparta, one of the Seven Sages of Greece * Chilo, Ohio, a village in Clermont County, Ohio *Chilo, Bhutan * ''Chilo'' (moth), a genus of crambid moths *André Chilo (1898–1982), French rugby player * Chilo Rachal (bo ...

'' ;Sucking pests *leafhoppers ''

Nephotettix cincticeps ''Nephotettix cincticeps'', the rice green leafhopper, is a species of true bug in the family Cicadellidae. It is a pest of barnyard millet ''Echinochloa'' is a very widespread genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family and tribe Paniceae ...

'', ''

Sogatella furcifera ''Sogatella furcifera'' is a species of planthopper in the family Delphacidae. It is a pest of sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereal ...

'', and ''

Sogatella kolophon ''Sogatella kolophon'' is a species of delphacid planthopper in the family Delphacidae. It is found in Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, Oceania, South America, and Southern Asia. Subspecies Three subspecies belo ...

'' *plant hoppers ''

Nilaparvata lugens The brown planthopper (BPH), ''Nilaparvata lugens'' (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is a planthopper species that feeds on rice plants (''Oryza sativa'' L.). These insects are among the most important pests of rice, which is the major staple cro ...

'' and ''

Peregrinus maidis ''Peregrinus maidis'', commonly known as the corn planthopper, is a species of insect in the order Hemiptera and the family Delphacidae. It is widespread throughout most tropical and subtropical regions on earth, including southern North America ...

'' *leaf bug ''

Cletus punctiger ''Cletus punctiger'', the rice stinkbug, is a species of true bug in the family Coreidae. It is a pest of sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are gro ...

'' *aphids ''

Hysteroneura setariae The rusty plum aphid (''Hysteroneura setariae'') is an aphid in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. It is known from Yemen, and has also been recorded feeding on sorghum and other mil ...

'' and ''

Macrosiphum eleusines ''Macrosiphum'' is a genus of aphid. During the summer populations are made of parthenogenetic females. In the fall, males and females are produced; they mate and females lay eggs that overwinter. There are over 160 spp. in 3 subgenera. Speci ...

'' ;Leaf feeders *grasshoppers ''

Acrida exaltata ''Acrida exaltata'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is a pest of sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family ( Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals ...

'', ''

Atractomorpha crenulata ''Atractomorpha crenulata'', commonly known as the tobacco grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the subfamily ''Pyrgomorphinae'', found in Asia. Taxonomy ''A. crenulata'' is a member of the genus '' Atractomorpha'', which is part of fami ...

'', ''

Hieroglyphus banian ''Hieroglyphus banian'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is a pest of millets such as sorghum, pearl millet Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum''; also known as 'Baj ...

'', ''

Hieroglyphus daganensis The African rice grasshopper, ''Hieroglyphus daganensis'' is a medium-sized grasshopper species found in the Sahel region. Although not called a locust in English, this species shows gregarious behaviour and some morphological change (phase Polym ...

'', ''

Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus ''Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is a highly serious pest of millets such as sorghum and pearl millet Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum gl ...

'', ''

Oxya nitidula ''Oxya nitidula'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is a pest of millets such as sorghum and pearl millet in India. References nitidula ''Nitidula'' is a genus of sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae The ...

'' and ''

Oxya bidentata ''Oxya bidentata'' is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. 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 ...

'' *leaf caterpillar ''

Euproctis similis The yellow-tail, goldtail moth or swan moth (''Sphrageidus similis'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johann Kaspar Füssli in 1775, and has commonly been placed within the related genus '' Euproctis''. It ...

'' ;Developing grain pests *bugs ''

Agonoscelis pubescens ''Agonoscelis pubescens'', the African cluster bug or sorghum bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae Pentatomidae is a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, generally called shield bugs or stink bugs. Pentat ...

'', ''

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 huma ...

'', and ''

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 fo ...

References

Millets frumentacea Cereals Flora of Malta {{Panicoideae-stub