HUNTING

Weaver Base

Re-discover Some of the Underutilized and Neglected Crops of the World With a View to Broaden our Food Resource Base: Finger Millet (eleusine Coracana

Historical perspective and distribution.

It is present in archaeological records of early African agriculture in Ethiopia that date back 5000 years, and it probably originated somewhere in the area that today is Uganda (National Research Council 1996). It is an important staple crop in many parts of Africa and has been cultivated in eastern and southern Africa since the beginning of the Iron Age. Before maize was introduced it was the staple crop of the southern African region.

E. coracana is found in warm temperate regions of the world from Africa to Japan and also in Australia. It is probably the most important weed in cultivated lands in southern Africa due to its exceptionally strong root system that makes it difficult to control mechanically. It is also a weed in many other parts of the world, such as North America. In Africa, the wild form (E. coracana subsp. africana) is considered to be a weed where the cultivated form (E. coracana subsp. coracana) is grown and is especially problematic since they are so similar in appearance.

The crop

Finger millet is tufted annual grass that grows to a height of 2-6 cm. The leaf blades are shiny, strongly keeled and difficult to break and are 2-5 cm long and 6-10 mm wide. Leaves and culms are typically green in colour. It has an exceptionally strong root system and it is difficult to pull out of the ground by hand (Van Wyk & Van Oudtshoorn 1999). The culms and the leaf sheaths are prominently flattened. The ligule is a fringed membrane. Inflorescence consists of spike-like main branches that are open or contracted and are digitate or sub-digitate. Spikelets are 5-8 mm long and 3-4 mm wide.

There are two subspecies of African finger millet, the wild form (E. coracana subsp. africana) and a cultivated form derived from it (E. coracana subsp. coracana). Wild African finger millet (E. coracana subsp. africana) is similar to Indian goose grass (E. indica) and may be confused with it, but the latter has smaller spikelets and oblong, not rounded, grains. Grains of Eleusine are unusual in that the outer layer (pericarp) is not fused and can be easily removed from the seed coat underneath it.(Van Wyk & Gericke, 2000).

The crop is generally grown in traditional agricultural systems, with low inputs and low productivity. There is a trend to replace millets with more productive crops such as maize or rice in more intensive systems. However, finger millet has unique traits that can be harnessed for food security in underdeveloped countries like Malawi. These include:

1. Millets are generally fast maturing, which should enable them to fit into more intensive cropping systems. Fast maturing millet could be used as a catch or relay crop in association with other, slower maturing crops.

2. Rapid multiplication of seed is generally a relatively simple matter and seed costs are low. Small seeds of millets generally store well for long periods, ensuring a continued food supply during dry season or when there is a crop failure.

3. The small millet seeds often require less cooking or preparation time. This can be an increasingly important factor when women become involved in more productive farming systems and have less time to devote to food preparation.

4. There are a large number of ways of processing millets in traditional and novel preparations. This can be a factor in increasing the market demand for millets.

5. There are many difficult or marginal situations in which specific millets species perform well. Some races for example are tolerant to waterlogged and acid soils, while others can tolerate both drought and saline soil conditions. Because many types of millet are fast maturing, they can produce a crop quickly and escape the onset of stress conditions such as drought.

6. Many varieties of millets have excellent nutritional properties, containing high levels of essential minerals such as iron and calcium. Finger millet is especially known for its characteristic of providing energy for a long time after it is consumed. This is an important trait for people who have jobs that require hard manual work.

7. Millets are not necessarily low yielding crops. Grain yields of finger millet in field conditions in India and Uganda frequently exceed six tons per hectare, and foxtail millet can produce similar yields in China. The lower yields of small millets compared with yields of major cereals may be due to selection by farmers, over thousands of years, for tolerance to difficult conditions rather than for high grain yield per se.

8. It is a known fact that agriculture is vulnerable to crop failure, often due to flooding or drought, or due to mismanagement of soil and water resources. Although millets cannot prevent these catastrophes, they are known as famine crops that can ensure a quick food crop when other crops have failed.

9. In mountainous or hilly areas of the world, millet production area is increasing, from 123,000 ha in 1983 to 151,000 ha in 1985. Recent estimates place the area planted at 235,000 ha.

The above examples are evidence that millets have an important role to play as a component of more sustainable and productive agricultural technology.

Pests and diseases

Finger millet suffers little from diseases and insect. However, it is subject to bird predators, most notably the weaver birds (Quelea quelea). A fungal disease called "blast" can devastate whole fields of finger millet. However, the seeds can be stored for years without insect damage, which makes them perfect for famine-prone areas (National Research Council, 1996).

Uses

Archaeological excavations show that improved forms of finger millet were once the staple grain diet of southern Africa. In India it is still an important grain today. It is the principal cereal grain of Uganda and is planted on more than 0.4 million hectares. Finger millet is a versatile grain that can be used in many different ways as food. It can be eaten by grinding the grains up for porridge or, as in Indonesia, as a vegetable. Sometimes it is ground into flour and used for making bread or various other baked products. The sprouted seeds are a nutritious and an easily digested food that is recommended for infants and the elderly (National Research Council, 1996). The grain may be left to germinate to make malt, which is very popular in southern Africa due to its (malt) sweetness (Van Wyk and Gericke 2000). Much finger millet in Africa is used to make beer. Its amylase enzymes readily convert starch to sugar. Indeed, finger millet has much more of this ‘saccharifying’ power than does sorghum or maize, apart from barley, the world's premier beer grain, that surpasses it.

Finger millet has variable nutritive values. Protein content ranging from 6–14%, fat 1–1.4%, iron 5mg per 100g and food energy 323–350 kilocalories have been reported. These are the more frequently given levels but in some samples they are much higher. For the essential amino acids, the most noteworthy is methionine, which is reported to be 3%, which is an exceptional figure for a cereal grain (National Research Council, 1996). This high-methionine grain might be beneficial for use in weaning foods.

Finger millet straw makes good fodder and contains up to 61% total digestible nutrients (National Research Council, 1996). It is used in traditional medicine as an internal remedy for leprosy or liver disease (Van Wyk an Gericke, 2000). Parts of the plant (the leaves and culms) are used to plait bracelets (Gibbs-Russell et al., 1989).

Cultivation

E. coracana can be grown in any soil type as long as the rainfall is more than 800 mm per annum (Van Wyk and Van Oudtshoorn, 1999). Cultivated crops of E. coracana are frequently produced on reddish-brown lateritic soils with good drainage but reasonable water holding capacity (National Research Council, 1996). It has greater ability to utilize rock phosphate than other cereals do (Flack et al., 1987). From germination, cultivated plants take 2.5-6 months to mature.

The cultivated form is considered to be a highly productive crop (National Research Council, 1996). Yields vary tremendously from 600-5000 kilograms per hectare and are not affected much by bird damage. However, yield per unit labour is considered to be more important in rural areas and also that there is at least some yield during times of drought (Gibbs-Russell, et al., 1989). Cereal from this species is considered to be more nutritious than any other major cereal species. It has high levels of methionine, an amino acid that is lacking in the diets of poor people who live on starchy foods such as cassava and plantain (National Research Council, 1996). This may be the major reason why people of central Africa are so physically healthy despite a limited diet

Given all these qualities, it is perhaps hard to understand why finger millet is being neglected. But the reason is simple. Farmers are giving it up in favour of maize, sorghum, and especially cassava because producing finger millet takes a lot of work. The truth is that finger millet, as produced at present, demands a dedication to drudgery that, given a choice, few people are willing to invest. Part of the main activities is in weeding the fields, part in handling the harvest, and part in processing the grain.

About the Author

A biologist cum agriculturist with the University of Malawi. Keen follower of environmental issues.

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Cecilia Smith interviews Eric Weaver from Jones Brothers Seaplane Tours at Tavares Seaplane Base