Practical
Plants

Eleusine coracana

Finger Millet

an annual member of the Eleusine genus in the family Gramineae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked. Used as a millet, the seed can be cooked whole or ground and used as a flour[4]. It is used in cakes, puddings, porridge etc[1][5][11][3][4]. The flour makes a very fair unleavened bread if it is first soaked overnight in water[5]. It is often used in making fermented foods[4]. Finger millet is the main food grain for many peoples, especially in dry areas of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka[9][10]. The grain is higher in protein, fat and minerals than rice, corn, or sorghum[9]. When consumed as food it provides a sustaining diet, especially for people doing hard work[9]. The grain may also be malted and a flour of the malted grain used as a nourishing food for infants and invalids[9]. Finger millet is considered an especially wholesome food for diabetics[9]. The seed is about 2mm in diameter[5]. A nutritional analysis is available[7]. Seed yield is about 5 Tonnes per hectare[9]. Ragi grain possesses excellent storage properties and is said to improve in quality with storage. Seed can be stored without damage for as long as 50 years[9]. They are highly valued as a reserve food in times of famine. Yield depends on variety and is directly related to duration, height and tillering capacity of type grown. Types with straight spikes give better yields than those with curved spikes[9].

Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is astringent, tonic and cooling[8]. It is used in the treatment of fevers, biliousness and hepatitis[7][8]. The leaf juice has been given to women in childbirth, and the plant is reported to be diaphoretic, diuretic, and vermifuge[9]. The plant is a folk remedy for treating leprosy, liver disease, measles, pleurisy, pneumonia, and small pox[9].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Tonic

Environment

Range
S.E. Asia. It probably arose through cultivation from E. indica.
Habitat
Savannah and upland grassland[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts[2][6]. The seed can also be sown in mid to late spring in situ[6], though if the summer is cool it might not ripen its seed[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[6]. Tolerates moderately moist conditions[12]. Finger millet is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 29 to 429cm, an annual temperature range of 11.1 to 27.4°C and a pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.2[9]. Typically a tropical crop, one of the best suited for dry farming, generally grown rainfed. It thrives under a medium rainfall, on porous soils that do not get waterlogged. With rainfall of 53-75 cm, it is cultivated rainfed; with less, it is irrigated[9]. Finger millet is very adaptable and thrives at higher elevations than most other tropical cereals[9]. Cultivated on soils ranging from rich loams to poor shallow upland soils. In India, grown on black cotton soils, but thrives on red lateritic loams. Ragi stands salinity better than most cereals[9]. Finger millet is much cultivated in tropical countries for its edible seed[1][5][2]. Over 20 varieties of ragi are cultivated in India[4][9]. The numerous races under cultivation are primarily divided into purple and green types; those with straight or open spikes, encurved or closed spikes, or branched spikes; length of earheads (5-10 cm long); colour of seeds (deep brown to shade of orange-red to almost white or black); dwarf in habit (45 cm tall) to up to 1.3 m tall; poor tillering to profuse tillering; early or late maturing; suitable for growing under irrigation to growing in dry areas. Many named cultivars are involved in breeding trials in India. Most improvement is sought in increasing yields, resistance to lodging, even maturity and loose panicle[9]. The plant requires a good summer if it is to do well in Britain[K], though in warmer climes it is heavy yielding, even on poor soils[12][3]. Plants are seldom troubled by insect pests[13][3]. The seed stores well[3]. Plants are mainly self-fertile[9].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

    ↩1↩2

  3. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2

  8. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15↩16↩17

  10. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩

  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  12. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩1↩2

  13. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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