Dr.Waqas Nawaz PMAS arid agriculture university rawalpindi pakistan

1. Millet
Group A-1

2. Millet:
 The millets are:
i. Group of small-seeded grasses
ii. Widely grown around the world as cereal crops
iii. Grains for both human food and fodder.
 Millets are important crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia
and Africa, with 97% of millet production in developing
countries.
 The crop is favored due to its productivity and short
growing season under dry, high temperature conditions.
 While millets are grown in many parts of the world, but
millets most likely has an evolutionary origin in tropical
western Africa, as that is where the greatest number of
both wild and cultivated forms exist.

3. History of Millet:
 Specialized archaeologists called palaeoethnobotanists,
hypothesize that the cultivation of millets was of greater
prevalence in prehistory than rice, especially in northern
China and Korea.
 Millets also formed important parts of the prehistoric diet in
Indian, Chinese Neolithic and Korean Mumun societies.
 Evidence of cultivation of millet in China has been found in
around 8300–6700 BC.
 Millet was an important element in the intensive,
multicropping agriculture of the Mumun pottery period
(1500–300 BC) in Korea.
 Millets and their wild ancestors, such as barnyard grass and
panic grass, were also cultivated in Japan during the Jōmon
period (some time after 4000 BC)

4. Plant Characteristics:
 The height of millet plant may range from 0.5 to 4
meters.
 The millet grain has great variation, and can be nearly
white, pale yellow, brown, grey, slate blue or purple.
 The kernel shape has five different
classifications: obovate , hexagonal, lanceolate ,
globular and elliptical.
 Grains of millet are about 3 to 4 mm long.
 The seeds usually weigh between 2.5 and 14 grams.
 The size of the millet kernel is about one-third that
of sorghum.

6. Nutritional Values:

7. Nutritional Facts:
 Millet is a principal source of energy, protein, vitamins
and minerals for millions of the poorest people in the
regions where it is cultivated.
 Millet, like sorghum, is generally 9 to 13% protein, but
large variations in protein content, from 6 to 21%, have
been observed.
 Millet grain compares favorably with maize and sorghum
as a high-energy, high-protein ingredient in feed for
poultry, cattle and sheep.
 Several studies indicated that, compared to maize, millet
is 8-60% higher in crude protein, and 40% richer in
amino-acids lysine and methonine.

8. Cont..
 Millet contains more calories than wheat, probably
because of it’s higher oil content of 4.2% which is 50%
polyunsaturated.
 Millet is rich in B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus,
magnesium, iron, zinc copper and manganese.
 Millet is a gluten free grain and is the only grain that
retains it’s alkaline properties after being cooked which
is ideal for people with wheat allergies

9. Anti nutritional facts:
 Oxalic acid in millet reduces the bioavailability of calcium
and hence has a negative impact on milk production and
fat content.

11. Cont...

12. Millet as fodder:
 In many countries these are primary sources of animal
feedstuffs.
 It is good source of diet as compared to the corn diet for
various types of animals like poultry, ducks, cows.
 It is estimated that over 95% of millet production is
used as food, the reminder being divided between
animal and poultry feed (7%), other uses (seed, bakery
products etc.)

13. Cont…
 The crop residue after
grain harvest is valuable
source of fodder for
livestock because of its:
 Wide adaptation
 Short duration with rapid
growth
 High tillering capacity
 Drought tolerance.

14. Cont…
 Utilization of grain as
feed for the milch
animals or poultry is not
significant (7%)
compared to sorghum
(almost 50% of total
output).
 Mostly millet grain is
used as animal feed.