May 2025 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Dates cited in "Pearl millet, " 1903 & other sources (Re: Collab Digest, Vol 39, Issue 18)
by Don Osborn 08 May '25

08 May '25

Thanks, Gary. I appreciate your perspective on why pearl millet hasn't yet been developed as a grain crop here. Regarding the content of the 1903 bulletin, it's interesting to note that one issue that it highlighted is unscrupulous business practices of some seed vendors of that era, who were apparently marketing pearl millet for forage under different names at higher practices. So the bulletin recommends farmers just buy "pearl millet" seed at better prices. Also, I'm reading that it was not until 1875 or later that pearl millet's cultivation "became at all general" in the Southern States. But that pearl millet and sorghum were introduced to the Southern States in the "fifties" (1850s). On the latter I have doubts. It is believed that sorghum first came to the US in the 1700s, in connection with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Benjamin Franklin famously write about it in the context of broom-making in 1757. It's hard to believe that pearl millet didn't arrive until a century later, even if it may not have had as high a profile in the ag systems of the time. Some crops of African origin were apparently grown by enslaved people in whatever gardens they were permitted to have - could pearl millet have been one of them? Also note that some sources suggest that pearl millet may have been brought to some Spanish colonies in the New World as early as the 1600s - again, hard to imagine it didn't make it to British North America or the early US until two centuries later. Have yet to see a good history covering the early history of pearl millet in the US, It likely is given one or more different common appellations - for example an 1840 article in Farmers' Gazette and Cheraw Advertiser (Vol. 5, No. 36, 22 July 1840, page 1) refers to Pennisetum tiphoides (misspelling of P. typhoides, an earlier species name for pearl millet) as "Egyptian millet." See https://www.newspapers.com/image/352040494/ . Searching on "Egyptian millet," an 1823 Illinois paper printed a syndicated letter to American Farmer from a vinyard owner near Georgetown, DC, which in postscript describes planting some "Egyptian millet" seeds someone sent him, that "grew upwards of ten feet high, and has heads of more than twenty inches long..." - which sounds a lot like some African landraces of pearl millet (Edwardsville Spectator, Vol. 5, No. 225, 8 Nov. 1823, page 1 - https://www.newspapers.com/image/900580180/ ). So clearly, this plant was known before the 1850s, altho the name "Egyptian millet" is evidently used for other plants (as early as 1806, and even in Vermont), including sorghum. IMO we need a decent history of millets as a group in North America. There are different dynamics with the various species across the regions of this continent. That history (those histories) contribute to the larger narrative about the future of millets here. Anyway, will leave it there for now Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 10:54 AM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > The 1903 Pearl Millet bulletin stating that pearl has been in the country > for 30 years indicates southern farmers began adopting pearl millet for > forage after the Civil War. Stand establishment, early harvest, and seed > yield seemed to be the main issues then. The first two have generally been > resolved with better planting equipment, depth control, fungicide seed > treatments with grazing, haying and baleage improvements. > > Consistent competitive seed yield and value of stalks after harvest > likely remain why pearl has not been developed as a grain crop....Gary > Wietgrefe > > On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 6:06 AM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> > wrote: > >> Send Collab mailing list submissions to >> collab(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >> https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >> collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at >> collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >> than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." >> >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. "Pearl millet," USDA, 1903 (Don Osborn) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:18:01 -0400 >> From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> >> To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space >> Subject: [Collab] "Pearl millet," USDA, 1903 >> Message-ID: >> < >> CA+RHibVOePtpJSJV_hkDq_st+HhxiaN0yf2jirTn_fYRKraU7Q(a)mail.gmail.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" >> >> Of historical interest, here's an early USDA pamphlet on pearl millet: >> >> "Pearl millet," by Carleton R. Ball, USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 168, >> Washington, Government Printing Office, 1903. (16 pages) >> https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc85560/ >> >> The focus is on pearl millet as a fodder crop. >> >> >> Don Osborn, PhD >> (East Lansing, MI, US) >> North American Millets Alliance >>

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Save the date: Millets Webinar on finger millet, 5/15 at 11 am EDT
by Don Osborn 07 May '25

07 May '25

The next in the monthly Millets Webinar series will be next week, Thursday 15 May at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT. Two doctoral researchers at Iowa State University who are also working in the Lab of Prof. Asheesh Singh will present on their research relating to finger millet: Juan di Salvo and Srikanth Panthulugiri. Some of you may recall that Juan presented in our April 2023 Millets Webinar on millets and climate change. Finger millet is the most important millet globally in terms of amount grown & produced, not to be produced for any purpose at any scale in North American agriculture. And is relatively little researched here. Given the resilience of this crop and the nutritional profile of its grain, what might be its prospects in the future? More details forthcoming shortly. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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All U.S./Canada millets available
by Don Osborn 05 May '25

05 May '25

Passing this on from Gary regarding seed sources for several different millets. I would just add a minor one: The Mutual Admiration Seed Association (MASA) in Boulder, CO is selling small quantities of finger millet that from the description come from a variety in India cultivated for grain. In the US, some people plant finger millet as a garden ornamental - for example, "dragon's claw" is an ornamental variety I saw elsewhere. Anyway gardeners are apparently MASA's main market. But anyone wanting to experiment on a very small scale with our May millet-of-the-month might find this interesting: https://masaseedfoundation.org/products/grain-ragi-finger-millet Gary's links below are to farm suppliers for serious quantities of seed of other millets. DO, EL, MI, US NAMA ---------- Forwarded message --------- For anyone wanting a choice of foxtail, pearl, Japanese, brown top, and proso millet seed in the U.S. or Canada, they can get it all from one company. U.S.: You searched for millet - Millborn <https://www.millbornseeds.com/?s=millet&post_type=product> ( https://www.millbornseeds.com/?s=millet&post_type=product) Canada: 25-Renovo-Seed-CAN_All-electronic.pdf <https://www.renovoseed.com/ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/25-Renovo-…> (drop to "Warm Season Grasses" Not that NAMA should promote one seed company over another, but Millborn Seed has the U.S. covered with dealerships and is well represented in Canada....Gary -- Author, Gary W. Wietgrefe

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Research review article on finger millet
by Don Osborn 05 May '25

05 May '25

A recent research review on finger millet - our May millet-of-the-month - outlines the many qualities that make this a crop and food to take note of. "It is a highly significant crop due to its rich nutritional and bioactive profile, diverse biological activities, and promising industrial applications, along with the high climate resilience." Simardeep Kaur, Arti Kumari, Karishma Seem, Gurkanwal Kaur, Deepesh Kumar, Surbhi Verma, Naseeb Singh, Amit Kumar, Manish Kumar, Sandeep Jaiswal, Rakesh Bhardwaj, Binay Kumar Singh, and Amritbir Riar. "Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.): from staple to superfood-a comprehensive review on nutritional, bioactive, industrial, and climate resilience potential." Planta. 2024 Aug 17; 260(3):75. doi: 10.1007/s00425-024-04502-2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00425-024-04502-2 & https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11330411/ The main sections of this review article on finger millet are: * Nutritional composition * Protein and amino acid profile * Carbohydrate and dietary fiber profile * Fat content and fatty acid profile * Vitamins and minerals profile * Nutritional comparison of Finger millet with other cereals * Phytochemical/bioactive compounds profile * Biological activities of Finger millet ** Antidiabetic ** Antioxidant and anti-ageing ** Anti-carcinogenic ** Cardio-protective ** Antimicrobial ** Osteoporosis * Industrial applications of Finger millet ** Functional ingredient in food industry ** Bioenergy production ** Nutraceutical applications * Resources available in Finger millet for crop improvement ** Identification of Genes and QTLs associated with major stress tolerance in Finger millet Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Millets, dogs, pigs and permanent settlement: productivity transitions in Neolithic northern China
by Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS 03 May '25

03 May '25

Evolutionary Human Sciences <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/evolutionary-human-sciences> , Volume 6 <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/evolutionary-human-sciences/volume/…> , 2024 , e44 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2024.31 Millets, dogs, pigs and permanent settlement: productivity transitions in Neolithic northern China Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2024 Chris J. Stevens<https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?filters%5BauthorTerms%5D=Chris%20J.%2…>, Yijie Zhuang<https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?filters%5BauthorTerms%5D=Yijie%20Zhua…> and Dorian Q. Fuller<https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?filters%5BauthorTerms%5D=Dorian%20Q.%…> The transition to sedentary agricultural societies in northern China fuelled considerable demographic growth from 5000 to 2000 BC. In this article, we draw together archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological and bioarchaeological data and explore the relationship between several aspects of this transition, with an emphasis on the millet-farming productivity during the Yangshao period and how it facilitated changes in animal husbandry and consolidation of sedentism. We place the period of domestication (the evolution of non-shattering, initial grain size increase and panicle development) between 8300 and 4300 BC. The domestication and post-domestication of foxtail (Setaria italica) and broomcorn (Panicum miliaceum) millet increased their productivity substantially, with much greater rate of change than for rice (Oryza sativa). However, millets are significantly less productive per hectare than wet rice farming, a point reflected in the greater geographical expanse of northern Neolithic millet cultures (5000–3000 BC) in comparison with their Yangtze rice-growing counterparts. The domestication of pigs in the Yellow River region is evidenced by changes in their morphology after 6000 BC, and a transition to a millet-based diet c. 4500–3500 BC. Genetic data and isotopic data from dogs indicate a similar dietary transition from 6000 to 4000 BC, leading to new starch-consuming dog breeds. Significant population increase associated with agricultural transitions arose predominately from the improvement of these crops and animals following domestication, leading to the formation of the first proto-urban centres and the demic-diffusion of millet agriculture beyond central northern China between 4300–2000 BC. This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

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