August 2026 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

"World Millets Day," Aug. 30 (a proposed observance)
by Don Osborn 30 Aug '26

30 Aug '26

The Hyderabad, India based Millets International Media Portal (MIMP) is promoting August 30 as an annual "World Millets Day." https://www.millets.news/article/milletsnews-calls-on-global-millet-communi… This is also being promoted by the World Millets Federation (WMF). The two organizations are connected through Indian business mentor Prasanna Srinivas Sarakadam, who is the editor of MIMP and founding member of WMF. This info from a Tanzanian news outlet, Diramakini at https://www.diramakini.co.tz/2026/08/world-millets-federation-pushes-august… WMF is a new international millets business platform, with website at https://wmf.eco/ The reason for choosing August 30 for this observance is not clear from sources consulted. We do not at this time see buy-in from major international organizations with interests in millets, such as ICRISAT or FAO, or national level research institutes such as IIMR in India., During the International Year of Millets, I raised the topic of a World Millets Week, rather than just a Day (on Collab, but also with FAO): https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… Obviously, if the World Millets Day is established, NAMA will support it. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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New video intro to millets
by Don Osborn 27 Aug '26

27 Aug '26

A surprisingly good 12 minute AI video intro to millets was recently released on the Green Truth Lab channel. Thanks to Gary for this catch and for bringing it to our attention: "Millet: The Grains That Fed China and Africa Before Rice and Wheat," 24 Aug 2026 (12:38) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTsDz4mbA2o THe video description: "Many people assume rice was the original staple of ancient Chinese agriculture but archaeological excavations reveal that farming in northern China actually began with millet. Across the world in the Sahel region of Africa completely separate species of millet were domesticated independently. Because these small grains mature rapidly tolerate intense heat and produce reliable harvests in poor dry soils with limited rainfall they sustained some of humanity's earliest civilizations long before rice and wheat took center stage. Scientific sources: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Plants of the World Online database and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Although wheat and rice eventually overshadowed millets modern agricultural research is bringing these ancient crops back into focus due to climate resilience and food security needs. Which part of millet history surprised you the most?" My comments: It's very useful to have content like this distinguishing among the grains that commonly, in the West, at least, get lumped under the term "millet." AI imagery always seems to have issues, but on the whole it tracks. THe video's emphasis on the individuality of each millet is helpful, as is its linking of the broadly common characteristics of millets that made them attractive crops in ancient times, with the needs we are seeing now. Anyone using this for education might want to clarify or add a few points: * Kudos for the mention of "millet" in ancient text. It's worth noting that foxtail millet and proso millet - which have different names in Chinese - were once considered two of the five basic grains of China (alongside rice, wheat, and soybeans). * One could frame the spread of the 4 millets discussed in the video as a vast counterclockwise movement of foxtail and proso west across more or temperat Eurasia, and pearl and finger east in the tropics from Africa to South Asia (and beyond). The actual histories are a bit more complicated, but I find this image to be helpful. * Fonio, from West Africa, and teff, from the Horn of Africa, are also considered with the millets. * To give a sense of the total number of cultivated millets, broadly defined, their relative importance in terms of production, and their botanical and geographic relationships, one might use the millets triangle. That;s available at https://milletsalliance.org/millets-triangle/ * By their sheer number and diversity, millets have a huge potential to enhance agrobiodiversity and nutritious multi-food diets. * Finally, one could add the roles many millets have taken on in the continents not mentioned, including of course our own, North America. I have no information on Green Truth Lab other than what there is on its YouTube channel. The is a Facebook page for a digital creator using the same name, but its logo is different and its YouTube outlink is dead: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590206090305 Anyway, let us know what your impressions are of the video. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Comparisons of proso millet & fonio in beers?
by Don Osborn 25 Aug '26

25 Aug '26

I'm not a beer drinker, but as an advocate for millets, I can't help but be interested in the prominent roles of two of them in brewing of beers: proso millet and fonio. Of course, for ages people have been fermenting various millets, like grains in general, to make different types of alcoholic beverages. However I think that among millets, only proso and fonio are prominently used make the kind of clear beers that are served on tap or bottled/canned. (There have been experiments with pearl millet, notably in India.) Searching online, I found no articles comparing the two. So it would be great to hear from anyone who has tried both. In the meantime, I'll pass on the AI summaries (sorry) offered by Duckduckgo and Google, respectively. These are the short descriptions. In each case, one can click for more info):: "Proso millet beer and fonio beer differ primarily in their base ingredients and flavor profiles. Proso millet beer is made from proso millet, which has a more earthy taste, while fonio beer, made from fonio grain, offers unique fruity notes and a lighter, more refreshing flavor" https://duckduckgo.com/?ia=web&origin=funnel_home_website&hps=1&q=compare+p… "Proso millet beer and fonio beer are both unique, gluten-free ancient grain brews, but they differ significantly in origin, flavor profiles, and processing demands. Fonio beer offers vibrant tropical fruit notes like lychee and requires no milling, whereas proso millet beer utilizes a traditional commodity grain requiring specialized malting or processing to convert starches." https://www.google.com/search?q=compare+proso+millet+beer+and+fonio+beer Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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K-State Field Days, 8/25-27/2026 (pearl millet on 8/26)
by Don Osborn 24 Aug '26

24 Aug '26

With apologies for not sharing this earlier, here is information on the Kansas State University field days in western Kansas, which start tomorrow, August 25, and go through August27 (with the locations day by day being Garden City, Hays, and Tribune, KS). If anyone on the list is already planning on attending, we'd love to have a report. Unfortunately, none of the NAMA board can be there this year. (Maybe next??) "K-State field days connect deep roots of western Kansas research to modern solutions for producers," by Kelsey Stremel, K-State Today, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/2026/08/field-days-in-western-kansas-… "2026 Western Kansas Research-Extension Center Fall Field Days: Aug. 25-27," Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University (eUpdates 2026 Issue 1115) https://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/eupdates/2026/issue-1115-august-6/2026-wes… On on Wednesday, Aug. 26 , the K-State Agricultural Research Center–Hays Fall Field Day will include a field tour with Prof. Ram Perumal on pearl millet for forage. For more information on that and the rest of the day at Hays, see https://wkrec.org/events/field_days/2026/2026_arch_field_day.html This has been a recurring annual event. For info on the K-State Field Days last year, see https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… Again, if you'll be there, please let us know your impressions. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Recent articles on millets: Food security; nutrition; gut health; & parboiling
by Don Osborn 24 Aug '26

24 Aug '26

Four recent research review articles (2025-2026) on millets. Titles then citations & abstracts, below: 1. Revisiting minor millets as an underutilised super food for enduring global food security 2. Millets: A comprehensive review of nutritional, antinutritional, health, and processing aspects 3. Deciphering the Significance of Millets as a Superfood in Promoting Gut Health: A Review 4. Strategic Review on Parboiling of Millets: A Promising Solution to Enhance Millet Processing == 1. Moumita Das, Arpita Das, Harsh B. Jadhav, Dheeraj Kumar, Aayeena Altaf, Pankaj B. Pathare, and Robert Mugabi, "Revisiting minor millets as an underutilised super food for enduring global food security," Food Chemistry: X, Volume 34, 2026, 103613, ISSN 2590-1575, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2026.103613. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590157526001343) Abstract: The growing global dependence on major cereals such as rice and wheat has intensified concerns over food and nutrition security, particularly among marginalized populations facing supply and climate challenges. This underscores the urgent need to diversify cropping systems by promoting resilient alternatives. Minor millets including finger, foxtail, proso, barnyard, kodo, and little millets represent a group of underutilised cereals with exceptional adaptability to harsh environmental conditions and low-input agriculture. This review synthesizes recent findings on the agronomic, nutritional, and socio-economic potential of minor millets as sustainable staple crops in food-insecure and climate-vulnerable regions. Despite being a synthesis of existing studies, this review offers a novel integrative perspective by re-evaluating previous research through the lens of climate resilience, nutritional security, and livelihood improvement. It emphasizes underexplored aspects such as the comparative adaptability of different millet species and their role in localized food systems providing actionable insights for research, and development. Keywords: Minor millets; Underutilised crops; Food security; Nutrition security == 2. Tariq Khan, Azaz Ahmad Azad, and Rayees Ul Islam, "Millets: A comprehensive review of nutritional, antinutritional, health, and processing aspects," Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Volume 141, 2025, 107364, ISSN 0889-1575, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107364. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157525001784) Abstract: Millets, known for their rich nutritional profile and ability to withstand challenging growing conditions, are receiving more attention due to their health benefits, especially in blood glucose regulation and metabolic health. They are functional foods with the potential to promote sustainable agriculture and enhance health because of their high fibre content, vitamins, and minerals. This review examines the nutritional and bioactive properties of millets, emphasising substances with anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant benefits. However, millets also contain anti-nutritional factors that may hinder nutrient absorption. These effects are mitigated, and nutritional bioavailability is increased by processing methods including fermentation, soaking, and sprouting. Studies on millet consumption conducted both in vivo and in vitro have demonstrated promising results for gut microbiota modulation, lipid metabolism, and glycemic control, confirming the potential of millet in treating diabetes and other illnesses. Processing and ingredient combinations affect the glycemic index (GI) of millet-based foods, providing opportunities for developing healthier food solutions. However, the development of millet products is hampered by issues with texture, shelf life, and consumer acceptance. Overcoming these limitations through research and technical innovation is crucial for promoting millets as a modern dietary staple, boosting public health, and advancing sustainable food system. Keywords: Nutritional profile; Metabolic health; Nutrient absorption; Bioavailability; Blood glucose regulation == 3. Uma Maheswari Thiyagamoorthy, Sujitha Palanisamy, Jeyakumar Saranya Packialakshmi, Geethanjali Sadayandi, Karpagapandi Lakshmanan, Kumutha Karunakaran, and Subramani Thirukkumar (2026). "Deciphering the Significance of Millets as a Superfood in Promoting Gut Health: A Review." Food Reviews International, 42(5), 3099–3122. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2025.2584335 Abstract: Millets, a nutrient-rich food, have been consumed since ancient times due to their health benefits and is grown in rain-fed areas, mainly in Africa and India. Millets are rich in nutrients, dietary fibre, bioactive compounds, and minerals, and are referred to as gluten-free cereals. In recent years, research has focused on gut microbiota and food, and its direct interrelation with various human diseases. The consumption of millet-based foods in a regular diet has proven health benefits, especially in addressing gut-related diseases, connected with prevent and reduce the effects of lifestyle disorders. Secondary metabolites and dietary fibre in millets play a vital role in determining the type and load of the gut microbiota. Consuming millet has been linked to higher relative abundances of beneficial microbes, especially Faecalibacterium, Eubacterium, Roseburia, Akkermansia, Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria. Non-digestible carbohydrates, and polyphenols in millets are fermented into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), resulting in the proliferation of beneficial gut microbiota and the establishment of a balanced gut ecosystem. This review focuses on the importance of millets, their nutritional composition with special reference to bioactive compounds, various millet-based foods, their effect on gut microbiota, limitations in millet food processing, and its future scope. Keywords: Millets, millet foods, nutritional and bioactive compounds, gut microbiota, gut health == 4. Singh, Amandeep, Tejinder Kaur, Kawaljit S. Sandhu, and Charanjit S. Riar. 2026. “Strategic Review on Parboiling of Millets: A Promising Solution to Enhance Millet Processing, Storage Stability and Food Sustainability.” *Journal of Food Process Engineering* 49, no. 5: e70575. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.70575. Abstract: A major disadvantage associated with millet processing is the inability to separate the closely attached seed coat and soft endosperm, causing less decortication. Certain pre-treatments, such as parboiling (soaking and subsequent hydrothermal treatment), can increase grain hardness and imbibe soluble nutrients into the grain endosperm. Parboiling at atmospheric pressure or at elevated pressure has been applied to various millets and published. Lacking a comprehensive review of various pretreatments given before milling and storage, and the impact of these techniques on physical, milling, functional, and storage characteristics of various millets to enhance their stability and application identifies major gaps in the research and application. The present review has been designed to elaborate on those characteristics that are the outcome of recent research on millet processing and utilization. The findings covered reveal that soaking followed by parboiling by soak-boil and soak-steam methods not only improve physical, milling (de-husking, decortication) yield characteristics, bio-accessibility, antioxidant property, storage stability and physicochemical characteristics of either whole, de-husked, decorticated grain or flour but also can effectively prolong storage stability and flour functional characteristics such as lipid stability (% FFA, PO-value), improving flour water holding and absorption, solubility, and sedimentation indices. The review also covers the impact of hydrothermal processing on grain macromolecules' digestibility and bioavailability. Parboiling and effective decortication can enhance the millet grains/flour diversification opportunities and stabilize grain and oxidative storage stability. Overall integration of parboiling into millet processing offers a promising solution to enhance the economic viability of millet, milled millet, and millet-based products. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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RELEASE: "Quality Food Millets During Drought" (22 Aug. 2026)
by Don Osborn 22 Aug '26

22 Aug '26

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2026 *North American Millets Alliance* By senior agronomist, Gary W. Wietgrefe *Quality Food Millets During Drought* Drought has affected U.S. food millets in 2026. Hard hit are three states, (Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota) which produce about ninety percent of U.S. proso—the main U.S. food millet. Although proso is extremely drought tolerant, its prices have gone up as rain stopped falling. About 400,000 acres of proso are produced each year. The good news is there will be plenty of high quality food grade proso for the 2026-2027 marketing year thanks to progressive farm marketers. Growers producing quality proso should be rewarded with better prices by segregating high-quality proso from common bin-run bird feed millets. This can be done by following three steps: 1. Set combine fan speed to blow out unfilled hulls, which will increase test weight. 2. Segregate and store higher test weight, lower dockage proso in separate bins. 3. Seek buyers paying premium prices for food-grade following the North American Millets Alliance (NAMA)’s new proso millet grading standards. New proso grading standards released in 2025 by NAMA are publicly available online at https://milletsalliance.org/proso-millet-grain-standards/ . Previous standards originating in the 1950s and ‘60s were based on proso for bird feed rather than human consumption. There are no current USDA grading standards for proso. Health-consciousness has led the food industry to proso millet as a high nutrient, naturally produced ancient grain. Cooks, processors, and maltsters have sought Number 1 Grade, high-quality proso. Lower grades 2 and 3 are suitable for wild bird feed. Enjoy millet, an alternative to rice, in your next meal, and ask your grocer for millet snacks—usually in the health-food aisle. *About the author: Gary W. Wietgrefe has been a U.S. Certified Crop Advisor for three decades, written two books on proso millet, coordinated proso irrigation research at Gobi-Altai Province, Mongolia (State University) and Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey, and supports North American Millets Alliance (NAMA) as senior agronomist.*

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Meet The Ryzosphere: live platform walkthrough with Joni & Finian, plus Q&A
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 13 Aug '26

13 Aug '26

Hello! We'd love to show you what we have built and what is coming next! Whether you are new to The Ryzosphere or already using the platform, this webinar if for you. Join 🎬 Finian Makepeace (CCO) and me, 🌱 Joni Kindwall-Moore (CEO), for one or more of our upcoming webinars. 📅 Wednesdays: July 22nd or 29th Or August 5th or 12th. 🕑 2pm ET / 1pm CT / 11am PT 📍 Register Here for the Webinar <https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VMZvAy38RISgiNLq7SZJXg#/registration> In 30 minutes (demo) + 15 minutes (Q&A), you'll see: - Why businesses and community organizations are signing up - Demo of how our platform works - Our map with 29,845 data points (and growing!) and how it works in practice - How to activate your business (your first year is free), or join as a community partner - Answers to your questions, live It's a good chance to meet the team and explore The Ryzosphere. Reply to this email: - If you have a question you would like to have answered during the Q&A. - If you can't make one of the webinars and want to meet with a member of our team, schedule a meeting with Greta <https://calendar.app.google/xLhwkaiZekaEBxfM7> aka GG. What we need from you: Share! 🤝 Please forward this email to any of your colleagues, friends, or others who you think would like to join us! Check out our LinkedIn! Get to know more about me, 🌱 Joni Kindwall-Moore <https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore/>, and my co-host 🎬 Finian Makepeace <https://www.linkedin.com/in/finian-makepeace-88b636153/>. *This email was written by a human, and a human will respond to this email. 😎 Rooting for our future! Joni Joni Kindwall-Moore Founder/CEO The Ryzosphere www.theryzosphere.io Let's connect! 30 min meeting <https://calendar.app.google/2G9qLFR1jKLL3So89> Cell-WhatsApp: 406-334-1608 *Intelligent Matchmaking for the Food and Ag System* The Ryzosphere <https://theryzosphere.io/> / Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/the.ryzosphere/> / Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/theryzosphere> / LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/greta-gissel/> [image: Embedded image] *The Ryzosphere: **In healthy ecosystems, the rhizosphere is the underground network that enables life to coordinate, share resources, and grow. It's one of the most biologically active environments on Earth. The food system needs that same connective infrastructure. The Ryzosphere is building the coordination layer that makes regenerative, resilient food systems economically viable at scale. As digitization becomes unavoidable, the winners will be those who own visibility, coordination, and trust. **Greek: rhiza (root) and sphere (zone of influence)* 784 S. Clearwater Loop #4597 Post Falls, ID 83854 Opt out <https://the-ryzosphere.attio-mail.com/u/eyJhbGciOiJFUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCI…> of future emails.

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Glyceria fluitans, manna grasses, and Polish millet
by Don Osborn 09 Aug '26

09 Aug '26

Part of what I personally hope to do as part of NAMA is to shed light on this group of grains we call millets. As part of that particular effort, I do some research, and occasionally that comes up with something unexpected. Today, in looking for more on "Polish millet" (Digitaria sanguinalis; aka large crabgrass), I came across an association of that common name with floating sweetgrass (Glyceria fluitans), a wetland plant whose grains were gathered. The latter is also called manna or manna grass, but that term is also used more broadly to include D. sanguinalis, a cultivated crop, and D. ischaemum, another wild gathered grain, and apparently also the rare medicinal product of Fraxinus ornus. Common names are often a bit fuzzy, but in this case research is further complicated as these grains are no longer grown or gathered as they once were. They were part of a complex within food and ag of central Europe, dating back to the Middle Ages. Of these, only D. sanguinalis was cultivated and would be considered a millet, and one conclusion from my research excursion is confirmation of its former presence as a crop in Poland and Germany. Below, for your info and for the record are: a YouTube video on only G. fluitans as "manna."; and two articles treating the complex. 1. "Sweet manna grass (Glyceria fluitans), a forgotten cereal from European marshlands," Lukasz Luczaj (author of "Foraging in Eastern Europe") https://youtu.be/SF3jsWTzvxk?si=EcAmDUVa8TZjKMXs (18:51) 2. Jacek Drobnik, "Manna polska od XVI do XIX w. pod względem botanicznym i leczniczym" (=Polish manna grass in the 16th to 19th centuries: a botanical and medicinal approach), Etnobiologia Polska Vol. 5 – 2015: 67-87 https:// https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Gramen-mannae-esculentum-Prutenicum-nie… English Abstract (article is in Polish): "Floating sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans (L.) R. Br. is the first edible wild grass confirmed to be in use in Poland as early as the 1380s. In the second half of the 18th century, it was reported as a food species from Hungary and eastern Germany. Apart from G. fluitans, two species of finger-grass were known in Poland: hairy finger-grass Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (= Panicum sanguinale L.) was extensively cultivated, and smooth finger-grass D. ischaemum (Schreb.) Muhl., a weed, was harvested from wild populations; they were both used already in the first half of the 17th century. Moreover, another still unidentified grass closely resembling any species of hybrid fescue (×Festulolium Asch. et Graebn.) was described in Prussia in 1703 (together with the method of threshing), and it is very likely that knowledge of this species was brought from Poland. Botanists of the 18th–19th centuries misidentified this grass as Glyceria fluitans many a time. Manna-grasses spread from Poland toward the west and south, in the 18th century, initially in the form of imported food grain. By degrees they were introduced to cultivation at least in Czech lands, Brandenburg, and Lusatia. The grain of the abovementioned four grass species, called manna-grain (Polish manna, and probably also the Prussian manna) is first known as an ingredient of poor though nutritious meals (porridge, poultices), whilst manna grain flour was used to make sweet pies (Latin: fercula), and it might also be an additive to bread flour. This food was noted in late-18th century pharmaceutical books as a kind of an alimentary material. Pharmacopoeias of that time mentioned (almost solely) the grain of G. fluitans. Dishes prepared from manna were recommended principally as meals for patients suffering from debilitating diseases, for convalescents, and in some “humoral disorders”. These preparations of manna grains have been retained in European pharmacopoeias, formularies and dispensatories by the first half of the 19th century." 3. Łukasz Jakub Łuczaj, Jarosław Dumanowski, Piotr Köhler, & Aldona Mueller-Bieniek, "The Use and Economic Value of Manna grass (Glyceria) in Poland from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century," Human Ecology (2012) 40:721–733 DOI 10.1007/s10745-012-9513-4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257568721_The_Use_and_Economic_Val… Excerpt: "In Poland the word manna was used for three products: manna grass grains (mainly G. fluitans), the source of one of the main types of kasza (i.e., cereal groats); a cultivated cereal Panicum sanguinale L. (now Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.) grown in dry areas (Maurizio 1926,1927) in both Poland and Germany; and the rare and expensive Fraxinus ornus [manna ash] secretion, manna kalabryjska, which occasionally appeared traded as medicine (Kluk 1787)." Further notes: * When "Polish millet" was brought to North America, it would clearly have been D. sanguinalis. * G. fluitans "water manna grass" is wild and has found its way to North America, where it is present in some areas - see https://floranorthamerica.org/Glyceria_fluitans . For more on the species, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyceria_fluitans Finally, since G. fluitans is nether a millet, not native to our region, nor cultivated, I don't plan to return to this topic. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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A deeper dive on 4 Digitarias grown for food
by Don Osborn 07 Aug '26

07 Aug '26

A recent study of the Digitaria genus gives us new perspectives on the four species grown for food. By bringing in information on 46 species in the genus, and relationships among them, the article enriches our understanding of this little researched group of millets. The four Digitaria millets are, of course: * D. exilis, fonio (white fonio, acha) * D. iburua, black fonio (iburu) * D. compacta, raishan * D. sanguinalis, Polish millet (large crabgrass, sikiya) George P Burton, Paolo Ceci, Lorna MacKinnon, Lizo E Masters, Noro Fenitra Harimbao Randrianarimanana, Philippa Ryan, Colin G N Turnbull, Tiziana Ulian, Maria S Vorontsova, "Phylogenetics and evolution of Digitaria grasses, including cereal crops fonio, raishan and Polish millet," Annals of Botany, Volume 137, Issue 1, January 2026, Pages 141–157, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf212 ABSTRACT "Background and Aims Millet crops in the grass genus Digitaria include white and black fonio (D. exilis and D. iburua), raishan (D. compacta) and Polish millet (D. sanguinalis), cultivated across West Africa, India and Europe. Fonio and raishan crops are important in supporting food security and subsistence agricultural systems in rural communities, while D. sanguinalis is no longer cultivated. These crops are resilient to challenging climates. We aim to produce an integrated study of these crops: a phylogeny of the Digitaria genus including all four food species, to identify key crop wild relatives; time-calibrated biogeographic analysis, to investigate the history and evolution of Digitaria; and a morphological study to assess the transition between wild and domesticated species. "Methods We use the Angiosperms353 target-enrichment sequencing approach to produce maximum likelihood and coalescent model nuclear phylogenies for 46 Digitaria species, and Bayesian methods to propose an evolutionary and biogeographic history for the genus. Morphology of wild and cultivated species is investigated for spikelets and growth habits using microscopy and SEM imaging. "Key Results Four distinct evolutionary lineages are found for the Digitaria crops, and we identify new close crop wild relatives D. fuscescens, D. atrofusca, D. setigera, D. radicosa, and D. ciliaris. South and eastern Africa is proposed as a likely origin of early Digitaria divergence, with crop lineages diverging from wild relatives around 2–6 mya. Incomplete domestication traits are observed, including the loss of trichomes, but no clear change in appearance for spikelet or abscission zone morphologies. "Conclusions The knowledge produced in this study about Digitaria crop wild relatives will be useful in improving crop traits through targeted breeding and physiological studies, and we also highlight the need for conservation of seed material through programmes working with local partners for these important climate-tolerant indigenous cereals." NB- It is claimed that a Digitaria grown or at least managed as a food source by the Baiga people in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, India is D. sanguinalis. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/food/fonio-sikiya-a-tale-of-two-millets . However, this case is not mentioned in the research article. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Comparative grain size of pearl & proso millets
by Don Osborn 03 Aug '26

03 Aug '26

Not long ago, we had a brief conversation on the comparative sizes of peal millet and proso millet grains. With this post, I share a photo, info on dimensions, and a question. First, however, a very short story. I was first introduced to proso millet in 1987 after returning to the US from several years in West Africa. At the time, I only knew pearl millet and sorghum (which I learned as petit mil & gros mil in French, or mil & sorgo, and in English millet and sorghum), and fonio, which I hadn't associated with the millets. So, in an East Lansing coop store bin labeled "millet," I thought I was dealing with the "millet" I had gotten to like in Africa. However, it was smaller than what I remembered, and yellow rather than grayish. A different variety? But then the taste was also different. There was no confusing the two. Anyway, that was an early chapter in my longer millet story. The photo (attached) shows proso millet on the left (from Eden Foods) and pearl millet on the right (from Manna, an Indian brand). You'll note that I separated out 3 grains of each to put in closer proximity. I apologize for the lack of a ruler in the image to provide a reference, but this gives an idea of relative size. As for dimensions of the grains, I spent more time than I should have trying to find aset of omparatice measures, but with only Google's AI summary to show for the effort. It suggests 3-4 mm and up to 5 mm diameter for pearl millet, and 2-3 mm for proso. Of course, pearl millet grains have an ovoid shape, while proso is more spherical. Another measure is number of seeds per unit of weight. For the smaller of the two - proso - I found estimates of: 80,000 seeds/lb. in an NDSU fact sheet (July 2007) https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ND_2007_Proso-… ; 82,000 in a USDA/NRCS fact sheet (Jan. 2014) https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/references/Delete/2014-12-13/txpmctn14ccsum.… ; and again 82,000 for Dove variety from Turner Seed https://www.turnerseed.com/proso-millet-dove.html For pearl millet, I found widely different estimates: * 40,000-70,000 seeds/lb. University of Georgia Field Report (2002, last updated 2024) https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/B1216/pearl-millet-for-grain/ * 48,000-50,000 seeds/lb. for Tifleaf 3 hybrid offered by Caudill Seed https://www.caudillseed.com/product/certified-tifleaf-3-pearl-millet-50-lb-… * 60,000 seeds/lb from Johnston Seed (no variety named) https://www.johnstonseed.com/product/hybrid-pearl-millet/?srsltid=AfmBOooVv… * 66,500 seeds / lb. for an F1 hybrid offered by Urban Farmer https://www.ufseeds.com/product/pearl-millet-grasses---25-pounds/GRAPM-25-p… * 82,000 seeds/lb. in the same USDA/NRCS fact sheet cited above for proso (Jan. 2014) https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/references/Delete/2014-12-13/txpmctn14ccsum.… The question I had was what accounts for the wide range of estimates of seed/lb. for pearl millet. Would varieties developed in the US for forage or cover crop use tend to have smaller grains than the typical ones from various parts of Africa or Asia grown for food? Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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