USDA publications on crops and other plants are standard references in the US and also used internationally.Here's a brief consideration of the USDA profile of our millet of the month in September, browntop or brown top millet: Sheahan, C.M. 2014. "Plant guide for browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa)." USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials Center, Cape May, NJ. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_urra.pdf Three years ago, I included a link to it in a Collab post about browntop millet (and its cousin, Guinea millet)./1 Here I'd like to look at a few details that might merit review for updating. I should hasten to add, that by focusing on details, this is not meant to lessen the overall utility of the plant guide - just to offer items for attention in any revision. * Two different panicle forms: Under Description > General, this plant guide does not mention that browntop has two panicle forms - one open, and the other compact. See, for instance, Nandini, et al 2026 (which includes a side-by-side image) cited in my recent post on Collab./2 See also an article mentioning Karnataka, India farmers' observation that the open-panicle or "branched" variety has less insect problems, and the compact-panicle or "ball" variety has higher seed/grain production./3 The panicle form would seem to be of particular interest for developing varieties for food. My impression is that in general, browntop varieties in the US are open-panicle varieties. (Panicle forms may vary in any millet, but is this a distinct varietal difference in browntop? Cf. in sorghum, Guinea type [open, often drooping] and Cautatum type [semi-compact and upright].) * Introduction to the US: Under Description > Distribution, the document cites a 1990 source stating that it was introduced to the US in 1915. Without suggesting that this is incorrect, I would note that I tried without success to find a primary source confirming the date. Separate searches turned up three mentions in newspapers in the US Southeast in 1918-1920 that did not give any background. One later source (1956) quotes a crop specialist as saying that it was already being grown in Georgia in 1916. The 1915 date seems realistic, if one accepts the possibility of quick dissemination. I'm still working on compiling the sparse information on this and hope to share it later. * Shade tolerance?: Under Description > Habitat, it is stated that browntp grows best "... under full sun." This is unsurprising, being a common characteristic of millets. However, there is evidence that it can also be grown in association with trees (agroforestry) and might be shade tolerant./4 The article mentions growing browntop under tamarind trees, which from personal observation have a somewhat diffuse shade./5 How well this association of browntop and trees actually works for grain or forage production would be an interesting research topic. * Waterlogging: Under Adaptation, it might state browntop's preference with regard to too much water. Most descriptions not that it doesn't like wet feet (unlike sorghum or the barnyard millets) but at least one source suggests the opposite./4 * Use for food: The document mentions use of browntop as food not under Uses but only under Ethnobotany. An update should mention that it is now a minor commercial crop, packaged for sale in India and also exported. * One final item: In mentioning several other millets under Adaptation, this document equates "Japanese millet" with Echinochloa frumentacea, while other sources prefer E. esculenta./6 This is a separate and longer discussion, but noting here just that most sources discuss E. esculenta and E. frumentatia - the "barnyard millets" - as two separate species with origins likely in Japan and India, respectively. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. "September millet(s)-of-the-month: Browntop & Guinea," 30 Sept. 2023 https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... 2. "3 recent review articles on browntop millet," 21 Sept. 2026 https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... 3. Sujata B, Prabhu C G, Nandini C, Prabhakar, Thippeswamy V. "Browntop Millet- A Review". Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal. 2018; 14(5): 555937. DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2018.14.555937 https://juniperpublishers.com/artoaj/pdf/ARTOAJ.MS.ID.555937.pdf 4. "Return of the forgotten crop – Brown top millet," by Anitha Reddy and Krishna Prasad G, Leis India, n.d. (earliest capture on Archive.org, 3 Dec. 2020) https://www.leisaindia.org/return-of-the-forgotten-crop-brown-top-millet/ . I previously shared this link on Collab 2 years ago: https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... 5. Tamarind trees are common in the Sahel, where I have worked. I did some limited propagation of this species from seed in Mali. 6. For example: Sheahan, C.M. 2014. "Plant guide for Japanese millet (Echinochloa esculenta)." USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials Center, Cape May, NJ.