Don,

I maintain Echinochloa cultivated and wild germplasm here in Ames, Iowa at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, which is part of the US National Plant Germplasm System.  As a group they are adapted for grain production here in Iowa and the temperate zone, without new plant breeding. They are adapted to perform well in areas that flood and have standing water, and heavy soil.  The challenge for potential growers in the US is to market the grain crop without established marketing channels. 

We use "barnyard millet" as shorthand for the entire Echinochloa group, but you are right there are distinctions.

Barnyard millet 
The taxonomic boundaries are unclear between Echinochloa frumentacea (160 accessions) and Echinochloa crus-galli ((78 accessions) at least in our collection. We have accessions that could be corrected from one species to the other.  Some drop their seeds early which is called shattering, others retain their seeds on the plant which is better suited for agricultural grain production.  For agriculture non-shattering is an important trait, which we have not documented in the database. We ought to have a good way of measuring shattering, but don't. Some in the barnyard millet group mature seeds too late for our season length here in Iowa, but most are adapted for seed maturity here.

Japanese millet
The Japanese millets Echinochloa esculenta (5 accessions) are relatively easy to identify because of the red coloring on the seed-husks. They look similar to each other and are adapted for seed maturity here in Iowa.  They have relatively little shattering. There is an existing market for Japanese millet in the USA to plant for feeding wild game birds.

The Flora of North America is a good descriptive reference for these species: http://floranorthamerica.org/Echinochloa

Our heaviest seeded barnyard millet is PI 182304 (0.97 grams per 100 seeds) and is identified in our database as Echinochloa crus-galli. a link to it: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail?id=1157690
Our heaviest seeded Japanese millet is PI 677106 (0.379 grams per 100 seeds). A link to it: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail?id=1061175.
I think that PI 182304 has potential to improve the crop by increasing seed size.

I have started purchasing food-grade barnyard millet (labeled as "barnyard millet" in a modern sturdy plastic zip-lock) and other minor millets at an Indian ethnic grocery in Des Moines, Iowa for eating at home. Barnyard millet is delicious as a pilaf cooked in a pressure cooker.

Our germplasm can be viewed and requested for research and development, including commercial development at:  https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/search.

(By accession I mean a population maintained separately from the other accessions and originating from one place and time such as a market sample from one place in India, or a wild population in Iowa, or Florida.)

There is more I could say about the Echinochloa collection, but I am stopping here since this email could go on too long. Send me your questions.


David Brenner     (he/him)                                                                   David.Brenner@USDA.GOV
                                                                                                            Or: dbrenner@iastate.edu

Plant Introduction Station                                                                   phone 515-294-6786
Iowa State University                                                                           fax   515-294-4880
716 Farm House Lane, Ames, IA  50011-1051                
USA  

https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/search.aspx?
Curator of: Amaranthus, Celosia, Chenopodium, Coronilla, Dalea, Galega, Melilotus, Perilla, Portulaca, Spinacia, miscellaneous Umbelliferae, and the millets: Echinochloa, Panicum, and Setaria.
Hatch Act NC7 Regional Project in the US National Plant Germplasm System

From: Collab <collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space> on behalf of Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 4, 2023 11:03 AM
To: Gary Wietgrefe <gww374@gmail.com>
Cc: collab@lists.millets2023.space <collab@lists.millets2023.space>
Subject: [External Email][Collab] Echinochloa spp. / Japanese / barnyard (Re: Collab Digest, Vol 17, Issue 21)
 
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Thank you, Gary, for your answers and thoughts on barnyard millets (Echinochloa spp.).

Re #1, I am finding various recent literature, using the terms "Indian barnyard millet" (E. frumentacea) and "Japanese barnyard millet" (E. esculenta), so it would make sense to continue to use these. More on those sources in a later post on barnyard millet(s) as "millet-of-the-month" for July.

Re nos. 2 & 3: I hope to share more info on Japanese barnyard millet in Japan. You are right, of course, that arable land in Japan is not abundant, and what land is devoted to agriculture has other priorities. However, my limited understanding is that some areas are more suited to millets than rice culture. Also, if there is a cultural importance to this minor crop, one imagines it would be a niche that some farmers would find profitable. More later.

Re #4, I am thinking of Japanese barnyard millet (grown for grain) only as a potential alternative crop in the more humid Great Lakes region, for example. Only two small problems: availability of a food-grade variety suitable for the region, and lack of a market (domestic or international). So this is long range musing. 

I wouldn't expect Michigan to compete with the plains states on production of proso millet or sorghum. Some growers may find success with either of these (seeking examples), but it's something like the one farm in the state growing grain teff (truly still an alternative crop in the US, even if it is established in parts of the northwest of the country) that gets attention and finds a niche market (in this case via association with the Teffola brand line of products)  So maybe that's the route for other selected small millets here and in North America in general?

Finally, re #5 (distro of the two Echinochloa spp. in North America), I do also find US sources for Indian barnyard millet / billion dollar grass / "Japanese millet" (again that name) meaning E. frumentacea:
* https://seedvilleusa.com/products/150-japanese-millet-billion-dollar-grass-grain-echinochloa-frumentacea-seeds-320139948
* https://www.amkhaseed.com/products/millet-japanese-echinochloa-frumentacea (altho the company is now apparently in a transition)

Regarding distribution, Flora of North America has this page on E. frumentacea (Indian BYM), noting that "It is found occasionally in the contiguous United States and southern Canada, the primary source being birdseed mixes."
http://floranorthamerica.org/Echinochloa_frumentacea

Compare with this page on their site about E. esculenta (Japanese BYM). Apparently they see much less distribution:
http://floranorthamerica.org/Echinochloa_esculenta

Hopefully David Brenner can weigh in on this.

All the best,

Don

DO, EL, MI, US
NAMA


On Sun, Jun 25, 2023 at 2:09 AM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
I appreciate your map comments. Here are my simple responses:
1. Yes, "Japanese" millet is problematic without scientific names. Indian barnyard millet (E. frumentacea) seems like a nice clarification and Japanese barnyard millet (E. esculenta) the common one planted in the U.S. mainly for non-seed harvesting would make references easier.
2. I highly doubt much millet of any kind is grown in Japan. See my 1989 comments about U.S. exports to Japan (p-.91-92 in Proso Millet: A Trade Summary) and Argentine millet exports to Japan (pg. 120).
3. Japan has probably been importing millet shortly after WWII occupation. Farmland is so valuable, and millet relatively an economical import that Japan would find it much more economical to import. About twenty years ago when I was testing various millets for ethanol, Japanese were most interested in glutenous proso rather than common proso millet. I've never seen a request in Japan for Japanese millet, however, I have been out of that loop way too long to be knowledgeable about Japanese millet imports. Like other countries, Japan millet imports are very likely used as a rice substitute/supplement.
4. Can Japanese barnyard millet be grown in the U.S./Canada (more humid areas) and harvested for seed for human consumption? Sure it can. But, what is possible is often unlikely. Why? Japanese barnyard millet produced in any Corn Belt state would likely be discriminated against for the same reason proso millet is not grown in the Corn Belt. First, it is not price competitive with corn or soybeans. Secondly, and most importantly, volunteer Japanese barnyard millet would be construed to be a "barnyard" grassy weed, or potential one--just like proso millet is confused by agronomists and farmers in the Corn Belt with wild proso millet. To me, their ignorance is astounding about proso for grain. I know. Traveling around the country as an agronomist, I've had those discussions. I wasted breath. However, those using millets, including Japanese, in cover crops and wildlife plots have spread beyond southeastern U.S., but we can assume it is mixed with other seed species with very very little harvested for grain.
5. Are both E. frumentacea and E. esculenta grown throughout the U.S.? My assumption is NO. Based on seed suppliers, at least ones that list the type of Japanese millet (i.e. Johnston Seed), I must assume E. esculenta may be the only type used.

I am not an expert on Japanese millet and look forward to July's discussions....Gary



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Today's Topics:

   1. Echinochloa spp. / Japanese / barnyard (Re: Collab Digest,
      Vol 17, Issue 11) (Don Osborn)


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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:30:20 -0400
From: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org>
To: collab@lists.millets2023.space
Subject: [Collab] Echinochloa spp. / Japanese / barnyard (Re: Collab
        Digest, Vol 17, Issue 11)
Message-ID:
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Thank you, Gary, this is helpful.

I have the impression that the appellation Echinochloa crus-galli (var.)
frumentacea is fairly old, so any confusion would not be your fault. A USDA
guide has it listed as an "alternate" scientific name for E. esculenta./1
On the other hand, the GRIN database has this same name as a synonym for E.
frumentacea,/2 The scientific namespace for these species is
challenging, so as not to say confusing. However, the various and sometimes
overlapping common name usages are even more so, with that of "Japanese
millet" seeming to me to be particularly problematic (as a sometimes
catch-all)

I personally (again, without claiming any expertise) found it useful to
think of the two lines as "Japanese barnyard millet" (E. esculenta) and
"Indian barnyard millet" (E. frumentacea)./3 /4  The latter seems to be
produced for food, primarily in India, much more than the former, but in
the US is sometimes called "billion dollar grass."

In the US, as you point out in your book,/5 and which I noted also in the
USDA descriptions,/1 /6 these species are grown primarily for forage and
wildlife. It looks like the seed that you note is available in the US from
Johnston Seeds and Specialty Seeds, is mainly intended for these uses.

As far as I can tell, most "barnyard millet" in food products is Indian
barnyard millet (E. frumentacea), and is produced and packaged in India./7
One would assume that food grade Japanese barnyard millet (E. esculenta) is
still cultivated in parts of Japan. It is apparently also grown in Europe
for grain for food,/8 /9 although it's hard to be certain about the
species. I'm  personally wondering if food grade E. esculenta might be a
potential crop for the conditions of the more humid areas of northern US
and southern Canada./10

Finally, a couple of comments about the map (fig. 20) on p. 201 of your
book/5 (a copy of the map is attached). First, it is helpful to have such
overview maps of millets in North America, even though this is now over 3
decades old. Second, I'm noting from your source for Japanese millet's
placement on the map,  that even though this millet may be most grown in
the SE US, it is also present across the continental US. I'd be curious to
know how its distribution compares, say, with E. frumentacea (to the extent
one can be clear that names in different sources are being used in a
consistent way).

Anyway, that's a lot more detail than I had intended to get into. However,
it's useful to try to clarify some of the nomenclature and verify that
there are indeed two main cultivated species of Echinochloa, before we get
to talking about "barnyard millet(s)" as millet-of-the-month in July.

All the best,
Don

DO, EL, MI, US
NAMA

Notes:
1. See the USDA plant guide for E. esculenta - both under alternate names
and a couple of the references dating to the 1980s:
https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_eces.pdf
2. USDA GRIN database "Taxon: Echinochloa frumentacea (Echinochloa colona
Frumentacea Group)"
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=14828
3. The following recent article also uses this common name distinction, in
the context of a very useful survey of the two "complexes," along with a
third of lesser importance that I may return to later: Renganathan VG,
Vanniarajan C, Karthikeyan A, Ramalingam J. "Barnyard Millet for Food and
Nutritional Security: Current Status and Future Research Direction."
Frontiers in  Genetics. 2020 Jun 23;11:500.
https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffgene.2020.00500  PMID: 32655612; PMCID:
PMC7325689.
4. The USDA GRIN database also lists these common names, citing a 1992
article by H. Scholz in Taxon https://doi.org/10.2307/1222824 . From the
GRIN page on Echinochloa, at
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/cropdetail?type=species&id=224 , go
to the pages for E. esculenta and E. frumentacea and select the tab "Common
names" to see.
5. I downloaded it from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284179184_How_to_Produce_Proso_Millet_A_Farmer%27s_Guide
6. See discussion in the context of one particular variety of E.
frumentacea at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mspmcrb13988.pdf
7. https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/millets-plural/barnyard-millet/
8. For example, "Japanese barnyard millet grits" from a Lithuanian farm
(per "Place of Origin")
https://www.urbanfood.lt/en/japanese-millet-grits-500-g
9. An interesting survey in French of millets in France, posted on LinkedIn
by Philippe Pointereau, mentions "millet japonais (Echinochloa
frumentacea)," but without clarity as to whether and for what this is
cultivated there:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7075488061702168576/
10. Interestingly, Michigan Flora notes E. esculenta in the wild -
"occasionally cultivated and escaped" - in two counties in the SW of the
state: https://michiganflora.net/record/2869
11. Mitchell, Wilma A. 1989. Japanese millet ("Echinochloa Crusgalli" var.
"frumentacea") : Section 7.1.6, US Army Corps of Engineers wildlife
resources management manual
 https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/handle/11681/7217


On Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 11:05?AM Joni Kindwall-Moore <
joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:

> Thanks Gary
>
> On Sat, Jun 17, 2023 at 4:13?PM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab <
> collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
>
>> More on Japanese millet:
>> In the back of my 1990 book, *How to Produce Proso Millet: A Farmer's
>> Guide,* I describe several other millets that had been grown in the
>> U.S., Japanese millet was one (pp. 197-198). Perhaps I led to some of the
>> confusion as I subtitled the category Echinochloa Crusgalli/Frumentacea.
>> In the 1980s, a South Dakota seed company tried to grow Japanese millet,
>> I assume Echinochloa esculenta, for seed. It was not a particularly good
>> year for crops in general and my field inspection indicated it was not as
>> drought hardy as proso or foxtail millets we customarily grow at this
>> latitude. The seed company, which sold out twenty years ago, did not try to
>> grow it again (to my knowledge).
>> Lastly, there is production of Japanese millet, Echinochloa esculenta, in
>> the U.S. See link to Johnson Seed Company, Enid, OK which offers 50 lb/bags
>> for $57.00 (=$1.14 lb. for seed) which seems reasonable JAPANESE MILLET
>> - Johnston Seed Company
>> <https://www.johnstonseed.com/product/japanese-millet/>. Southeast Seed
>> Inc., Trenton, FL also offers Japanese millet for sale Home - Southeast
>> Seed Inc <https://southeastseed.com/> as does Speciality Seed Co. out of
>> Anguilla, MS Japanese Millet - Specialty Seed
>> <https://specialtyseed.com/japanese-millet/>.
>>
>> I hope this provides some clarification....Gary Wietgrefe
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jun 17, 2023 at 12:50?PM <collab-request@lists.millets2023.space>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Send Collab mailing list submissions to
>>>         collab@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@lists.millets2023.space
>>>
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at
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>>>
>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>> than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>>    1. Echinocloa spp. / Japanese / barnyard (Re: National Public
>>>       Radio on millets, June 8, 2023) (Don Osborn)
>>>

[ . . . ] 




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