Most research on barnyard millet(s) seems to be done in India. In this email I'll share a sampling of recent research articles, but first, you may want to review a Collab post from 2 years ago exploring some of the basics: https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2023-June/000230.html The list is in reverse chronological order (year of publication), and abstracts from the articles. The numbering is only for convenience of reference (there are 14, of which 12 are journal articles, and 2 book chapters): 1. Bilna Joseph, Bhavadharani M, Nivetha S, Lavanya M, Jagan Mohan R, N Baskaran, and S Vignesh. 2025. "Synbiotic fermented barnyard millet drink: Exploring its nutritional profile, sensory attributes, and bioactive health potentials." Food Chemistry Advances, Vol. 6. 100872, ISSN 2772-753X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2024.100872 ABSTRACT: "The global market for functional beverages made from plant-based or non-dairy milk is rapidly growing. In developing tropical countries, plant-based food resources are insufficient to meet the protein needs of humans and animals. Millets, particularly barnyard millet, offer significant nutritional benefits due to their drought and pest resistance, high energy yield, and rich content of fiber, protein, iron, and zinc. This study developed eight health drink samples using barnyard millet and Spirulina sp., fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protein content of bacterial fermented samples ranged from 1.39 % to 4.61 %, and yeast fermented samples from 2.52 % to 4.09 %. Carbohydrate content ranged from 5 % to 14.8 %, suitable for diabetics. The energy value ranked as LRFFD > LRFUFD > SCFFD > SCFUFD > SCFSP > LRFSP > LRFM > SCFM. Bacterial fermented samples had viscosities from 37.55 to 49.49 Pa.s., and fungal fermented samples from 37.55 to 49.59 Pa.s. GC–MS analysis identified oleic acid, which lowers cholesterol and reduces inflammation, and hexadecenoic acid, beneficial in managing Alzheimer's disease. Probiotics in the drinks support gastrointestinal health. Sensory evaluation showed that the LRFFD and SCFFD drinks had a good taste due to the incorporation of flavour." 2. Singh, Badal & Kumar, Mithlesh & Arya, Lalit & Singh, Amit & Shekhawat, Neelam & Malav, Pavan & Pandey, Chithra & Rani, Kirti & Pandey, Sushil. (2025). "Barnyard Millet." in Plant Genebank Utilization for Trait Discovery in Millets (pp.159-186) 10.1007/978-981-96-4043-0_6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391156219_Barnyard_Millet ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet, a vital crop in warm and temperate regions like Asia, offers food security to underprivileged populations due to its nutritional richness and adaptability to challenging environments. Cultivated for both human consumption and animal feed, barnyard millet plays a significant role in regions unsuitable for rice production, with India being a major producer. The genus Echinochloa encompasses over 250 species, with Indian and Japanese barnyard millets (E. frumentacea and E. esculenta) as key varieties. Both species, domesticated thousands of years ago, exhibit traits typical of domestication syndrome, showing parallel evolution with their wild ancestors and offering insights into the domestication process. The diversity of barnyard millet is declining due to reduced cultivation and socioeconomic shifts in India. Conservation efforts primarily focus on ex situ collections in Japan and India, neglecting on-farm conservation. Addressing this gap is crucial for preserving the genetic diversity of barnyard millet in its natural environment. Expanding the genetic diversity of barnyard millet is essential, particularly for traits like disease resistance and seed size. Utilizing wild relatives’ gene pools and employing markers for trait incorporation are warranted. Interspecific hybridization has potential, but fertility barriers must be addressed with modern biotechnological tools. Systematic genetic analysis is vital for identifying agriculturally significant traits. Despite facing challenges like genetic erosion and limited access, collaborative efforts in conservation and innovation are essential to fully harness the potential of barnyard millet genetic resources for sustainable agriculture and food security." 3. Jacob Jinu, Krishnan Veda, Antony Chris, Bhavyasri Masimukka, Aruna C., Mishra Kiran, Nepolean Thirunavukkarasu, Satyavathi Chellapilla Tara, and Visarada Kurella B. R. S. 2024. "The nutrition and therapeutic potential of millets: an updated narrative review." Frontiers in Nutrition. Vol. 11 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.13... ABSTRACT: "Millets are ancient small grains grown in arid and semiarid regions of the world. They are staple food for many people in Asia and Africa. They are abundant sources of minerals and vitamins, giving them the name Nutricereals. Moreover, millets contain valuable phytochemicals that impart therapeutic properties for various disorders and diseases, thus giving them nutraceutical value. A wide array of biochemical compounds are present in the plant parts as well as the grains. In the oldest texts of medicine in India and China, millets are mentioned for use for their medicinal value. There has been expanding interest and emerging facts about millets and their therapeutic uses. Ample evidence shows that consumption of millets amounts to correction of life style and metabolic disorders. Therapeutic properties of millets can be viewed in two ways, supplementary nutrition through minerals and vitamins, and therapeutic value through the presence of phytochemicals and specialty compounds that include flavonoids, phenolics, anthocyanidins and others that have antioxidant potential. Millets are gluten free, have low glycemic index and the phytochemicals aid in correction of lifestyle disorders and prevention of ailments like carcinogenesis. Supplementary benefits include treatment of anemia and calcium deficiency especially for pregnant women and young children. With the improvements in analytical methods for detection of various compounds, it is possible to identify the compound-specific genotypes in millets that can cater to the pharmacy industry. End-use specific genotypes can be bred to meet the demand. Millets being climate resilient, can contribute to a healthier life and better world through economic usage of natural resources." 4. Manasa R, Shekhara Naik R. 2024. "Effect of germination on the physico-functional and nutritional profile of barnyard millet (VL-172)." IP Journal of Nutrition Metabolism and Health Science. 7(3):119–126 https://jnmhs.com/archive/volume/7/issue/3/article/1945/pdf ABSTRACT: "Background: Barnyard millet is well-known for its abundant nutrients and adaptability, making it a promising candidate for product innovation, especially by exploring new processing methods like germination to boost its nutritional value and effectiveness. It is vital to examine both the physico-functional and nutrient characteristics of barnyard millet in order to fully harness their nutritional advantages in product development. Understanding factors such as grain size and properties like water and oil absorption capacity is crucial for creating inventive, nutritionally enriched foods that can meet a variety of dietary requirements and gain wider market acceptance. "Objectives: This scientific approach fosters the effects of germination on the physico-functional and nutritional properties of Barnyard millet. "Materials and Methods: Barnyard millet was collected and soaked for 12 hours and germinated in different time intervals, then dehydrated at 110◦C for 4 hours. Physical properties such as kernel size and volume were analysed. Functional properties, including oil and water absorption capacity, water solubility and nutritional analysis were conducted. "Results and Discussion: The study revealed that as the germination time increased, the length-width ratio increased, accompanied by a slight increase in 1000 kernel weight, volume and decrease in bulk density of germinated millet. Furthermore, functional properties such as oil absorption capacity, water absorption capacity and water solubility index increased with germination time, contributing to improved texture. There was increase in protein and fiber, slight decrease in fat content. The mineral content was increased upon germination. "Conclusion: The obtained results indicated slight variations in the physical and functional and nutritional characteristics of barnyard millet and its flour upon germination." 5. Pradhan PP, Bhuyan P, Nag G, Sahoo JP. 2024. "Genetic improvement of barnyard millet (Echinochloa esculenta): prospective and challenges." Technology in Agronomy 4: e027 https://doi.org/10.48130/tia-0024-0024 ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet is a vital yet underutilized cereal crop due to limited genetic research and improvement efforts. This review explores promising avenues like QTL mapping and Marker-Assisted Selection for targeted breeding, along with the exciting possibilities of genomic selection and speed breeding for faster variety development in barnyard millet. Even gene editing with CRISPR-Cas holds promise, but challenges like incomplete genome knowledge need to be addressed. Additionally, bioinformatics and systems biology approaches offer powerful tools to understand the complex interaction of genes and traits in barnyard millet. While limitations exist, actively pursuing these advancements can unlock barnyard millet's full potential, significantly impacting global food security and sustainable agriculture." 6. Sehrawat, A. et al. (2024). "Barnyard millet: A crop of promise elucidated through correlation and path analysis." Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 16(3), 1273 - 1281. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v16i3.5793 ABSTRACT: "With today's changing dietary demands and agricultural constraints, millets have become essential crops with significant agronomic and nutritional benefits. Among these, barnyard millet stands out for its resilience and nutritional richness. Despite its considerable nutritional and agronomic benefits, Barnyard millet suffers from a lack of recognition, relegating it to the status of a neglected and underutilized crop. The present study ventures into barnyard millet cultivation, utilizing correlation and path coefficient analysis to elucidate the complex interplay influencing its productivity and attributes. The study was conducted over two consecutive years and involved 172 genotypes with 23 yield-contributing traits under scrutiny. Panicle weight per plant (PWPP) (0.98), single panicle weight (0.81), biological yield per plant (0.79) and harvest index (0.71) exhibited strong positive correlations with grain yield per plant. While PWPP (0.82), PL (0.36), DSYPP (0.31) and HI (0.30) demonstrated high direct positive effects on grain yield per plant in the path coefficient analysis, emphasizing their significance in breeding programs. By improving these traits through selective breeding or genetic manipulation, researchers can potentially develop high-yielding varieties better adapted to varying environmental conditions. Conversely, days to maturity had a significant negative correlation with grain yield (-0.28) focusing on selecting early maturity genotypes. Panicle exertion (-0.30), biological yield per plant (-0.21) and flag leaf sheath length (-0.18) had the highest negative direct effects in the path analysis, suggesting their potential role as limiting factors in barnyard millet cultivation. Overall, these findings provide a roadmap for future research endeavours aimed at enhancing the productivity and resilience of barnyard millet, ultimately contributing to food security and agricultural sustainability in regions where this crop plays a vital role." 7. Amasiddha, B., Elangovan, M., Umakanth, A. V., Ganapathy, K. N., Venkatesh, K., Swarna, R., Deepika, C., & Srividhya, S. (2023). "Barnyard millet: Recent advances and improved technologies." Indian Farming, 73(1), 50-52. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IndFarm/article/view/132572 ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea), due to its remarkable ability to withstand erratic rainfall and varying weather conditions has been classified as one of the drought stress hardy crop. It is largely cultivated in harsh and fragile environments, with minimal use of agricultural inputs. Barnyard millet with rich nutritional profile is one of the best choices for patients with dietary based health defects like diabetic, heart related diseases and celiac diseases. Presently, crop improvement programmes in barnyard millet are targeting recombination breeding, use of molecular markers, tagging genes/QTLs for nutritional qualities, biotic and abiotic stresses, improving/modifying the crossing techniques, mutation breeding to enhance the diversity etc. However, the whole genome sequencing in Indian barnyard millet is necessary to understand its adaptability and dissecting the phenotypic characters at genotypic level and utilizing the information in improving the yield contributing traits to break the stagnated yield levels." 8. Anjali Singh, Munnangi Bharath, Apurva Kotiyal, Lipakshi Rana and Devanshi Rajpal. 2022. "Barnyard millet: The underutilized nutraceutical minor millet crop." The Pharma Innovation. 11(6): 115-128 https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2022/vol11issue6/PartB/11-6-188-68... ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet (Echinochloa species) has become one of the most important small millet plants in Asia, reflecting strong growth in global production. The genus Echinochloa includes two major species, Echinochloa esculenta and Echinochloa frumentacea, which are widely grown for human consumption and fodder. Barnyard millet is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and, in particular, contains more micronutrients (iron and zinc) than other major grains, and has a lower glycemic Index and gluten-free grains adds additional benefits, against various health issues such as obesity, diabetes, blood pressure control, cardiovascular disease and celiac disease. The carbohydrate content in barnyard millet is low and digested slowly, making barnyard millet a natural gift for busy modern humanity. In barnyard millet the fatty acids are linoleic acid followed by palmitic and oleic acid. It also exhibits a high rate of amylase reuptake, facilitating the formation of high levels of resistant starch. The present study highlights the importance of millets in terms of its nutritional values, pharmacological benefits, biological activities and applications of barnyard millet." 9. Bhatt D, Rasane P, Singh J, Kaur S, Fairos M, Kaur J, Gunjal M, Mahato DK, Mehta C, Avinashe H, Sharma N. "Nutritional advantages of barnyard millet and opportunities for its processing as value-added foods." Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2023 Nov;60(11):2748-2760. doi: 10.1007/s13197-022-05602-1. Epub 2022 Oct 3. PMID: 37711577; PMCID: PMC10497464. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10497464/ ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet (Echinochloa species) has received appreciable attention for its susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses, multiple harvests in a year and rich in micronutrients, fibers and phytochemicals. It is believed that the consumption of barnyard millet can possess various health benefits against diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, skin problems, cancer and celiac disease. The flour of barnyard millet is gluten-free and can be incorporated into the diet of celiac and diabetic patients. Considering the nutritional value of millet, various millet-based food products like bread, snack, baby foods, millet wine, porridge, fast foods and millet nutrition powder can be prepared. Future research and developments on barnyard millet and its products may help cope with various diseases known to humans. This paper discusses barnyard millet's nutritional and health benefits as whole grain and its value-added products. The paper also provides insights into the processing of barnyard millet and its effect on the functional properties and, future uses of barnyard millet in the field food industry as ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products as well as in industrial uses, acting as a potential future crop contributing to food and nutritional security." 10. Renganathan, V. G., Vetriventhan, M., Veni, K., Vanniarajan, C., & Renuka, R. (2022). "Current Status and Future Prospects of Omics Strategies in Barnyard Millet." Springer Nature Singapore. (pp. 53–68). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3907-5_3 ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp) is a wide-adaptive crop that produces larger seeds compared to other minor millets. It is one of the most important minor millet crops that is predominantly cultivated for human consumption in Asia and livestock feed in the United States. Barnyard millet has incredible resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Grains are highly nutritious with significant amount of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and, most notably, micronutrients (iron and zinc) than other staple cereals. Despite these benefits, barnyard millet has received little attention in genetic and genomic studies for many years. Progress has been made in developing genetic and genomic resources over last few years, thanks to the reducing cost of sequencing technologies in polyploid and orphan millets species as well. Recently, the genome of wild and transcriptome sequences of cultivated Echinochloa species has facilitated the understanding of the genetic architecture of important agronomic and micronutrient traits. In this chapter, we discuss the importance of barnyard millet in the current climatic scenario and highlight the up-to-date status of genetic and genomics research and the research gaps that need to be addressed in this crop. This chapter also provides an overview of deploying omics approaches to study the barnyard millet for better understanding of crops’ nutritional richness and tolerance to environmental stresses." 11. Parveen Kumari, et al. 2021. "Barnyard Millet—Composition, Properties, Health Benefits, and Food Applications." in Handbook of Cereals, Pulses, Roots, and Tubers. CRC Press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003155508-10/barnyar... ABSTRACT: "Millets are the oldest crops cultivated by humans for domestic purposes. Barnyard millet (Echinochloa crusgalli [L.]), is a nutritionally important and preferred crop since it is a good source of quality protein and dietary fiber and contains a fair amount of soluble and insoluble fractions. Slow digestibility in barnyard millet due to its resistance starch and lower carbohydrate content makes it a suitable candidate for the functional food category. In addition, barnyard millet is also a well-known source of major healthy fatty acids, including palmitic, linoleic, and oleic acids. Barnyard millet contains double the amount of polyphenols and carotenoids than the other millets, which are known to have superb health benefits. This chapter covers the nutritional aspects, therapeutic applications, and processing advancement for better utilization of barnyard millet. It also includes the limitations and future perspectives on the development of varietal millet-based foods to meet the demand of growing populations." 12. N. Rajeswari, and V.P. Priyadharshini. 2021. "Evaluation of Nutritional and Nutraceutical Content of Polished and Unpolished Barnyard Millet - An Analytical Study." Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science. 9(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.9.3.31 ABSTRACT: " Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacaea) is an indigenous under utilized millet variety of south India with bounty of health benefits due to the abundance of dietary fiber antioxidant and minerals like iron. This gluten free wonder millet can be a healthy alternate dietary source for diabetic, obesity and CVD patients. Scientific evidence based studies on nutritional quality of this millet both in polished and unpolished form is less. The current study aims at “Evaluation of nutritional and nutraceutical content of polished and unpolished barnyard millet”. Both polished and unpolished barnyard millets were procured from local market, cleaned to remove dirt, dust and stone. The cleaned millets were dried powdered and sieved using 60 mesh sieves (250 Micron). The powdered millet flour was stored in airtight container. Nutritional content of Barnyard millet was analysed for macro, micro nutrients and nutraceutical properties of both polished and unpolished form using standard AOAC method - 20th edition (2016). The analysed nutrient content were compared statistically at 99% and 95 % confidence interval (t-test).The result shows that, the quantum of carbohydrate present in polished barnyard millet was 11.37 % lesser than the milled parboiled rice and 9 % lesser than the brown rice and 12.45 % lesser than the raw milled rice. The total dietary fibre content of unpolished barnyard millet was 14.2 gm and polished barnyard millet was 8.5 gm. Crude fibre content of unpolished barnyard millet was noted as 11.2 gm and the same in polished barnyard millet was 4.5gm. The protein content of unpolished barnyard millet (10.4gm) was found to be superior to polished barnyard millet (6.8gm).The presence of nutraceutical components were more nutritionally superior in unpolished barnyard millet compared to polished one." 13. Shinde EM, Pawar VS, Rodge SM and Gajmal DB. 2021. "Health and immunity enhancing properties of barnyard millet and its use in the food industry: A study." Journal of Current Research in Food Science. 2(2): 40-43 https://www.foodresearchjournal.com/article/43/2-1-23-415.pdf ABSTRACT: "Consumers' appetite for nutritious and natural foods made from whole grains is rising. They are rich in dietary fibre, low glycemic load and have micronutrients like vitamin such as magnesium, iron and vitamin B. One of the fastest growing small millets is the Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea). In the review paper, major varietal variations were observed in physico-chemical characteristics and nutrient composition." 14. Shanmugapriya A, Nazni P. 2020. "Effect of Processing Techniques on Nutritional, Viscosity and Osmolarity of Barnyard Millet Based Diarrheal Replacement Fluids." Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science. 8(1). doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.8.1.15 ABSTRACT: "Barnyard millet is one of the major crops and nutritionally superior to other cereals. It is an excellent source of nutrients and also contains moderate amounts of anti-nutrients such as tannin, phytic acid, and phenolic compounds. Traditional processing techniques enhance the edibility, nutritional quality, and reduce anti-nutritional factors. In the present study, an attempt was made to formulate barnyard millet flour-based diarrheal replacement fluid and analyze the effect of roasting and soaking methods on nutritional composition, viscosity, osmolarity, and sensory characteristics. The results showed there was a significant difference in nutritional, anti-nutritional, viscosity, and osmolarity properties of differently processed barnyard millet flour. Soaking of millet reduced the anti-nutritional factors such as tannin (2.21±0.01-2.96±0.03 mg/100gm) and phenolic compound (5.2±0.01-5.31±0.01mg/100g), similarly, roasting significantly increased the nutrients, and also lowered the viscosity of the replacement fluids (267.31±0.02 -543.90±0.09cP). The osmolarity of enzyme-treated roasted millet replacement fluids was comparable to the normal osmolarity range of plasma (275-295mOsm/kg). Roasted barnyard millet-based diarrheal replacement fluids had better sensory properties than raw and soaked millet. The mineral composition, viscosity, and osmolarity of roasted barnyard millet suggested that it has preferable attributes as a diarrheal replacement fluid." Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance