Millet is not one plant but a group of small-seeded grasses grown as cereal grains across Asia and Africa, prized for tolerating drought and poor soil where wheat and maize struggle. Pearl millet was domesticated in the Sahel region of West Africa around 6000 BC, while proso millet was independently domesticated in China, where husk phytoliths from the Cishan site date to roughly 10,300 to 8,700 years ago. It remains a staple grain and fodder crop across the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa today.
Facts
Scientific NameMultiple genera, principally Cenchrus americanus (pearl millet), Panicum miliaceum (proso millet), Setaria italica (foxtail millet) and Eleusine coracana (finger millet) 1 Domestication RegionWest Africa (Sahel, pearl millet) and northern China (proso millet), independently 1 Domesticated When (Circa)Circa 6000 BC (pearl millet, Sahel); circa 8,700 to 10,300 years ago (proso millet, China) 1 Era
Era (category) Millet
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Connections
Affected By
Source Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (Wikipedia)
Associated With
Three consecutive failed monsoons destroyed staple grain harvests, including millet, across the Deccan Plateau, Gujarat and Khandesh.
Desert locust swarms are a historic and recurring threat to millet and other cereal crops across the Sahel.
This milestone records the domestication event of the millet crop it is directly named for.
Millet, a staple crop across the Sahel, was hit hard by the prolonged drought behind the 1968-1985 famine.
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Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Millet (Wikipedia)
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Millet (Wikipedia)
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Millet (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Millet (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead
Accounting for 97% of agricultural output amongst developing countries, millets are important crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa, especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
It remains a staple grain and fodder crop across the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa today.
Description
Millets are small-grained, annual, warm-weather cereals belonging to the grass family.
View the Source 2. Millet (Wikipedia)
- lead: widely grown as a staple cereal crop
- lead: millet and millet-based products used as food for humans
- lead: millet and millet-based products used as fodder for livestock
View the SourceWheat Streak Mosaic Virus (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAffected By: Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus, Article textQuote, Affected By: Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus, Article text
WSMV infects some of the most agriculturally important members of the family Poaceae, including wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, sorghum, and millet; additionally, some grassy weeds have been known to serve as alternate hosts. == Diagnosis == “Serious infection of winter wheat occurs in early fall, but symptoms usually do not develop until spring.
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