A small-seeded cereal grass (Setaria italica) domesticated in China roughly eight thousand years ago, among the earliest cultivated cereals in East Asia and a staple grain of ancient Chinese civilization before rice cultivation spread widely. It remains an important subsistence crop across parts of China, India and other semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa, valued for its short growing season and tolerance of poor soils and limited rainfall. Foxtail millet is grown today mainly for human food, particularly in traditional dishes and as a gluten-free grain, and as fodder for livestock.
Facts
Scientific Name Domestication RegionChina (Yellow River, Cishan) 2 Domesticated When (Circa) Era
Era (category) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Foxtail millet (Wikipedia)
- lead: an annual grass grown for human food
- lead: the most grown millet species in Asia, grown for human food
- lead: oldest evidence of cultivation carbon dated to around 8,000 years ago
View the Source2. Foxtail millet (Wikipedia)
Lead section (opening clause)
Foxtail millet, scientific name Setaria italica (synonym Panicum italicum L.), is an annual grass grown for human food.
Lead section (closing clause)
is an annual grass grown for human food
Lead section (Yellow River/Cishan clause)
The oldest evidence of foxtail millet cultivation was found along the ancient course of the Yellow River in Cishan, China, carbon dated to be from around 8,000 years ago.
History and domestication section (Cishan culture clause)
More recently, the Cishan culture of China has been identified as the earliest to domesticate foxtail millet around 6500-5500 BC.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (life-cycle)
Foxtail millet, scientific name Setaria italica (synonym Panicum italicum L.), is an annual grass grown for human food.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
A small-seeded cereal grass (Setaria italica) domesticated in China roughly eight thousand years ago, among the earliest cultivated cereals in East Asia and a staple grain of ancient Chinese civilization before rice cultivation spread widely.
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