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Inter/ Intra Species Diversity of Millets in India

The climatic adaptability of these millets has allowed their spreading across different agro-ecological habitats: seeing their natural hardiness several communities have deliberately selected, manipulated them to adapt to diverse local conditions of growth, and survival, which reflects in the great genetic variability among millets today (please refer to Table-4). Farmers from centuries have cultivated millets successfully and the diversity among these crops is one of the richest with more than 7,000 varieties of millet reported throughout the world, varying in grain colour from pale yellow, to grey, white, and red.

Each local variety has its advantages and disadvantages from which farmers form suitable crop mixtures as per their family needs:

In the Zaheerabad region of Andhra Pradesh, there are 5 varieties of Sorghum, while Toka jonna, Gundu jonna and Tellamalle jonna are of four months duration, the variety Gareeb jonna is considered as a food security crop as it matures in just three months and has yields reasonably well, but has a disadvantage in taste and texture of bread made form it. As for Foxtail millet, there are three varieties commonly cultivated in villages across the rainfed regions, which are primarily differentiated based on the colour of the seed and panicle size (red, white and black), relative crop durations and yield potentials. As with Finger millet, in some villages of Himalayan Gharwal, farmers cultivate four varieties and; in Tamil Nadu five varieties of Finger millets are cultivated with diverse characteristics. On a whole, it is estimated that in South India alone there are about 15-20 varieties of Finger millet. While landraces like Kari mudugga ragi (compact black) and Dundakaya koda (closed fist) have compact earhead, Kaddi ragi (woody culms) and Pankhadia koda (spread like wings) have spread out earheads. Each of these characteristics give the varieties a comparative advantage: like the spread-out earheads can withstand heavy rainfall during grain forming stage, but has the disadvantage of lower yields and; the compact earhead types cannot withstand heavy rainfall but are of shorter duration and so on.

Table-4: Species and Varietal Diversity of Millets across Three Different Habitats

Species of Millets	Sub-Humid Habitat: Upli Nagni, District T.Garhwal, Uttranchal	Seni-Arid Habitat: Zaheerabad, District Medak, Andhra Pradesh	Seni-Arid Habitat: Bargur, District Erode, Tamil Nadu
Barnyard millet (Echinochloa crusgalli)	Lal jhangora (red) Saphed jhangora (white) an Khairaana jhangora (mixed) Jhalaya jhangora (like a frock) Muthanda (compact)	-	-
Finger millet (Eleusine coracona)	Dundakaya koda (closed fist) Logaadi mandua (as if hanging) Pankhadia koda (spread like wings) Buganaya koda (like a small hand)	Tella taidalu (white) Yerra taidalu (red)	Kari mudugga ragi (compact black) Kaddi ragi (woody culms) Belli ragi (white) Dodda ragi (big) Karupu ragi (black)
Foxtail millet (Setaria. sp)	Kali kauni (black) Lal kauni (red) Peeli kauni (yellow) Saphed kauni (white)	Tella korra (white) Nalla korra (black) Yerra korra (red) Manchu korra (due)	Jaddai/ navana (locks of hair) Uppu/ Belli navana (white like salt) Kempu navana (red)
Kodo millet (Paspalum. Scrobaculatum)	-	Akallai	-
Jobs tears (Coix. lachrymal-jobi)	-	Aarkalu	Aarka
Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense)	-	Tella sama (white) Nalla sama (black)	Belli samai (white) Hullu samai (good fodder/ hay) Kuransamai (black) Dodda samai (bigger seeds size) Arabudam sammi (60 days) Kulla sammai (short and bunch type)
Pearl millet (Pennisetum. sp)	Junyali	Desi Sajjalu (local)	Ottu/Pottu kambu (thicker husk)
Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum)	Saphed cheena (white) Peeli cheena (yellow)	Kodi samalu	Thiri varagu (multiple seed coats) Pani varagu (moist)
Sorghum (Sorghum. Sp)	Desi	Gungu jonna (round seed) Gareeb jonna (poorman’s) Tella malle jonna (while) Toka jonna (like a tail) Yerra jonna (red grains)	Moggai jolla Kokkai jolla (bent) Keddar jolla (scattered)