WELCOME TO MILLET SSR DATABASE

Introduction to Proso Millet:
Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) is a common and important minor millet belonging to the family Gramineae. This short duration millet variety is widely grown in India. It is specially adapted to hot summers in tropics and high altitudes, where the growing season is short and the soil it marginal and poor in fertility. Among grain crops, the common millet has the lowest water requirement; it grows on any kind of soil except coarse sand. It is well adapted to plateau lands and high elevations, and is cultivated in the Himalayan region upto an altitude of 2700 metres.The crop is able to evade drought by its quick maturity. The husked grain (about 70% of the whole grain) is nutritious and is eaten whole, boiled and cooked like rice. Sometimes, it is ground to make roti and eaten. Seed is also parched and consumed. Starch is the main carbohydrate in the grain and is similar to corn starch; suitable as a sizing agent in the textile industry. Green plants are excellent fodder for cattle and horses, also used as hay.The crop is ready for harvest in 70-80 days. The grain yield varies from 500 to 700 kg per hectare in dry lands and 1500 to 2000 kg per hectare under irrigated/ favorable conditions. Straw yield is normally three times higher than grain yield and is used as cattle feed. In some parts of India, immature crop is used as green fodder. The dry straw is regarded comparable to rice straw. In South India, generally it is the last crop of the year, preceding rice or grain legumes. Otherwise, common millet may be the only crop, to be rotated with horse gram every alternate year.

Nutritional and Anti-nutritional Value :
The proximate nutritional composition of proso millet is similar to that of other millets. Its starch can vary from 62 to 68% and the amylose content expressed as percentage of the grain is about 17% on a dry basis. The rate of starch hydrolysis of proso millet is similar to that of maize. Concerning the nutritive value of protein, proso millet has an in vitro digestibility of about 80%. When compared with casein, proso millet protein has been reported to have beneficial effects by suppressing liver injury induced by D-galactosamine . In terms of the triglycerides, the most common fatty acids are linoleic acid (60%) followed by oleic acid (14%). Proso millet has been found to increase the level of the desirable high-density lipoprotein in the blood plasma of mice. The total polyphenolic and carotenoid contents of proso millet have been reported as 29 and 74 μg/100 g, respectively and a methanolic extract containing these compounds was found to have good antioxidant properties. With regard to anti-nutrients, proso millet apparently does not have protease inhibitory activity when compared with pearl millet, foxtail millet, and finger millet, however, chymotrypsin inhibitors have been detected (Ravindran, 1992)