28 Jan Nutritious but Underutilized Cereal Fonio Millet
पोषक तत्वों से भरपूर परन्तू कम प्रचलित अनाज: फोनियो बाजरा Fonio (Digitaria exilis), also referred to as white fonio or fonio millet, is one of the oldest cereal crops domesticated by farmers in West Africa. Its cultivation seems to have started about 7000 years ago. Fonio species belong to Poaceae family, sub-family of Panicoideae, tribe of Paniceae and the genus Digitaria. Fonio grains are extraordinary tiny with 1,000 grains weighting 0.5-0.6 g. Fonio is often consumed in West Africa. It is one of the world’s fastest maturing cereals. It is believed to be one of the oldest cereals in West Africa, where it is indigenous. In some parts of Africa, like in regions of Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Nigeria, it is a major part of the diet and in some places in Guinea it is even considered the staple. Growth and Harvest: Fonio is tolerant to soil stress and seasonal droughts. It is able to be grown on poor, shallow, sandy, or rocky soils, where other cereals cannot grow. It thrives in rainy seasons only if the soil has good drainage, but will grow in very poor, sandy, or ironstone soils. Its seeds are rarely sown in rows but scattered about on soil and lightly covered. The seeds germinate within a week after planting. Plants grow...