Changes

*''Cynosurus coracan'' L. (1759), *''Eleusine indica'' (L.) Gaertner f. ''coracana'' (L.) Hook.f. ex Backer (1927), *''E. coracana'' (L.) Gaertner subsp. ''coracana'' sensu Hilu & de Wet (1976).

*Finger millet, African millet, koracan (En). *Eleusine, coracan (Fr)

*A robust, tillering, tufted, annual grass, up to 170 cm tall with a shallow, branched, fibrous, adventitious root system. Stem erect to ascending, compressed, robust, glabrous, shiny light green, sometimes branching at the upper nodes. *Leaves numerous, distichous, sheath flattened, overlapping, split along the entire length, glabrous except for some hairs along the edges; ligule short, fimbriate; blade linear, 30-75 cm × 1-2 cm, often folded, recurved, scabrous above, dark green. *Inflorescence a terminal cluster of 3-6(-26) dense sessile spikes ("fingers"), the cluster consisting of a terminal digitate whorl, often with 1-2(-7) additional spikes 2-4 cm below this whorl; spikes 3.5-15 cm long, up to 1 cm in diameter, straight and spreading or variously incurved and compact, unbranched or branched; spikelets .*Spikelets ovoid-elliptical, up to about 1 cm long, awnless, flattened, containing 6-12 florets arranged alternately in two parallel rows on a zigzag rachilla; florets hermaphrodite but terminal ones may be sterile or male; lemma deeply boat-shaped, 2-5 mm long; palea about three-quarters of the length of the lemma; stamens 3; ovary with 2 free styles with plumose stigmas. *Fruit a utricle, 4-7 per spikelet, globose, 1-2 mm in diameter, smooth or rugose, varying from orange to red, red-brown, dark brown to black or white; pericarp remains distinct during development and at maturity appears as a papery structure surrounding the seed.

Botanically, finger millet is part of a complex formed by ''Eleusine indica'' (L.) Gaertner (fowl-foot grass), ''E. africana'' Kennedy-O'Byrne and ''E. coracana'' . ''E. indica'' is a diploid (2 ''n'' = 18) wild grass of Old World origin but at present widespread throughout the tropics and warm temperate regions of the world. It is often a troublesome weed, but sometimes it is used as fodder, the grain as famine food and dried culms for plaiting. ''E. africana'' is a tetraploid (2 ''n'' = 36) wild grass confined to the eastern and southern African highlands, with similar uses as ''E. indica'' . Although in older literature finger millet is thought to have been derived from ''E. indica'' and considered a form or variety of it, more evidence exists for a closer relationship with ''E. africana'' which in turn could have been derived from ''E. indica'' (cf. the synonymous name ''E. indica'' (L.) Gaertner subsp. ''africana'' (Kennedy-O'Byrne) S.M. Phillips). ''E. coracana'' and ''E. africana'' cross readily and produce fertile hybrids, and are quite similar vegetatively. Therefore they are also considered as being one species, ''E. coracana'' , with wild (subsp. ''africana'' (Kennedy-O'Byrne) Hilu & de Wet) and cultivated (subsp. ''coracana'' ) representatives. This view is followed here but it is proposed to classify the cultivated forms not as subspecies but as the cultivar group Finger Millet. Finger millet differs from its wild progenitor primarily in having spikelets that do not shatter at maturity.

*cv. subgroup Coracana (other name: race Coracana): Inflorescence branches 5-19, slender, straight, 6-11 cm long, all cultivars with a well-developed central inflorescence branch. Cultivars resemble the wild subsp. ''africana'' . Grown throughout the finger millet range in Africa and India.

Finger millet is mainly grown in the tropics, from sea-level up to 2400 m altitude (in Nepal up to 3150 m), preferably in areas with the optimum daylength of about 12 hours. It has a C4C₄-cycle photosynthetic pathway. Optimum temperatures are an average maximum of above 27°C 27 °C and an average minimum not below 18°C18 °C. It needs about 750 mm rainfall during growth (average annual rainfall usually 900-1200 mm), well distributed during the growing season and without prolonged spells of drought. It is not as drought tolerant as sorghum and pearl millet and, unlike rice and maize, does not grow well with heavy rainfall. At harvesting, a dry period is required. It grows on a wide range of soils, but reasonably fertile, well-drained sandy loams are preferred, with pH 6.5-8. It does not tolerate waterlogging. In South-East Asia, finger millet is grown in semi-arid to subhumid areas.

In general, finger millet suffers from relatively few diseases and pests. Blast ( ''Magnaporthe grisea'' , syn. ''Piricularia grisea'' ) can be a serious disease. It provokes brownish lesions on young leaves, black lesions on the inflorescence, and the premature drying of old leaves. Other lesser diseases include leaf blight caused by ''Helminthosporium nodulosum'' and ''Gloeocercospora'' sp., leaf spot ( ''Cercospora'' sp.), tar spot ( ''Phyllachora eleusinis'' ) and footrot ( ''Sclerotium rolfsii'' ).

The only serious pest in India is the hairy caterpillar of ''Amsacta albistriga'' , but army worms and grasshoppers may cause damage too. In Africa, the phytophagous ladybird ''Epilachna similis'' sometimes causes serious damage. Bird damage may occur but is nowhere reported to be serious. Stored grains are hardly attacked by insects and can be kept up to 10 years with little damage.

*P.C.M. Jansen & H.C. Ong