Thumbnail Image

Key descriptors for fonio millets

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 25 p.

Author Elangovan, M.; Hariprasanna, K.; Pandey, S.; Pradheep, K.; Vetriventhan, M.; Alercia, A.; Cerutti, A.L.; López, F.;

Publisher ICAR-IIMR ; ICAR-NBPGR ; ICRISAT ; FAO ;

Product type Booklet

Synopsis (short abstract) The key descriptors for fonio millets consist of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for Digitaria exilis Stapf and Digitaria iburua Stapf of the family Poaceae. This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of these species, and it does not exclude the addition of other descriptors later. The list in this booklet, reviewed globally by a group of experts, contains 43 key descriptors. Fonio is also recognized by various names such as acha (for white fonio), and iburu (for black fonio), among other commonly used names. Among these two species, white fonio is predominantly cultivated. These millets are grown in various West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Mali, the Niger, Nigeria and Senegal, .

Statutory body / Meeting title International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

Cite this content as:

Elangovan, M., Hariprasanna, K., Pandey, S., Pradheep, K., Vetriventhan, M., Alercia, A., Cerutti, A.L. and Lopez, F. 2023. Key descriptors for fonio millets. ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; and FAO on behalf of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, Italy.


https://doi.org/10.4060/cc8563en

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    Key descriptors for foxtail millet 2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) is one of the oldest cereals, and its domestication in China dates to over 10 000 years ago. Foxtail millet grain is used for human consumption and as feed for poultry and cage birds. The husked grain is used as food in Asia, south-eastern Europe and Africa. The Key descriptors for foxtail millet consist of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for Setaria italica and Setaria pumila of the family Poaceae. This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of these species, and it does not exclude the addition of other descriptors later. The key set of access and utilization descriptors was defined through an online survey in which 29 experts from 20 organizations and universities from 13 countries participated. Survey results were subsequently validated in consultation with a Core Advisory Group (see “Contributors”) led by ICAR-IIMR, ICAR-NBPGR and ICRISAT. The strategic set of data standards is designed to facilitate access to and utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The list is expected to support studies focusing on genetic and morphological diversity of foxtail millet and its wild and weedy relatives, as well those on conservation, domestication and use.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    Key descriptors for fodder trees 2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The key descriptors for fodder trees consist of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for some species of the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae). This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of these species, and it does not exclude the addition of other descriptors later. This work has been done jointly with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The key set of access and utilization descriptors was defined through an online survey, in which 24 experts from 14 different organizations and universities from 13 countries participated. Fodder trees are an important feed resource for livestock, providing feed in the dry season when other forages may be in short supply. Their deep-rooting nature and fast growth have made them a valuable feed resource to extend the use of sown forages over longer periods of the year in tropical and subtropical areas. Fodder trees come from a wide range of plant families, but these general fodder tree descriptors are intended to be used for characterization and evaluation of a group from the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae), Calliandra calothyrsus, Cytisus proliferus, Gliricidia sepium, Sesbania sesban and Faidherbia albida. These are all fast-growing species already adopted by smallholder farmers worldwide.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    Key descriptors for forage grasses 2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The key descriptors for forage grasses consist of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for some species of the family Poaceae. Grasses belong to the plant family Poaceae and many of the important forage grass genera have similar morphology, making it possible to suggest a common set of descriptors that can be used for describing diversity within multiple species. Despite similarities, grasses show diversity in morphology, productivity, feed quality and their response to drought and cold, even within the same species. These general forage grass descriptors are limited to tropical species with specific examples from Andropogon gayanus, Bothriochloa pertusa, Cenchrus ciliaris, Cenchrus clandestinus, Cenchrus purpureus, Chloris gayana, Cynodon dactylon, Cynodon nlemfuensis, Digitaria eriantha, Megathrysus maximus, Melinis minutiflora, Panicum coloratum, Paspalum dilatatum, Paspalum plicatulum, Setaria sphacelata, Sorghum x almum, Tripsacum laxum, Urochloa brizantha, Urochloa decumbens and Urochloa ruziziensis. These are all grasses that are already being adopted by smallholder farmers worldwide.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.