This document discusses the floral biology of finger millet. It begins by providing the scientific name and classification of finger millet. It then describes the morphology of finger millet inflorescences and spikelets. The document outlines that finger millet self-pollinates due to its very short anthesis and stigma receptivity periods, which prevents effective cross-pollination despite wind and insect vectors. Flowering occurs from the top spikelet downward over 7-8 days depending on inflorescence type.

1. Floral biology on
finger millet
Submitted By:
B.Saicharan
ID NO :- 17MSSDCI029
Dept of Seed Science and Technology
SHUATS
Submitted To:
Ms. Bineeta Michael Bara
Assistant Professor
Department of Seed Science and Technology
SHUATS

2. Introduction
Scientific name : Eleusine corocana.
Chromosome no : 2n= 36
Family : Poaceae
Mode of pollination : self pollination.
 Synonymes : Birds foot, coracana, and African millet,
Fingermillet, crow-footed millet.
4th after bajra
Major cultivating area is Africa and southern Asia.
India : 40 and 45% of the total world production. (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra
Pradesh) .
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu produce about 61% of the total crop.
2

3. Scientific classification
kingdom: Plantae
subkingdom: Tracheobionta
Division : Magnoliophyta
Super division : Spermatophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Subclass : Commelinidae
Order : Cyperales
Family : Poaceae
Species :Eleusine
Genus : Corcana
Origin : India & Africa 3

4. DIFFERENT SPECIES.
4
Diploid species
1.Eleusine indica
2.Eleusine oligostachya
3.E.tristachya
4.E. poranansis
5.E. jaegeri
6.E. flacifolia
Tetraploid species.
1.Eleusine coracana
2.E. africana
3.E. longipoides
4.E. verticillata
5.E. cagopoides

5. 5
Indian ragi (2n = 4x = 36)
E. coracana
Short fingers, small grains,
photo insensitive.
African ragi (2n = 4x = 36)
E. africana
Long fingers, bold grain, stiff straw photosensitive
and uneven grain maturity phase.
,
Eleusine indica Eleusine coracana Eleusine africana
There are two cultivated types of ragi

6. 6
Botany
Habit : Annual or Perennial, herbaceous. .
Height : about 1m.
Root system: Adventitious.
Stem : compressed, elliptic.
Culm: Compressed and culms are typically green in
colour. Culm nodes are glabrous. Culm internodes solid
or hollow.
Leaf sheath : Leaf sheaths are prominently flattened.
Leaf blade : leaf blades linear, narrow,flat or folded
without cross veination.

7. Inflorescence & spikelet of finger millet
(A)Inflorescence; (B). Spikelet of finger millet;
(C)Outer glume;(D)Ovary;(E)Lemma;
(F)Palea;(G)Matured spikelet;
(H)Grain with in lemma and palea;(I)Matured grain with in lemma and palea
7

8. 8
Inflorescence : it consist of a group of
digitally arranged spikes in a terminal
umbel form.
Spikelet : Spikelets are strongly compressed
laterally, curved into two over lapping rows on the
outer sides of the spike.
Each spikelet has 4-6 flowers, flowers per ear
head 1500 – 3000.

9. 9
➢ Lemma: Pointed, awnless, hairless.
➢ Palea : Present,awnless.
➢ Lodicules : Present and two in number joined
or free, fleshy.
➢ Glumes:Two, more or less equal. Lower glume
1 nerved.
➢ Stamen:Flower contains 3 stamens, short
anthers and long filament.
➢ Pistil:Ovary glabrous. Styles free to their bases.
Branched stigma with white or brown in colour.
➢ Fruit :The grains are globose.
Glumes, Lemma and Palea,
Stamen and Stigma

10. 10
(1) stem part with leaves, (2)Inflorescence, (3)part of inflorescence branch; (4) spikelet;
(5) floret without lemma and palea,(6) grain within lemma and palea, (7)grain.

11. Ragi Floral Biology

12. 12
Floral structure
Terminal whorl bearing 2 to 10 but averaging 5 to 6
spikes arranged like a birds foot at the top of peduncle
The lowest spike is separated by 2 to 5 cm from the
other spikes and which arise from the same point at the
end of the stem.
In each finger there are about 70 spikelet's, each
spikelet having five to seven complete flowers.
In the spikelet the flowering proceeds from bottom to
top and in a finger the order of flowering is from
the top spikelet downward.
An ear head contains 1,500 to 3,000 flowers, and the
flowering period varies from six or seven to ten days.

13. 13
Inflorescence types
TOP INCURVED TYPE INCURVED TYPE OPEN TYPE

14. 14
Floral biology
➢ Anthesis commences from top spikelet and progress downwards.
Each spikelet contains 4 to 6 flowers, the opening of the florets
starts from bottom to top.
 One floret in the spikelet opens per day.
 Flowering takes place simultaneously in all fingers.
➢ Complete emergence of the inflorescence requires 7 -8 days.
➢ Depending upon the ear shape –Flower opening period will
vary.
➢ Compact : 2-3 am
➢ Fisty : 3-5 am
➢ Open : 1-2 am
➢ Pollen viability is very short 10 -15 minutes

15. 15
➢ Anthers require about 45 minutes
for dehiscence after emergence
➢ The stigma is receptive for about five minutes
after emergence from the glumes
➢ Self pollination is the general rule because the
period of anthesis is very short.
➢ Cross fertilization by wind and insects is less
than 1 per cent.