Finger millet, native to the Ethiopian highlands, is an important cereal crop cultivated in over 25 countries, with major production in Uganda, India, Nepal, and China. It requires specific climatic conditions and well-drained soils for optimal growth, and its production involves careful management practices including land preparation, irrigation, and pest control. The current annual production in Sri Lanka is about 6,400 metric tons, with efforts needed to enhance local seed production and achieve self-sufficiency.

2. Introduction
• Finger millet is an annual plant widely grown as
a cereal
• Originally native to the Ethiopian highlands
• Cultivate in more than 25 countries in;
– Africa (eastern and southern)
– Asia (from Near East to Far East)
• As a staple food grain
• The major producers are Uganda, India, Nepal,
and China

3. Nutrient Composition of Finger Millet
Moisture - 13.24 %
Protein - 7.6 %
Carbohydrate - 74.36 %
Fiber - 1.52 %
Minerals - 2.35 %
Fat - 1.35 %
Energy - 341.6 cal/100 g

4. Scientific classification
Kingdom : Plantae
Order : Poales
Family : Poaceae
Subfamily : Chloridoideae
Genus : Eleusine
Species : E. coracana
Botanical name: Eleusine coracana

5. In Sri Lanka……
• Average yield : 1324 kg/ha
• Extent : 5665 ha (2001-DOA)
• Production : 4212 mt (2001-DOA)
• Grown in rain fed uplands in the Dry zone and
Intermediate zone of Sri Lanka
• Can be grown during in low land paddy fields during
yala season

6. • Major growing areas:
– Anuradhapura
– Monoragala
– Hambanthota
– Kegalle
– Rathnapura
– Nuwaraeliya
– Ampara
– Badulla
– Jaffna

7. Ecological Requirements
• Climatic conditions
– Finger millet grows best with medium
rainfall
– Annual temperature range of 11 to 27°C
– Low relative humidity

8. • Soil
– well-drained soils silt loams
– grows well on
• Reddish brown earth
• Calcic red yellow latasols
• Sandy regosols
– Soil pH of 5.0 - 8.2

9. Recommended Varieties
Variety Days to maturity
• Ravi 90 - 100
• Ravana 90 - 100

10. Land preparation
•Traditionally grown on Chenas during Maha
season
•Usually planted without land preparation
•Soil is worked to a fine tilth with a disc harrow or
mammoty for higher yield
•Upland seeds should be planted in moist soil and
protected them biological hazards

11. Seed Establishment
•Can done in 3 ways
-Broad casting
-Row seeding
-Transplanting
• In Sri Lanka normally done broad casting
•In row seeding seeds are sawn with 30 cm spacing
•In transplanting, 20-25 days old seedlings can be
transplanted

12. Fertilizer application
•Basal Urea 50 kg/ha
•TSP 50 kg/ha
•MOP 50 kg/ha
•Top dressing- apply 50 kg /ha of Urea at 3-4 weeks
after planting
•To apply fertilizers their should be moisture in the soil

13. Irrigation
•Irrigate the field once in every 4-5 days until
seedlings are establish
•During dry period supplementary irrigation
is provided at weekly interval's
•Raise beds or the basin systems can be
adapted for irrigation

14. Weed control
•Finger Millet seedlings are slow growing and require
a weed free environment for 45 days to develop
vigorous plants
• Seedlings in rows facilitates weed control
•Hand weed twice on 10th and 20th day after
transplanting

15. Harvesting
•Finger millet matures in about 3-5 months time
•80 % of the ears become brown in colour can be
harvested
•Most labor intensive operation of the production
•The ripe heads are individually picked with knife

16. Cont’d…
• Dried in the sun on a clean hard ground
• Good care is needed to prevent any physical
mixing during harvesting and drying
• When heads are dried enough, then they can be
threshed and winnowed
• Average yield - 1324 kg/ha

17. Storage
• Finger millet is piled in heaps for a few days and
stored as heads
• If kept dry, it can store for as long as five years
• During storage, insect pests do not attack it
• At onset of rain, the grain springs to life and can
be ready to harvest in just 45 days

18. Pests
•No severe insect pests have been reported on
finger millet in Sri Lanka
•But plants are damaged by stem borer during Yala
season
Symptoms :
typical dead heart in older plants
larvae are found in the stem

19. Control-
Chemical - (Diazinone ,
Furadan)
Cont’d…

20. Diseases
•Bacterial Blast (Pyricularia spp) :
Plants are affected by blast mainly during
maha season
Symptoms –
Diamond shaped, greyish white lesions bordered
by a brown margin develop on leaves

21. Cont’d
•Empty fingers and broken pedicels
•Seedlings may be killed under epidemic condition
Control
- Avoid dense plant population
- Avoid heavy N fertilizer
- Chemical control (Benomyl, Edifenphos )

22. Uses
• Commonly cooked and made into a porridge to
accompany other foods
• Used in common food stuffs, such as idly and
laddu
• Grain may used in the brewing of alcoholic
beverages
• Millet straw can be used as an animal feed

23. Medicinal values
• Great source to extract energy
• Helps in bone development
• For losing weight
• Aid for diabetics
• Treatment of anaemia
• Reduces blood cholesterol
• Relaxes body

24. Present status
•Current annual production of finger millet is
about 6,400 mt
•Present productivity is about 1.1 mt/ha
•Annual extent of cultivation of finger millet
remains at 5,900 ha.
•About 3,200 mt of finger millet is imported to the
country annually

25. Cont’d
• Import of finger millet seeds is to fulfill the
pure seeds requirements of the industries
-due to shortage of local products
• Finger millet seeds are exported in small
amount which is negligible
• Price (Rs./kg) - Rs.24.00 – 30.00

26. Cont’d
•FCRDI has released high yielding variety of finger
millets
-yield above 3.00 mt/ha under good
management conditions
•With little more efforts to practice proper
management conditions, we will be able to
achieve self-sufficiency with the existing
cultivated extent of finger millet

27. Group Members
•A.M.N.S.K.Abeysinghe UWU/EAG/11/0005
•A.P.Kariyawasam UWU/EAG/11/0006
•U.L.D.M.S.Gunasinghe UWU/EAG/11/0007
•R.M.M.K.Wijerathna UWU/EAG/11/0012

28. THANK YOU