Pearl millet: Difference between revisions

'''Pearl millet''' (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum''; also known as 'Bajra' in Hindi, 'Sajje' in Kannada, 'Kambu' in Tamil, 'Bajeer' in Kumaoni and 'Gero' in Hausa) is the most widely grown type of [[millet]]. It has been grown in [[Africa]] and the [[Indian subcontinent]] since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and suggested area of [[domestication]], for the crop is in the [[Sahel]] zone of [[West Africa]]. Recent archaeobotanical research has confirmed the presence of domesticated pearl millet on the Sahel zone of northern [[Mali]] between 2500 and 2000 BC.<ref>Manning, Katie, Ruth Pelling, Tom Higham, Jean-Luc Schwenniger and Dorian Q Fuller (2010) 4500-year-old domesticated pearl millet (''Pennisetum glaucum'') from the Tilemsi Valley, Mali: new insights into an alternative cereal domestication pathway. Journal of Archaeological Science 38 (2): 312-322</ref><ref>Fuller, D.Q. (2003). African crops in prehistoric South Asia: a critical review. in Neumann, K., Butler, A., Kahlheber, S. (ed.) Food, Fuel and Fields. Progress in Africa Archaeobotany. Africa Praehistorica 15 series. Cologne: Heinrich-Barth-Institut, 239-271.</ref>