Agronomic Evaluation and Nutritional Profiling of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn) Cultivars

Abstract

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn) despite being a traditional crop of the Himalayan region, scant information is availableon agronomic aspects and nutritional profiling of the cultivars recommended for cultivation in the region. Therefore, the study wasdesigned for agronomic evaluation and nutritional profiling of the finger millet cultivars (VLM-382, VL-352, VL-376, VL-379 along witha local landrace) to identify cultivars best suited for the specific growing conditions and, maximizing the grain and nutritional yield.Grain yield per plant was significantly (p ≤0.05) the highest in cultivar VL-379 (24.88 g) as compared to the other evaluated cultivars andlocal landrace (12.82 g). The higher grain yield was associated with a higher 1000-grain weight (3.12 g) in the cultivar VL-379. Grain yieldwas the lowest in the local landrace (12.82 g). The local landrace was found susceptible to leaf blast disease whereas the no symptomsof infestation were found in the other cultivars. The local landrace being taller (plant height of 131.4 cm) than the other cultivars, wassusceptible to lodging at the reproductive growth stage. Further, nutrition yield per plant in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, total fat,dietary fibers, energy, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins was significantly higher in cultivar VL-379 than the other cultivars and locallandrace. The cultivar was found richer in calcium and iron contents than the bio-fortified varieties identified by the ICAR-Indian Councilof Agricultural Research. Thus, the study identified VL-379 as a high-yielding nutri-rich finger millet cultivar suitable for cultivation inPithoragarh and locations with similar environmental conditions in the middle hills.