"Oh, that's easy", said many of you!
And typed 'Millet' as the answer to KBG-33. But as we all know, there are numerous varieties of millets. Other answers included Jowar or sorghum, Corn, Bajra, and Wheat. So, what is the correct and complete name of the plant shown in KBG-33?
The correct answer is 'Foxtail Millet'. Foxtail because its cob or fruit or seeds hang like the tail of a fox! According to ENVIS Centre on Medicinal Plants, Foxtail Millet is also known as:
German Millet
Hungarian Millet
Italian Millet
Millet Spray
Foxtail Bristle Grass
Names in other languages
It is known as Bertia in Hindi; Panico Degli Uccelli in Italian; Awa in Japanese; Sekui in Malaysia; Pabbio Coltivato in Switzerland; dzo in Korean; Morap in Russian and Mijo De Italia in Spanish. Readers may browse HealthBenefitTimes.com for more details. In Telugu it is called 'Korra'.
Scientific Name
The scientific name is Setaria Italica (L) BEAUV. Ghumakkad has no knowledge of botany. The credit for all this research goes to Dr Chitra Shanker.
Health Benefits
Foxtail Millet is rich in Vit B1, fiber and other nutrients. It has been in use in China, East Asia and Europe for centuries. Readers may refer healthbenfits.com for its nutritional value and number of health benefits.
How did Ghumakkad spot this grass and its seed? Well we don't eat this millet (we do eat the green millet or bajra as it is called in Hindi) at home. However, we have been using Foxtail Millet seeds for feeding the White Throated Munias or Indian Silverbill Munias in our bird feeder for last several years. See the picture of the seeds and a Munia.
It is interesting to note that these tiny birds break open every single seed and discard the shell. All this happens multiple times in a second. And when tens of Munias do this for few hours every day, we have a layer of shells inside our yard. See the next picture.
Few seeds fall down without being eaten by the Munias. It is one of these seeds which germinated and grew into a Foxtail Millet plant that caught my eye. And the idea of KBG-33 was born! See the leaves of the plant.
We had done two exclusive stories on the Munias in our yard. Here are the links:
Friendly Munias
Feeding the Munias - at that time in 2015, we mistook the Foxtail Millet as the Green Millet!
Videos
You may like to see two short video clips of Munias feeding in our house in Secunderabad India.
In the second video, you can see fantastic teamwork by the Munias.
Winners of KBG-33
Corona lockdown did not hamper the spirit of KBG participants. We had more than 300 online participants with 20 correct answers. First three correct answers came within 15 minutes. Is it a coincidence that all three winners are women? Perhaps they are more environment conscious than men! Well, we will leave that debate to some other time.
Congratulations to the winners of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad KBG-33:
And typed 'Millet' as the answer to KBG-33. But as we all know, there are numerous varieties of millets. Other answers included Jowar or sorghum, Corn, Bajra, and Wheat. So, what is the correct and complete name of the plant shown in KBG-33?
German Millet
Hungarian Millet
Italian Millet
Millet Spray
Foxtail Bristle Grass
Names in other languages
It is known as Bertia in Hindi; Panico Degli Uccelli in Italian; Awa in Japanese; Sekui in Malaysia; Pabbio Coltivato in Switzerland; dzo in Korean; Morap in Russian and Mijo De Italia in Spanish. Readers may browse HealthBenefitTimes.com for more details. In Telugu it is called 'Korra'.
Scientific Name
The scientific name is Setaria Italica (L) BEAUV. Ghumakkad has no knowledge of botany. The credit for all this research goes to Dr Chitra Shanker.
Health Benefits
Foxtail Millet is rich in Vit B1, fiber and other nutrients. It has been in use in China, East Asia and Europe for centuries. Readers may refer healthbenfits.com for its nutritional value and number of health benefits.
How did Ghumakkad spot this grass and its seed? Well we don't eat this millet (we do eat the green millet or bajra as it is called in Hindi) at home. However, we have been using Foxtail Millet seeds for feeding the White Throated Munias or Indian Silverbill Munias in our bird feeder for last several years. See the picture of the seeds and a Munia.
It is interesting to note that these tiny birds break open every single seed and discard the shell. All this happens multiple times in a second. And when tens of Munias do this for few hours every day, we have a layer of shells inside our yard. See the next picture.
Few seeds fall down without being eaten by the Munias. It is one of these seeds which germinated and grew into a Foxtail Millet plant that caught my eye. And the idea of KBG-33 was born! See the leaves of the plant.
We had done two exclusive stories on the Munias in our yard. Here are the links:
Friendly Munias
Feeding the Munias - at that time in 2015, we mistook the Foxtail Millet as the Green Millet!
Videos
You may like to see two short video clips of Munias feeding in our house in Secunderabad India.
In the second video, you can see fantastic teamwork by the Munias.
Winners of KBG-33
Corona lockdown did not hamper the spirit of KBG participants. We had more than 300 online participants with 20 correct answers. First three correct answers came within 15 minutes. Is it a coincidence that all three winners are women? Perhaps they are more environment conscious than men! Well, we will leave that debate to some other time.
Congratulations to the winners of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad KBG-33:
- G Ratnaja PhD, Former Professor IBS Hyderabad and former Program Lead, Technology Entrepreneurship Program at Indian School of Business Hyderabad. Creative teacher, painter and nature lover she lives in Hyderabad.
- Rashmi Bhargava MA(English Honours) loves reading, gardening and travelling. Lives in Sikar Rajasthan.
- Anshu Bhargava CA is a fitness enthusiast, keen traveller and nature lover. Lives in Secunderabad.
As we said, the Munias also teach us teamwork. See the last picture.
We will bring you more stories to keep your mind off Corona. Stay connected.
We will bring you more stories to keep your mind off Corona. Stay connected.
Thanks for browsing
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 21st April 2020
With research guidance from Dr Chitra Shanker
#kbgcontest #kaunbanegaghumakkad #foxtailmillet #medicinalplants #powerofobservation #silverbillmunia #whitethroatedmunia #birds #birdfeed #millets #fiberrichdiet #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #nature #plants #environment
Harsh, Very informative on Foxtail Millet. The two videos on Munia are great watching. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks much Vinod. Appreciate.
DeleteSir, I knew there was a catch. Could not be a simple millet.For a village boy, it was too easy. Thanks Sir. Wasnt aware of Foxtail part.
ReplyDeleteThanks Parag. I too learnt about it lately.
Delete