Morphological diversity in finger millet germplasm introduced from Southern and Eastern Africa

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) [family Poaceae (Gramineae)] ranks fourth in importance among millets in the world after sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Finger millet is an annual robust grass, mainly grown as a grain cereal in the semi-arid tropics and subtropics of the world under rainfed conditions. It is mentioned in archaeological records pertaining to early African agriculture in Ethiopia that date back 5000 years (source: http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/ Gbase/ safricadata/eleucor.htm). It is a staple food crop in the drought prone areas in the world, and is considered as an important component of food security. Finger millet grain can be stored for years without storage pests, which makes it a perfect food grain commodity for famineprone areas (National Research Council 1996). While grains are used for human consumption, the crop residues are excellent source of dry matter for livestock especially in dry season. Finger millet straw makes good fodder and contains up to 61% total digestible nutrients (National Research Council 1996). The availability of diverse