Another role filled by pearl millet turns out to be as a food source for bees and other pollinators. This according to recent research in Georgia that is summarized in this piece:
"Pearl millet wins approval from honey bees and other pollinators," Morning Ag Clips, 20 June 2024 https://www.morningagclips.com/pearl-millet-wins-approval-from-honey-bees-and-other-pollinators/ The research picks up on work on pearl millet and pollinators last done 6 decades ago, and fits into a larger line of thinking about the sometimes dismissed value of grasses for pollinators. This project was undertaken by researchers from USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "[T]he research team focused on bees and other pollinators of grasses, especially centipede grass and sorghum. The researchers took an interest in pearl millet because of its ability to thrive in areas characterized by drought, low soil fertility and high temperatures. These traits make pearl millet, which is grown primarily in the Southeastern U.S., a low-input crop with great benefits for pollinators and farmers looking for a good field border plant." I've previously noted the use of pearl millet in crop rotation to combat nematodes, and experiments with it in a swath grazing system - both also in North America. Pearl millet is already established as a forage crop in the US. It will be good to see more work with it as a food crop. The original research article referenced by the Morning Ag Clips feature linked above is:: Karen R. Harris-Shultz, Jonathan S. O’Hearn, Joseph Knoll, C. Scott Clem. "Insects Foraging on Pearl Millet, *Cenchrus americanus*, Pollen." *Journal of Entomological Science* 2024; doi: https://doi.org/10.18474/JES23-91 For general information on pearl millet, see the USDA Plant Guide publication on it at https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_pegl2.pdf Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
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