Wheat Archaeobotanical studies indicate three species of
wheat existed in the distant past. These are
Triticum sphaerococcum,
Triticum vulgare and
Triticum compactum. The first two
hexaploid species are still cultivated in modern times, mostly in
Northern India. The
Anishinaabe are thought to have harvested wild rice in prehistoric North America, according to archaeologists studying the clay linings of thermal features and jigging pits associated with
parching and
threshing of the plant.
Millet The origin of
finger millet (also called
ragi) is debated with various proposals placing it in Africa (
Abyssinia), or India. Charred grains of cultivated and wild ragi have been found at the Neolithic site
Hallur in southern India. Wild ragi (
eleusine indica Gaertn) is known only from Songaon and
Bhokardan, while the cultivated form appears at
Paiyampalli in
Tamilnadu, Songaon and later at Bhokardan and
Nevasa in
Maharashtra. Cultivation of
pearl millet is known from sites with semi-arid climate, occurring at
Hallur,
Rangpur and Nevasa. Cultivation of
pearl millet in modern India (where it is also called
bajra) is mostly limited to the country's semi-arid regions. In Africa evidence has been found dating to the
Naghez phase, but it is not known whether these were cultivated. Both wild and cultivated grain impressions were found at
Le Baidla I. Charred grains of
Paspalum scrobiculatum (Kodo millet), dating to the
Satavahana period, have been found at Nevasa.
Sorghum vulgare is known from semi-arid parts of
Rajasthan and Maharashtra like Inamgaon,
Paunar and
Ahar. ==Nutritional claims==