Panicum sumatrense Roth.ex.Roem.& Schult.
Family: Poeceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Self pollinating, 2n=36[LAF1]

Little millet was domesticated in India. It represents the weedy progenitor of P. psilopodium grown throughout India to a limited extent up to altitudes of 2100 m, but is of little importance elsewhere. The seeds of little millet are smaller than those of common millet.

Little millet is another reliable catch crop in view of its earliness and resistance to adverse agro-climatic conditions. The stover is a good fodder for cattle.

On the basis of inflorescence morphology the species P. sumatrense is classified into subspecies psilopodium and sumatrense. The subspecies sumatrense is divided into races Nana and Robusta. The race Nana is divided into subraces Laxa and Erecta and race Robusta is divided into subraces Laxa and Compacta.

At the ICRISAT genebank, 466 Little millet germplasm accessions from 5 countries are conserved for utilization in research and development.