Echinochloa frumentacea (Indian barnyard millet, sawa millet, or billion dollar grass) is a species of Echinochloa. Both Echinochloa frumentacea and E. esculenta are called Japanese millet. This millet is widely grown as a cereal in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Its wild ancestor is the tropical grass Echinochloa colona, but the exact date or region of domestication is uncertain. It is cultivated on marginal lands where rice and other crops will not grow well. The grains are cooked in water, like rice, or boiled with milk and sugar. Sometimes it is fermented to make beer. While also being part of staple diet for some communities in India, these seeds are, in particular, (cooked and) eaten during religious fasting (willingly abstaining from some types of food / food ingredients). For this reason, these seeds are commonly also referred to as "" in Hindi (i.e., "rice for fasting", literally). Other common names to identify these seeds include () in Kannada, () or () in Bangla, in the Garhwal Hills, () in Marathi-speaking areas, or (, ) seeds in Gujarati, or () in Tamil. Pests Insect pests include: Root feeders white grubs Holotrichia sp., Anomala dimidiata, and Apogonia sp. (in India) Seedling feeders shoot fly Atherigona falcata Atherigona pulla, Atherigona simplex, Atherigona soccata, Atherigona oryzae, and Atherigona nudiseta armyworm Mythimna separata thrips Haplothrips ganglbaueri stem borers Sesamia inferens, Chilo partellus, and Chilo diffusilineus Sucking pests leafhoppers Nephotettix cincticeps, Sogatella furcifera, and Sogatella kolophon plant hoppers Nilaparvata lugens and Peregrinus maidis leaf bug Cletus punctiger aphids Hysteroneura setariae and Macrosiphum eleusines Leaf feeders grasshoppers Acrida exaltata, Atractomorpha crenulata, Hieroglyphus banian, Hieroglyphus daganensis, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus, Oxya nitidula and Oxya bidentata leaf caterpillar Euproctis similis Developing grain pests bugs Agonoscelis pubescens, Dolycoris indicus, and Nezara viridula See also Echinochloa esculenta, also called Japanese barnyard millet References Millets frumentacea Cereals Flora of Malta