Global Lehigh Strategic Initiatives (without descriptions)
Pearl millet
1. PROFESSOR JAYASHANKAR TELANANA
STATE AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY,
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE , RAJENDRA NAGAR
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO INCREASE
AND STABILIZE PEARL MILLET
PRODUCTION IN INDIA
BY
SHAIKH WASIM CHAND
RAM/15-13
2. Pearl Millet
• Botanical Name : Pennisetum glaucum
• Family : Gramineae
• Origin : Western Africa
• Distribution : Pearl millet is cultivated mostly in
Africa (about 14 million ha) and Asia (about 12
million ha).
3. Pearl millet Area in India
• India is the largest producer of pearl millet.
• Area (9–10 million ha)
• Production (8-9 million t)
• Average productivity of 780 kg/ha.
• It is grown as irrigated crop during the summer
season in GJ, MH, AP, KN and TN.
• Summer pearl millet is popular in Gujarat with very
high yield exceeding 4–5 t/ha with excellent grain
quality.
4. • As compared to the early 1980s, Pearl millet area in India
declined by 26% during 2000–04, but production increased
by 19% owing to 44% increase in productivity.
5. Soil and Climate
• It yields best on fertile, well-drained loamy soils.
• Pearl millet not grow well in waterlogged conditions.
• It is grown on soils of poor fertility with low organic
matter content, but it yields low.
• Pearl millet can grow even under unfavorable
conditions of drought stress and high temperatures.
• Pearl millet is a warm-weather crop and grows best
at 30–34°C air temperature.
• Germination = 23 to 32°C.
• The optimum rainfall requirement 600 and 800 mm.
• But, pearl millet can be grown in areas which receive
even less than 350 mm of seasonal rainfall.
6. Management Practices
Field Preparation :
• Timely sowing, which ensures higher yield.
• Provide favorable conditions for sowing, allowing
germination, emergence and good plant
development.
• Maintenance of fertility and productivity.
• Summer plowing.
• Good seedbed preparation and is essential for
the successful establishment of the crop.
7. Nutrient Management
• The low yields in pearl millet due to the crop being
grown under poor soils, low nutrient content, erratic
rainfall conditions etc.
• Grain yield of pearl millet and nutrient requirement
Grain yield
(qt ha-1)
Nutrient required (kg ha-1)
N P K
10 qt 27 10 33
20 qt 53 19 65
25 qt 67 24 82
30 qt 80 28 98
8. • Nitrogen nutrition :
• Nitrogen plays an important role for good growth.
• Nitrogen availability to plants is reflected in dark
green color of stems and leaves, and vigorous growth
and development of pearl millet.
• Application of nitrogen is essential for acceptable
yields. About 60–80 kg/ha is the optimum dose.
9. • Phosphorus nutrition :
• To provide energy for the growth and
development of pearl millet plants.
• Without phosphorus plants cannot grow even
when nitrogen supply is plenty.
• It takes phosphorus from seedling stage to grain-
filling stage.
• SSP is good source of phosphorus requirement
for Pearlmillet.
10. • Potassium nutrition :
• Provides resistance to insect pests, diseases and
water stress.
• Improves the quality of the crop produce.
• If a soil contains less than 150 kg ha-1 of available
potassium, recommended dose of potassium
application results higher yield in pearl millets.
11. • Micronutrients :
• Pearl millet response well to micro nutrients.
• The results indicates grain yield increases with application
micronutrient.
• Irrigated pearl millet responds well to Zinc up to
25 kg Zn So₄ /ha.
• Shekhawat et al reported that application of micronutrient
increased grain yield of pearl millet over NPK.
• The percentage of increase in grain yield due to
application of micronutrients over NPK alone are ,
• Mn - 5.47 %
• Zn – 16.48 %
• B – 4.55 %
• Mo – 7.70 %
• Fe – 19.35 %
12. Other nutrients
• Secondary nutrients and Micronutrients plays an
important role to increase the pearl millet
production.
• Application of organic manures like well-decomposed
FYM and Compost, Green Manuring and Green-Leaf
Manuring practices provide nutrients.
• These nutrients are equally essential for pearl millet
plants for proper growth , development and disease
resistance.
• Experimental evidence indicate the applying
10-15 t /ha of bulky organic manure improving yield
of pearl millet as well as improving soil productivity.
13. Cropping Systems
• Commonly practiced cropping systems are:
• Crop rotation practices :
• It maintains soil fertility.
• Check soil erosion.
• Reduce the buildup of pest.
• Mitigate risk of weather changes.
• Increase net profits.
14. • Intercropping Practices :
• Intercropping refers to growing more than one crop in the
same land area in rows of definite proportion and pattern.
• Produce higher yields per unit area through better use of
natural resources.
• Offer greater stability in production under adverse weather
conditions , disease and insect infestation.
• Meet the domestic needs of the farmer.
15. • Mixed Cropping Practices :
• Mixed cropping refers to simultaneously growing
more than one crop in the same land without any
definite pattern.
• Mixed cropping of pearl millet-pigeon pea or cluster
bean is most common.
16. Seeds and Sowing
• Seeds and Seed Preparation :
• To prevent seed borne diseases as well as pests.
• Seed hardening practice for better germination.
• Soaking seeds in 1% calcium chloride or in plain
water for 6 hours before sowing results in increased
yield under drought conditions.
• Soak seeds in 10% salt solution reduce the incidence
of Ergot disease.
17. • Pearl millet cultivars :
• Pearl millet hybrids offer several advantages over
OPVs besides 25–30% higher grain yields.
• high-yielding, popular hybrids and varieties are ,
• HHB 67 Improved
• GHB 538
• GHB 558
• ICMH 356
• GK 1004 AP HYBRID VARIETIES
• PAC 903
• AIMP 92901, ASP-1, ICTP 8203, Ananth
19. • Seed rate :
• In general 6-8 kg/ha and in black soil 3 Kg/ha under
high water retentive capacity
• Spacing: 30x10 cm or 60 X 10 cm
• Sowing time :
• Kharif : June-July
• Rabi : September-October
• Summer : January-February
(as an irrigated crop in TN ,KN,PB,GJ, AP)
20. Transplanting of Pearl Millet
• Pearl millet is also transplanted in some parts of
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat.
• This practice is common under irrigated conditions.
• A nursery of 300 m² is sufficient to supply seedlings
to plant one ha main field.
• It saves 3-4 weeks if crop is responsive to
transplanting.
• Transplanted pearl millet gives much yield as that of
direct seeded crop.
• Healthy seedlings (15 to 20 days old) are
transplanted in the water-soaked fields.
21. • Under south Indian conditions, summer
irrigated pearl millet is usually grown by
transplantation.
• Sow the seedlings on ridges and furrows with
a spacing of 45 x 20 cm .
• A plant population of 1,75,000 /ha is
optimum for hybrids.
• Earthing up is done around 40 DAP.
• The grain yield around 4 t/ha under good
management practices.
22. Weed management
• Yield losses of more than 70% due to weeds have been
reported from weed control experiments.
• It is necessary to keep the crop weed-free during the first
30 days after sowing.
• Cultural practices :
• Adopting proper crop rotation practices reducing the
weed competition in pearl millet crop.
• Intercropping also helps in smothering
the weeds with good crop cover
over the land surface.
• Mulching the soil surface helps to
to suppress the weeds and also helps
in conserving the soil moisture.
23. • Chemical control :
• Pre-emergence application :
• It applied after sowing but before emergence of
seedling.
- Atrazine (0.5-1.0)
- Pendimethalin (1.0-1.5)
- Tebutryn (1.0-2.0) for light soils
- Norea (1.0-2.0) for heavy soils
• Post-emergence application :
• In case of severe infestation.
• Low rates of 2,4-D (0.5-1.0 kg/ha) may be applied
when the plants are about 10 to 30 cm tall.
24. Water Management
• Pearl millet is mainly rainfed crop.
• Only about 8% of pearl millet area is irrigated in
India.
Moisture conservation :
• Soil and water conservation practices significance to
increase pearl millet production.
• Antitranspirants and reflectants may minimize the
water loss due to transpiration.
• Deep ploughing increases rain water into soil.
• Mulches are effective in reducing evaporation losses
25. Scheduling Irrigation :
• Summer irrigated Pearl millet require six irrigation for
high yields at given stages,
• Transplanting
• 1 week after transplanting
• 3 week after transplanting
• Panicle initiation
• Flowering
• Grain development