AGRON – 211 Crop Production Technology – I (Kharif Crops)
PEARL MILLET (Pennisetum glaucum L.)
- It is a major coarse cereal.
- Mostly grown in Africa and Asia.
- Like other cereals, pearl millet is deficient in lysine.
- Pearl millet averagely contains 11.6% protein (more than maize and sorghum).
- It has higher contents of vitamin A, B₁, and B₆.
- The energy level of pearl millet is 361 kcal; maximum among grain cereals.
- Pearl millet is known as “poor man’s crop/food.”
- AICRP on Pearl millet, Jodhpur (Rajasthan), 1995
Composition
- Carbohydrates: 67.5%
- Protein: 11.6%
- Fat: 5%
- Fibre: 1.2%
India is the largest producer of pearl millet.
Origin – Africa
- Out of 32 total species, only two are out of the African continent, i.e., Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet) and P. perpureum (Napier grass or elephant grass or Uganda grass).
- Pearl millet is originated from its wild progenitor of Pennisetum ssp. violaceum.
- Unlike sorghum, pearl millet does not resist drought/water stress condition. However, in such condition, its life cycle shortens and comes to flowering. This mechanism is known as drought escaping mechanism.
Taxonomy
- Family – Gramineae (Poaceae)
- P. glaucum (pearl millet) = 2n – 14 (diploid)
- P. purpureum = 2n – 28 (allotetraploid)
- C₄ short day plant, cross-pollinated
- The rachis is cylindrical, not zig-zag as in wheat.
- Grain is caryopsis, oval-shaped and gynoecium are protogynous.
- Spikelet has two sterile glumes and two florets; lower floret is male while upper is hermaphrodite.
According to Stapf genus Pennisetum have 5 sections:
- Gymnothria
- Eupennisetum
- Pennicillaria
- Heterostachya
- Brevivalvula
- P. glaucum and P. purpureum (Napier grass) belong to Pennicillaria.
- Napier grass is perennial; cultivated for forage.
- Pusa Giant Napier is a cross between P. glaucum and P. purpureum.
Growth stages
- First coleorhizae appear outside the pericarp 24 hours after moisture absorbance.
- Adventitious roots emerge from the lower nodes of the leaves.
Varieties
Pearl Millet Hybrids
- 1st pearl millet hybrid was HB 1 (Hybrid Bajra 1) released from Ludhiana in 1965 by crossing Tift 23A x Bil 3B through CMS system of hybridization.
- Other pearl millet hybrids are:
| Released from | Rajasthan (Jaipur) | Haryana (Hisar) | Punjab (Ludhiana) | Delhi (Pusa campus) | Jamnagar | ICRISAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrids | RHB 30, 58, 90, 121, 154 | HHB 45, 50, 60, 67, 67 Improved, 68, 94, 117, 146, 197, 216, 223 | HB 1, PHB 10, 14, 47, 2168 | NHB-3, 4, 5, BJ 104, CJ 104, BK 560, CM 46, BD 111, BD 763, Pusa 23 (MH 169), 322, 415, 444, 605 | HB 2, 3, 32, 183, 235, 526, 538, 558, 577, 719, 732, 1399 | MH 179 (ICMH 451), MH 180, 143, 312, ICMH 356 |
Open pollinated varieties (composite)
| Rajasthan | Haryana (Hisar) | Punjab (Ludhiana) | Delhi (Pusa campus) | ICRISAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaipur-RCB 2, Raj 171 Jodhpur – CZP IC 923, CZP 9802 | ES 1, HC 4, HC 10 | PSB 8, PCB 15, PCB 164 | Pusa Safed, Pusa 266, Pusa Composite 334, 383, 443 | WC 375, ICMS 7703, ICTP 8203, ICMV 155, 221, WCC 75 |
Climate
- Pearl millet is a crop of warm climate, grown in an arid and semi-arid climate of tropical and sub-tropical regions.
- Globally, pearl millet is grown between 15°W to 90°E longitude and 5°S to 40°N latitude.
- Vegetative stage: There must be moist weather, light-medium rainfall.
- Flowering & grain-filling stage: There should be no rainfall, clear and dry weather.
- Rainfall during grain maturity period results in infection of diseases like ergot because of high atmospheric humidity.
- The optimum temperature for the vegetative phase is 27-30°C. The temperature below this increases ergot infection while high-temperature force in early flowering.
Soil
- Loamy sand to loamy soil is best for pearl millet.
- It is more sensitive to saline soil. However, alkaline soils are not much harmful.
Seed and sowing
- It requires a fine and smooth seed bed as the seeds are too small.
- Furadon @ 5-8 kg/ha is mixed in the soil to control termites.
- The optimum time of sowing is 1st fortnight of July (onset of monsoon).
- In Tamil Nadu, pearl millet is grown as Rabi rainfed crop in regions with north-eastern monsoon from September-December.
- Transplanting is recommended for delayed sowing which can save a time of 3-4 weeks.
Transplanting
- For transplanting, 500 m² nursery areas are sufficient to transplant in 1 ha area.
- 3-4 weeks old seeding is planted at the spacing of 50×10-12 cm² (1, 75,000-2,00,000 plants/ha).
Seed rate
- 4-5 kg/ha (3 kg/ha in heavy soil and 4.5 kg/ha in the sandy soil of Rajasthan).
- In case of transplanting, 2 kg seed/ha is sufficient.
- Seed is sown at a row to row spacing of 45×15 cm² at 3 cm depth.
Weed management
- The critical period of crop-weed competition is up to 35 DAS.
- Striga sp. (witch weed) is partial root parasite of pearl millet.
- The crop needs 2-3 intercultural operations between 3-6 weeks after sowing.
Chemical weed control
| Herbicide | Dose (a.i. kg/ha) | Applied as | Type of weed to be controlled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | 0.5 | Pre-emergence | Broad-leaved weeds |
| Simazine | 1.0-1.5 | Pre-emergence | Wide spectrum weed |
| Pendimethalin | 0.75-1.5 | Pre-emergence | – |
Nutrient management
- The general NPK recommendation of pearl millet is 40-60 kg N, 30-40 kg (P₂O₅) and 30-40 kg (K₂O/ha).
- 50% of N is applied at sowing and 50% at 3-4 weeks after sowing as top-dressing.
- Entire dose of PK is applied at sowing time as a basal application.
- Application of 80-120 kg N/ha increases protein content 50%, tryptophane and methionine 30-50% but not leucine content.
- Bio-fertilizers viz. Azotobacter and Azospirillum brasilense are used in pearl millet along with a lower dose of N (10-40 kg/ha).
Water management
- Water requirement (WR) of pearl millet is 250-350 mm which is less than sorghum, maize and finger millet (500-600 mm).
- Irrigation at flowering stage or anthesis is beneficial.
- It requires, on an average 140-150 mm of water/tonne of grain produced.
- Reduction in plant density is one of the important mid-way correction techniques followed to save drought hit pearl millet.
Disease management
| Disease | Infection | Symptoms | Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downy mildew or green ear disease (Sclerospora graminicola) | Transfer by oospores on seed or mycelium of seed embryo | Downy growth on lower leaf surface, wrinkled and split leaves, profuse tillering, ears either not produced or abnormal ear which transferred into twisted leafy structure | Use of hybrid and composite varieties, Seed treatment with Apron 35 D @8g/kg seed. |
Disease
| Disease | Infection | Symptoms | Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ergot (Claviceps fusiformis) | Sclerotia produce ascospores which become air-borne and infect floret, secondary infection through rain/insect. More infection in high humidity and at 20-25°C temperature | Small droplets of pinkish or light honey-like fluid exuding from infected spikelet of ear, which later dried and become hard | Use 10% salt solution to remove sclerotia. Use a mixture of ziram 2 g/liter (0.1%) + benlate (0.1%). |
| Smut (Tolyposporium penicillariae) | Primary infection through chlamydospores | Grains are replaced by powdery material, initially, these are green later become dark black that causes secondary infection | Spray Vitavax or lantavax 0.25% on panicle at booting stage |
| Rust (Puccinia penniseti) | Alternate host- brinjal | Appears on both side of leaves, uredinial & telial stages on pearl millet while spermagonial & aecial stage on brinjal occurs, orange-colored spores which later turns black | Zineb 0.2% or mancozeb 75 WP spray. Remove alternate host |
Insect management
| Insect | Description | Management |
|---|---|---|
| Shoot fly (Atherigona approximate) | Pest of N-India, attack up to 3-week plant, lays eggs singly on either lower side of leaf or base of plant, cut the apical point results in dead heart, cut off panicles | Early planting. Two dusting of 5% malathion @ 25 kg/ha at 10 & 20 DAS |
| White grub (Holotrachia sp.) | Feed on roots of young seedling results in wilting-like appearance, maximum damage in July-August. | Intercropping with legumes. Seed treatment with chlorpyriphos 20 EC @12.5 ml/kg seed. Soil treatment with phorate 10 G 12 kg/ha |
| Grain midge (Geromyia penniseti) | Attack on developing grains, lays egg in flower, grain-less glumes with white-purple case on the tip of spikelet | Spray metacid 250 cc orthiodan 625 CC |
| Termite (Odontotermis obesus) | Serious in dry areas, feed on roots and lower stem portion | Irrigation, Use well-decomposed FYM |
Intercropping
- Paired row planting is preferred in place of uniform row.
- For this, 70 cm spacing between two paired row and 30 cm between two rows of one pair is maintained.
Harvesting
- At harvesting 15-20% moisture in grain is ideal.
- Moisture content for safe storage of grain is 12-14%.
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