Download - Millets
Millet:– The millets are:
i. Group of small-seeded grassesii. Widely grown around the world as cereal crops
iii. Grains for both human food and fodder.
• Millets are important crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa, with 97% of millet production in developing countries.
• The crop is favored due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high temperature conditions.
• While millets are grown in many parts of the world, but millets most likely has an evolutionary origin in tropical western Africa, as that is where the greatest number of both wild and cultivated forms exist.
Plant Characteristics:• The height of millet plant may range from 0.5 to 4
meters. • The millet grain has great variation, and can be nearly
white, pale yellow, brown, grey, slate blue or purple. • The kernel shape has five different classifications:
obovate , hexagonal, lanceolate , globular and elliptical.• Grains of millet are about 3 to 4 mm long. • The seeds usually weigh between 2.5 and 14 grams.• The size of the millet kernel is about one-third that
of sorghum.
MILLETS GROWN IN INDIA
MAJOR MILLETS:SorghumPearl millet
Minor millets:Finger milletProso milletLittle milletFoxtail milletBarnyard milletKodo millet
SIX SMALL MILLETS
• finger millet (Eleusine coracana),• foxtail millet (Setaria italica),• kodo-millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum),• proso millet (Panicum millaceum)• barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea)• little millet (Panicum sumatrnse)
Nutritional Facts:• Millet is a principal source of energy, protein, vitamins and
minerals for millions of the poorest people in the regions where it is cultivated.
• Millet, like sorghum, is generally 9 to 13% protein, but large variations in protein content, from 6 to 21%, have been observed.
• Millet grain compares favorably with maize and sorghum as a high-energy, high-protein ingredient in feed for poultry, cattle and sheep.
• Several studies indicated that, compared to maize, millet is 8-60% higher in crude protein, and 40% richer in amino-acids lysine and methonine.
Anti nutritional facts:• Oxalic acid in millet reduces the bioavailability
of calcium and hence has a negative impact on milk production and fat content.
MILLET PRODUCTIONCOUNTRY PRODUCTION IN
TONNES
INDIA 10,610,000
NIGERIA 7,700,000
NIGER 2,781,928
CHINA 2,101,000
BURKINA FASO 1,104,010
MALI 1,074,440
SUDAN 792,000
Top millet consumersCOUNTRY FIVE YEAR AVERAGE IN MATRIC TONNS
INDIA 9,041,765
NIGERIA 4,299,211
NIGER 1,733,793
BURKINA FASO 1,116,505
MALI 856,337
Cultural practices
• SEEDBED PREPARATION: Weeds should be controlled prior to planting and the seedbed should be firm
and well-worked. Since millets are planted late in the season, spring plowing and cultivation for weed control are practices.
• SEEDING RATE: Seeding rate is recommended at 4 pounds per acre. An exact seeding rate is
not critical, because pearl millet can partially compensate for a poor stand by increasing the number of tillers. Seeding depth should be 1/2 to I inch deep.
• SPACING AND DEPTH:Sowing depth: 2-5 cm (sorghum) and 2-4 cm for milletRow spacing : 15-50 cm
IRRIGATION
• Finger millet• Total water requirement: 350 mm• Finger millet is a drought tolerant crop. Pre-planting
irrigation at 7 or 8 cm is given. Third day after transplantation life irrigation with small quantity of water is sufficient for uniform establishment. Water is then withheld for 10-15 days after the establishment of seedling for healthy and vigorous growth. Subsequently three irrigations are essential at primordial initiation, flowering and grain filling stages.
ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIRMENTS
• Soil temperatures should be at least 65°F., and preferably warmer, before pearl millet is planted.
• Millets grow well on well-drained loamy soils.
They will not tolerate water-logged soils or
extreme drought. Proso millet does not
perform well on coarse, sandy soIls.
Fertility management
• For conventional production, about 40 to 80 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer per acre should be applied on most Indiana soils. The lower amount is appropriate if the millet follows a legume such as soybeans. Since nitrogen needs are modest, fertilizer nitrogen can be applied side dress rather than pre plant if appropriate. Nitrogen needs can certainly be met from organic sources, such as animal manure or a leguminous cover crop.
• Phosphorous and potassium needs of pearl millet have not been well studied, but again the rule of thumb is to use rates recommended by a soil test lab for sorghum. Phosphorous response is likely to improved if the P is banded near the seed. Liming is probably not necessary on most Indiana soils for pearl millet, since it has been reported to be fairly tolerant of low soil pH's.
WEED CONTROLMECHANICAL: Millets do not compete well against weeds
so its important to control serious weed problems prior to planting.
Millet s are not seeded until the middle of june germinating annuals and emerging perrineals can be controlled by frequent cultivation during early growth.
CHEMICAL : control broadleaf weeds in proso millet, 2,4-D amine
can be applied when the crop is 4 to 6 in. tall. Spraying should be
avoided when heading or flowering. Atrazine which was used for
control of annual broadleaves and some grasses in proso millet will
not be labeled for such use after September of 1990.
DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL
Head Smut (Sphacelotheca
destruens)
Controlled by seed
treatment
Kernal smut (Ustilago
crameri)
Requires seed treatment and
crop rotation
Bacterial Stripe Disease
(Pseudomonas syringae pv. panici)
INSECTS AND MITES AND THEIR CONTROL
Wheat Curl Mite Grasshopper Armyworm
Control: using insecticides such as Malathion, Mattch, Methaldehyde, Methoprene, Phostoxin, Pyrellin, Sevin, and Telone
HARVESTING• Proso millet is ready for harvest when seeds in the upper half of the panicle are
mature. Seeds in the lower half of the panicle may still be in the dough stage but
should have lost their green color. At this point, the leaves and stems may still be
green.
• Millet is usually harvested by swathing to allow drying of straw before combining.
Swathing too early reduces yield, test weight and color quality. Harvesting too late
increases loss as a result of shattering and lodging. Rodents and birds can cause
damage to proso during ripening.
• Harvest the millet when the grasses and seed heads have turned golden brown. Millet can be harvested either by hand or with the use of a mechanical thresher.
DRYING AND STORAGE
• Millet seed should be stored at 13% moisture or less. Federal
grain standards have not been established for millet. However,
good quality millet seed should have a minimum of broken
kernels and be relatively free from weed seeds.
Millet as fodder:• In many countries these are primary sources of
animal feedstuffs. • It is good source of diet as compared to the corn
diet for various types of animals like poultry, ducks, cows.
• It is estimated that over 95% of millet production is used as food, the reminder being divided between animal and poultry feed (7%), other uses (seed, bakery products etc.)
Cont…• The crop residue after
grain harvest is valuable source of fodder for livestock because of its:
Wide adaptation Short duration with
rapid growth High tillering capacity Drought tolerance.
Cont…• Utilization of grain as
feed for the milch animals or poultry is not significant (7%) compared to sorghum (almost 50% of total output).
• Mostly millet grain is used as animal feed.