MILLETS MILLETSPRESENTED BY : MEENAKSHI (M.Sc. 1ST yr)

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.

Center of origin of Millet:

PEARL MILLET

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)

TYPES OF MILLET:

SORGHUM OR JOWAR

PEARL/ SPIKED MILLET OR BAJRA

PROSO/ COMMON MILLET (BARAGU) FINGER MILLET (RAGI)

FOXTAIL MILLET (NAVANE) KODO MILLET (ARAKA)

LITTLE MILLET (SAMAI)

NUTRITION VALUES

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT

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

Global millet consumption

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.

Millets as food

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