Seed Production

Reference: Seed Production Techniques for Cereals and Millets by CIKS and RRAN. December 2013.

The crop can be grown upto an altitude of 200 meters. The crop can be grown successfully in areas receiving 750 mm of annual rainfall. Best season for seed production is June - July and February – March. The pollination should not coincide with rains for quality and effective seed setting.

A brief brochure about information on Foxtail millets like its history, agricultural aspects, various names in vernacular languages, taxonomy and how these millets can be used to ensure nutrition and economic security, from the PJTS Agricultural University. It is useful for FPOs, students.

Method of seed production

Foxtail millet is a self-pollinated crop and should be raised in isolation. The isolation distance maintained between the varieties is 3 metres for both foundation and certified seed production to maintain the varietal purity.

Seed production stages: Breeder seed --> Foundation seed --> Certified seed

Land selection

Foxtail millet needs moderately fertile soil for good yield. The selected land should be free from volunteer plants. The land should not be cultivated with same crop in the previous season. Land should be ploughed 2 - 3 times to get a fine tilth and levelled.

Seed selection and sowing

Seeds used for seed production should be of good quality certified seeds from an authentic source. Seeds should be healthy with required germination percentage. Recommended seed rate is 2 kg/acre (5 kg/ha). Selected seeds should be treated with Azospirillum @ 125 gms/kg of seeds. Treated seeds should be sown with a spacing of 30 x 10 cm at a depth of 3 – 4 cm. Main field preparation The main field should be ploughed for 2 – 3 times to make it a fine tilth and formed into ridges and furrows. During final plough apply compost or farmyard manure @ 5 tonnes/acre (12.5 tonnes/ ha) and incorporate into the soil. Seeds can be sown in the ridges at a depth 3 - 4 cm with a spacing of 30 × 10 cm.

Nutrient management

Before final ploughing compost or farmyard manure @ 5 tonnes/acre (12.5 tonnes/ha) should be applied and ploughed into the soil. Instead of this cattle penning can also be practiced. 50 kg neem cake and 500 kg vermicompost per acre (125 kg neem cake and 1250 kg vermicompost per hectare) should be applied as basal manure. For rainfed crop, apply 50 kg/acre (125 kg/ hectare) of pungam cake and 250 kg/acre (600 kg/hectare) of vermicompost as basal manure just before sowing. After first weeding at 20 – 25 days after sowing top dressing should be done using enriched vermicompost (2 kg Azospirillum, 2 kg Phosphobacterium and 2 litres Panchagavya mixed with 250 kg vermicompost and kept covered for a week and then used) @ 250 kg/acre (600 kg/ha). During flower initiation stage 10% tender coconut solution (1 litre tender coconut water + 9 litres of water) should be sprayed. All the above mentioned inputs should be applied to the rainfed crop only when the soil is wet.

Weed management

The seed production field should be maintained weed free. Weeding can be done with a tyneharrow when the crop is 30 days old. Allow the weeds to dry for 2 - 3 days after hand weeding.

Irrigation

Kharif season crop does not require any irrigation. It is mostly grown as a rainfed crop. However, if the dry spell prevails for longer period, then 1 - 2 irrigations should be given to boost the yield. Summer crop requires 2 - 5 irrigations depending upon soil type and climatic conditions. During heavy rains the excess water from the field should be drained out.

Pest and disease management

Foxtail millet is affected by pests like army worm, cut worm, leaf scrapping beetle and shoot fly and diseases like blast and rust at different growth stages. Detailed management measures for these pests and diseases are provided in Appendix- I.

Roguing

Roguing should be done often to remove the offtypes, volunteer plants and diseased plants from the seed production field to avoid the genetic contamination. Roguing should be done upto the flowering stage. Maximum percentage of offtypes permitted at the final inspection is 0.05% for foundation and 0.10% for certified seed production.

Field inspection

A minimum of two inspections should be done between flowering and maturity stages by the Seed Certification Officer. The first inspection is done at the time of flowering to check the isolation and off-types and the second inspection is done during the maturity stage prior to harvest to check the off-types and to estimate the yield.

Harvesting and processing

Harvest is done once the earheads are physiologically mature. Normally crop is ready for harvest in 80 - 100 days after sowing. Physiologically mature earheads will start to dry. Plants are either harvested intact with earheads or earheads alone. The earheads are dried before threshing. The earheads are threshed by stone roller or trampling under the feet of bullocks. The threshed grains are further cleaned by winnowing.

Drying and storage

The cleaned seeds should be dried under the sun to attain a safe moisture level of 12%. Care should be taken while drying to avoid mechanical injury to the seeds and contamination. Seeds can be stored upto 13 months under proper storage conditions.

Seed standards

The percentage of minimum physical purity of certified and foundation seeds should be 97% with a minimum of 75% of germination capacity and 12% of moisture content. The presence of inert matter should not exceed 2.0%.