Pearl Millet
Here's a crop management and seed production manual specifically for pearl millet by ICRISAT.
The National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, MANAGE has made a quick video on production of pearl millet seeds.
Preparation of land
Pearl millet can be grown in different soils. It does not grow well in soils prone to waterlogged conditions. The field should be ploughed once or twice followed by harrowing to create fine tilth
Selection of high yielding hybrids and varieties
Most of the pearl millet area is grown with hybrids while the varieties are preferred in drought prone ecologies. The latest list of hybrids and varieties of pearl millet is given below.
Region/ State Recommended Hybrid Recommended Variety
Rajasthan Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173, HHB 67 MBC 2, PC 443, JBV 3, PC 383, ICMV 221, Raj 171 Summer Nandi 70, Nandi 72, 86M64 Kharif – arid parts HHB 234, Bio 70, HHB-226, RHB-177 CZP 9802
Gujarat Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173, HHB 67 MBC 2, PC 443, JBV 3, PC 383, ICMV 221, Raj 171 Summer Nandi 70, Nandi 72, 86M64 Kharif – arid parts HHB 234, Bio 70, HHB-226, RHB-177 CZP 9802
Haryana Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173, HHB 67 MBC 2, PC 443, HC 20, JBV 3, PC 383, HC 10, ICMV 221, Raj 171 Kharif – arid parts HHB 234, Bio 70, HHB-226, RHB-177 CZP 9802
Punjab Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173 PCB 164, ICMV 221, Raj 171
Delhi Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173 JBV 3, PC 383, ICMV 221, Raj 171
Uttar Pradesh Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173 JBV 3, PC 383, ICMV 221, Raj 171
Madhya Pradesh Kharif KBH 108, GHB 905, 86M89, MPMH 17, Kaveri Super Boss, Bio 448, MP 7872, MP 7792, 86M86, 86M66, RHB-173 JBV 4, JBV 3, PC 383, ICMV 221, Raj 171
Maharashtra Kharif Kaveri Super Boss, Pratap, PKV Raj, Shine, MP 7792, 86M86, PAC 909, 86M64, 86M53 ABPC-4-3, PC 612, Parbhani Sampada, Samrudhi, ICMV 221, Raj 171, ICMV 155 Summer Nandi 70, Nandi 72, 86M64
Tamilnadu Kharif Kaveri Super Boss, Pratap, Co 9, Shine, MP 7792, 86M86, PAC 909, 86M64, 86M53 PC 612, CoCu 9, Samrudhi, ICMV 221, Raj 171, ICMV 155 Summer Nandi 70, Nandi 72, 86M64
Andhra Pradesh Kharif Kaveri Super Boss, Pratap, Shine, MP 7792, 86M86, PAC 909, 86M64, 86M53 PC 612, Samrudhi, ICMV 221, Raj 171, ICMV 155, Ananta
Karnataka Kharif Kaveri Super Boss, Pratap, Shine, MP 7792, 86M86, PAC 909, 86M64, 86M53 PC 612, Samrudhi, ICMV 221, Raj 171, ICMV 155
Method of sowing
Three systems of pearl millet sowing are followed:
(1) on a flat surface, or
(2) using ridge and furrow system, or
(3) on a broad-bed and furrow system
The seed should be sown at 2.5 cm – 3 cm depth
Time of sowing
Sowing of kharif pearl millet should be done with the onset of monsoon i.e. first fortnight of July in north and central parts of the country. First fortnight of October is appropriate time for rabi season in Tamil Nadu. Gap filling should be done by transplanting seedlings after 2-3 weeks of sowing if scanty population exists. In Marathwada area of Maharashtra, dry sowing prior to first monsoon rains is recommended. Summer pearl millet should be sown from 4th to 5th Standard Meteorological Week (SMW) i.e. last week of January to 1st week of February to obtain higher production of summer pearl millet in zone B.
Seed treatment
Seed treatment with biopesticides (Trichoderma harzianum @ 4g kg-1 ) or thiram 75% dust @ 3 g kg-1 seed will help against soilborne diseases. Seed treatment with 300-mesh sulfur powder @ 4 g kg-1 seeds controls the smut disease. For removing ergot affected seeds, they are soaked in 10% salt solution. Seed treatment with metalaxyl (Apron 35 SD) @ 6 g kg-1 Spacing: For arid-western plain of Rajasthan, Haryana and Kutch of Gujarat (A1 zone), pearl millet should be planted in rows 60 cm apart, maintaining low plant population of 1.00 to 1.25 lac/ha. For the area receiving rainfall more than 450 mm (zone A & B), the crop should be seed controls downy mildew. Seeds are treated with Azospirillum (600 g) and Phosphobacterium to enhance the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Seed rate, Spacing and Plant population
Seed rate: 3 kg/ha
Spacing: For arid-western plain of Rajasthan, Haryana and Kutch of Gujarat (A1 zone), pearl millet should be planted in rows 60 cm apart, maintaining low plant population of 1.00 to 1.25 lac/ha. For the area receiving rainfall more than 450 mm (zone A & B), the crop should be planted at the spacing of 45 x 10-15 cm keeping plant population of 1.75 to 2.0 lakhs/ha. Seed rate for the crop should be taken @ 3 to 4 kg/ha for obtaining required plant stand.
Plant population: The recommended plant stand for pearl millet under normal conditions is 180,000 plants ha-1 or 72,000 plants acre-1 . Under irrigation or high levels of management on highly productive soils, a population of 225,000 plants ha-1 (100,000 plants acre-1 ) is recommended. On extremely sandy, droughty soils, a population of about 90,000 plants ha-1 (40,000 plants acre-1 Rajasthan ) is desirable.
Nutrient management: Application of 40 kg N + 20 kg P2O5/ha for arid regions and 60 kg N/ha + 30 kg P2O5/ha for semi-arid regions is recommended for sole pearl millet as well as intercropping system. In light soils (sandy loams) the applied nitrogen may be lost due to leaching with heavy rains. So, only about half of the recommended nitrogen dose should be applied at seedbed preparation. The remaining half of nitrogen dose is side-dressed when the crop is 25 days old. On soils which do not leach easily like black soils, all of the nitrogen may be applied during seedbed preparation. Pearl millet seeds are sensitive to fertilizer burn. Do not apply fertilizer in the furrow with the seed or very near the seed in the row after sowing. It should be applied as side dressing Use of biofertilizer (Azospirillum and PSB) can economize the N and P fertilizer application.
In zinc deficient soils of the pearl millet growing area of the country, application of 10 kg ZnSO4/ha is recommended. To correct the zinc deficiency in standing crop, spray of 0.2% ZnSO4 at tillering to pre-flowering stage is recommended. Under prolonged dry spell, skip top dressing of N and spray 2% urea. Under excessive rain situation during vegetative phase, additional dose of nitrogen @ 20 kg/ha should be given.
Intercultivation and weed control
Two hoeings and weedings at 15 and 30 DAS are sufficient for controlling weeds effectively which is comparable with the herbicidal weed control through pre-emergent application of atrazine @ 0.5 kg/ha superimposed with one hand weeding. Second weeding helps to conserve soil moisture.
Pearl millet-based cropping systems in kharif
Rotation of cultivars also should be adopted to avoid downy mildew disease problem. Pearl millet hybrids and open-pollinated varieties should be used in alternate years/seasons. It is advised not to grow the same hybrid or open pollinated variety continuously on the same piece of land.
Rajasthan:Pearl millet + cluster bean/ cowpea/ green gram/mothbean/ sesame
Haryana: Pearl millet + Green gram/ sesame / cluster bean/ cowpea
Gujarat: Pearl millet + Green gram/ sesame/cowpea
Uttar Pradesh: Pearl millet + Green gram/ sesame/cowpea
Madhya Pradesh: Pearl millet + Black gram/ soybean/ Pigeonpea/cowpea
Delhi: Pearl millet + Pigeonpea/ groundnut / castor
Punjab: Pearl millet + Chickpea/fodder sorghum/wheat
Maharashtra: Pearl millet + Moth bean / Pigeonpea/soybean/blackgram, greengram/cowpea/sunflower
Karnataka: Pearl millet + Pigeonpea greengram/sunflower/soybean
Tamil Nadu: Pearl millet + Pigeonpea greengram/sunflower/soybean/cowpea
Andhra Pradesh: Pearl millet + Pigeonpea/ greengram/sunflower/soybean/groundnut
Irrigation: Under prolonged dry spells, irrigation should be applied at critical stages of crop growth i.e. tillering, flowering and grain developmental stage, if water is available. In summer, pearl millet should be irrigated at regular intervals (0.75-1.0IW/CPE with 40 mm) as per need of the crop.
Harvesting: The best stage to harvest pearl millet is when the plants reach physiological maturity determined by the black spot at the bottom of the grain in the hilar region. When the crop matures, the leaves turn yellowish and present a nearly dried up appearance. The grains are hard and firm. The usual practice of harvesting pearl millet is cutting the earheads first and the stalks later. The stalks (straw) are cut after a week, allowed to dry and then stacked. Grain at or below 14% moisture is considered dry. For long-term storage (more than 6 months), grain moisture content should be less than 12%.
Major Insect Pests
Insect pests are considered to be relatively less important in most of the pearl millet growing areas in India. The most important insect pests of pearl millet are white grub, shoot fly and grey weevil.
White Grub: A common pest in Gujarat and Rajasthan States. The grubs attack the root of the growing seedlings and cause complete withering of the plants. Patchy gaps are formed due to death of plants which result in poor or uneven plant stand. Grubs cause maximum damage during July-August. The adults emerge from May to July with the pre- monsoon/monsoon showers and feed on pearl millet flower and grains in the milky stage. The extent of damage ranged from 5- 25% in Rajasthan.
Control • Inter-cropping with Sunflower and Pigeon pea reduces the incidence of white grub • Collect and destroy the adult beetles immediately after first showers when they visit Neem/ Acacia trees mating • Mixing of Carbofuran 3 G @ 12 Kg/ha with Bajra seed and application in seed furrows at the time of sowing is effective • Spray host trees with Carbaryl 0.2 % or Chlorpyriphos 0.2% with onset of monsoon and the spraying within 2-3 days after receipt of first showers.
Shoot fly: A common pest of Gujarat and Tamilnadu State. Larvae cut the growing point causing “dead heart” during the seedling stage whereas in advance stage, they feed on ear heads and cut down panicles. Infestation is more on late sown crop.
Control • The crop should be sown with the onset of the monsoon or latest within 10-15 days of first shower of monsoon; • Staggered sowing to contain the buildup of shoot fly population • Transplanting is suggested for late sown crop. In case direct seeding, a seed rate of 4 Kg per ha is recommended and the affected seedlings are thinned within 15 days after sowing • In case of heavy incidence of shoot fly in endemic areas, spray the crop with 0.07 % Endosulfan at 10 and 20 days after germination. • In places where water is a problem, 4 % dust of Endosulfan can be used.
Grass Hoppers : Eggs are laid in the soil 75-200 mm deep; hoppers and adults feed on foliage, at times causing severe defoliation of the crop; adults are short winged and can fly short distances only.
Control: • weed free cultivation; deep summer ploughing after harvest of the crop to expose “egg pods” in soil • scrapping of bunds and clean cultivation • dust the crop with 4 % Endosulfan or Fenvalerate dust @25 Kg/ha or spray the crop with 0.07% of Endosulfan.
Termites: A social insect that live underground in colonies, attack young seedlings as well as grown up plants. Infested plants wither and ultimately die.
Control: Deep ploughing after harvesting of the crop followed by collection of stubbles/plant refuge and burning thereof • Use well decomposed FYM • Irrigate the crop timely Apply Chloropyriphos 20 EC @ 1.25 litre/Endosulfan 35 EC @ 2.5 litres along with irrigation water in standing crop as a last resort.
Grey Weevil: A polyphagous insect. Adult beetles feed on green leaves, cause serious damage when seedlings are infested.
Control: Dusting of Quinalphos 1.5% or Methyl Parathion 2% or Malathion 5% @ 25 Kg/ha on appearance of the pest.
Ear head bug: A common pest in Southern parts of the country. Nymphs and adult bugs suck the sap from tender grains at the milk stage, making them chaffy/shriveled.
Control: early planting reduces the infestation of the pest, application of Carbaryl 50 SP @ 3 Kg in 500 litre of water/ha or Endosulfan 4D @ 20 Kg/ha on panicles.
Stem borers: A nocturnal moth, dirty brownish in colour. Caterpillars feed on foliage and bore in to the stem causing “Dead heart”, also tunnel the stem and bore into ear heads.
Control: Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 75, 000 per ha/week; and spray Endosulfan 35 EC @ 0.1%.
Hairy caterpillars: It attacks the crop sporadically. The larvae cause heavy defoliation of the plants. Pest is commonly found in Gujarat and Semi-arid region of Rajasthan.
Control: Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 75, 000 perha/week; and spray Endosulfan 35 EC @ 0.1%.
Major Diseases
Although more than 50 diseases caused by different biotic factors have been reported in pearl millet in India but only few are important. These are downy mildew, smut, ergot, rust and blast. These diseases directly reduce grain yield by affecting grain formation. In addition ergot can also reduce grain quality. Use of resistant cultivars is the most cost-effective method of the control of pearl millet diseases.
Downy mildew: Downy mildew is widely distributed in all the pearl millet growing areas in the world. Systemic symptoms as chlorosis generally appear on the second leaf and all the subsequent leaves and panicles of infected plant show symptoms. Leaf symptoms begin as chlorosis at the base of the leaf lamina and successively higher leaves show a progression of greater leaf area coverage by the symptoms. Infected chlorotic area produce massive amount of asexual spores, generally on the lower surface giving the leave a ‘downy’ appearance. Systemically infected plants remain stunted either do not produce panicle or produce malformed panicles. In many affected plants ‘green ear’ symptoms appear on the panicles due to the transformation of floral parts into leafy structure that may be total or partial and such plants do not produce seed or produce very few seeds. The infected leaves produce sexual spores (oospores) in the necrotic leaf tissue late in the season. Currently in India about 50% of the 9 million ha under pearl millet cultivation is grown with more than 70 hybrids in which DM incidence has been highly variable, with some hybrids showing more than 90%incidence at farmer’s field. This disease can assuming alarming levels when a single genetically uniform pearl millet cultivar is repeatedly and extensively grown in a region. Yield losses within the region can reach 30-40%.
Management:
o The diseases of pearl millet can be best controlled by integrating methods of chemical or biological control, and cultural practices.
o Use of resistant cultivars
o Rotate hybrids with variety alternately to keep soil inoculum under control.
o Seed treatment with Apron 35 SD @ 6g/kg seed o Seed treatment with Bacillus pumulis (INR7)
o Seed treatment with Chitosan 10g/kg seed
o Foliar spray of Ridomil 25 WP (100 ppm) after 21 days of sowing if infection exceeds 2- 5 %
o Rogue out infected plants and bury or burn
o Seed treatment with Ridomil MZ-72 @ 8g/kg seed and a foliar spray of Ridomil MZ-72 2g/l.
Rust: Rust symptoms first appear on lower leaves as typical pustules containing reddish brown powder (uredospores). Later, dark brown teliospores are produced. Symptoms can occur on both upper and lower surface of the leaves but mostly on upper surface and also on stem. Highly susceptible cultivars develop large pustules on leaf blades and sheaths.
Rust has generally been considered as a relatively less important disease in most of the pearl millet growing areas than downy mildew, ergot and smut because of its appearance, generally after the grain-filling stage, causing little or no loss in grain yield. Worldwide this disease is probably of greater importance of multicut forage hybrids where even low rust severities can result in substantial losses of digestible dry matter yield.
Management:
o Use of resistant hybrids/verieties.
o Sow the crop with the onset of monsoon.
o Destruction of collateral hosts like Ischaemum pretosum and Panicum maximum on the field bunds.
o Dusting of fine sulphur @ 17kg/ and two sprays of 0.2% Mancozeb at 15 days intervals
Smut: Smut disease is of greater importance in India especially with the adaptation of hybrids. The disease is more severe in CMS-based single-cross hybrids than in open-pollinated varieties. The infected florets produce sori that are larger than grains and appear as oval to conical, which are initially bright green but later turn brown to black. The estimated grain yield loss due to smut is 5-20%. The disease occurs during the month of September/ October. Early sown crop generally escapes from the smut infection.
Management
o Use of resistant cultivars.
o Spray with Captafol followed by Zineb on panicle at boot leaf stage which reduces infection.
o Remove smutted ears from the field.
Ergot: The disease is easily identified as a honeydew substance of creamy to light pinkish ooze out of the infected florets which contains numerous conidia. Within two weeks these droplets dry out as hard dark black structures larger than seeds, protruding out from the florets in place of grain, which are called sclerotia. Here the loss in grain yield is directly proportional to the percentage of infection as the infected seed is fully transformed into sclerotium. The disease occurrence and spread is highly influenced by weather conditions during the flowering time. It became more important due to cultivation of genetically uniform single-cross F1 hybrids based on cytoplasmic male-sterility system in India.
Management
o Mechanical removal of sclerotia from seed and washing of seed in 2% salt water.
o Adjust sowing dates so that ear emergence does not cocide with more rainy days.
o Plough the field soon after harvest so that ergot is buried deep.
o Three foliar application of Thiram 0.2% or Copper Oxychloride 0.25% or Ziram @ 0.2% starting from 50% flowering.
Blast: The disease is known as leaf spot of pearl millet caused by Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc [telemorph: Magnaportha grisea (Herbert) Barr.] has become a serious disease during the past few years. The disease affects both quality and production of forage and grain. The symptoms appear as distinct large, indefinite, water soaked, spindle shaped, grey centred and purple grey horizon with yellow margin, resulting in extensive chlorosis and premature drying of young leaves.
Contingency Planning
To conserve in situ rainwater, deep plough the field during summer on heavy soils of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Eastern Rajasthan. A wider row spacing of 60 cm is advocated where rainfall is less than 400 mm. Adopt suitable intercropping system select early maturing hybrids/composite of pearl millet under late onset of monsoon. Keep the crop weed-free by timely weeding. If dry spell occurs immediately after sowing, replant pearl millet in between the existing row or relay cropping may be practiced including short duration oilseed/pulse crops. Under normal onset of monsoon and occurrence of prolonged dry spell during grand growth period of the crop, reduce plant population to the extent of 25 to 40%. Skip top dressing of nitrogen and spray 2% urea. If drought prevails for 2-3 week during pre-flowering to grain setting stage, one life saving irrigation may be given if water is available. Under excessive rains during vegetative phases, additional dose of 20 kg N/ha should be applied.
Sources:
AICRP on Pearl millet (http://www.aicpmip.res.in as on 25-02-2016)
Khairwal IS, Rai KN, Diwakar B, Sharma YK, Rajpurohit BS, Bindu Nirwan and Ranjana Bhattacharjee. 2007. Pearl millet: Crop management and seed production Manual. Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 104 pp.
Contingency planning in crop plants (http://www.crida.in)
Source:https://www.millets.res.in/technologies.php
A. Land preparation: Cultivation of field two times (cross ploughing) and harrowing once is sufficient to bring field to fine tilth. Use of plank tied behind the cultivator may be necessary to break large clods and more harrows may be required in case of fields infested with weeds.
B. Planting method: Planting is done either by direct sowing of seed or transplanting the seedlings raised in nursery. • Direct-sowing: Generally, tractor or bullock-drawn seed drills or bullock plough are used for sowing. A-lines are planted by machine-drawn seed drill and R-lines are planted manually by hand dibbling in rows marked with stakes. Sowing equipment needs to be thoroughly cleaned to avoid contamination during sowing. • Transplanting: Transplanting enables easy adjustment in flowering time of parental lines in case they have large differences for flowering time. Transplanting saves expenditure on weeding and irrigation. It also saves time when field is occupied with any other crop. Transplanting requires 30-40% less seed than direct sowing and proper plant stand is achieved with required spacing. The parents of hybrid are sown in a nursery bed raised 10 cm above the ground level. Seed should be sown 1.5 cm deep to facilitate better germination and safe uprooting of seedlings for transplanting. Seed is sown in rows spaced 10-15 cm apart. Seedlings are transplanted in the field when they are 18-20 days old. Transplanting of seedlings older than 20 days might result in reduced tillering and low seed yield.
C. Field layout and row ratio: Ratio of male and female lines depends on height and pollen producing ability of pollinator line. Standard female:male row ratio of either
Pearl Millet Seed Production and Processing 4:1 or 8:2 is followed for certified seed production (Fig. 8). Most common ratio is 8:2 due to ease of management. To ensure longer duration of pollen availability, staggered planting of male parent at more than one date is followed with a minimum gap of 3 days between two plantings of male parental lines. All sides of field should be covered with 2-4 rows of male line. For multiplication of A-lines, standard ratio of 4:2 for A-lines and B-lines is recommended.
D. Seed rate: The seed rate depends on planting method and row-to-row and plant-to- plant spacings. General seed rate recommendation for foundation seed production
is 3 kg/ha of A-line and 4 kg/ha for R-line and OPV. Seed rate of 3 kg/ha of A-line and 1 kg/ha of R-line is generally recommended for hybrid seed production. For production of nucleus and breeder seed, the seed rate is about 60-70% of the foundation seed rate.
E. Sowing time: Every crop has a general sowing window in a particular geography, which is generally based on the cropping experience of farming populace. Date of sowing within the window impacts the yields. Sowing date optimization therefore,
is a critical requirement for yield maximization. Optimum sowing time is site- dependent and therefore, would require conducting pilot experiments in every new
geography before undertaking large scale seed production activity.
F. Spacing: Optimum population is 1,00,000 plants per hectare and hence it is recommended to follow 50 cm row-to-row and 20 cm plant-to-plant spacing in certified seed production. However, in nucleus and breeder seed production row-to- row spacing of 75 cm and plant-to-plant spacing of 20-25 cm is followed to facilitate closer look at individual plants in order to identify and rogue out off-types, including pollen shedders in A-lines. Such spacing also allows better expression of plants and facilitates roguing extreme phenotypes in OPVs.
G. Fertilizer management: Adequate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is essential for proper growth and development of the crop. It is recommended to apply FYM @ 8-10 tons/ha and NPK @ 100:60:40 kg/ha. Basal dose of 40 kg N/ha is applied, and remaining nitrogen should be applied at tillering stage. Soils should also be analyzed for micronutrients, especially zinc, sulfur and boron, and those found deficient should be amended through proper micronutrient management.
H. Water management: Most of pearl millet seed production is taken during off season (January to April) which is rain-free period. Therefore, access to irrigation is essential to obtain good seed yields. The most critical stages of irrigation are tillering, flowering and seed development. The frequency of irrigation and amount of water supplied depend upon physical texture of the soil and crop requirements. Adequate soil moisture is also necessary for uniform seed germination in order to obtain good plant stand and high seed yields. Drip irrigation is increasingly being used in pearl millet seed production in Nizamabad area of Telangana state to optimize water use (Fig. 13). Precautions: • Excessive moisture conditions and prolonged drought should be avoided during seed production. • The irrigation should be stopped at hard dough stage or about 10-12 days before harvesting time to ensure dried conditions for harvesting.
I. Weed control: Production of high seed yield of high quality requires good weed control in the seed production plots. In addition to reduction in seed yield, weeds are often a source of contamination by way of admixture at the time of harvest. Weeds in the seed production plot or nearby areas may also harbor a number of pests and diseases. Effective control of weeds at all the phases of crop growth is essential. Weeds must not be allowed to flower or set seed in any case. Hand weeding, intercultural operations or chemical is necessary to control weeds. Pre- emergence spray of Atrazine @ 1g/litre controls broad-leaf weeds effectively. Manual or machine operated weeder should be used before and after earthing up.
J. Disease control: Effective control of all diseases is essential to produce a healthy seed crop. Diseases like downy mildew (Sclerospora graminicola (Sacc.) Schroet), Fig. 13: Certified seed production of pearl millet hybrid being undertaken in Nizamabad area of the Telangana state using drip irrigation. blast (Pyricularia grisea (Cke.) Sacc.), rust (Puccinia substriata var. indica) and ergot (Claviceps fusiformis Loveless) cause heavy yield reduction and affect seed quality also. Adoption of appropriate schedules of plant protection and roguing of diseased plants and panicles from time to time are essential to further check the spread of diseases. Following are the control measures for important diseases of pearl millet: • Downy mildew - Seed treatment with Apron 35 SD (2g a.i./kg of seed)
• Blast - Three sprays of Nativo (tebuconazole 50% + trifloxystrobin 25% WG) @ 0.4 g/l or Tilt (propiconazole 25% EC) @ 1 ml/l at 10 days intervals were found most effective in managing pearl millet blast (Sharma et al., 2012).
• Rust – One spray of Difenconazole @ 125 ml/ha) or Propiconazole @ 250 ml/ha at pre-flowering stage • Ergot – Spray of Ziram 0.1% (300 ml/500 l water)
• Smut – Sprays of Zineb (2 ppm) at flowering stage K. Insect-pest control: Major pests of pearl millet are armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), blister beetle (Psalydolytta fusca Olivier) and shoot fly (Atherigona soccata Rondani) that need proper control to avoid yield losses in production plots. The control measures against each of these pests include:
• Armyworm – Dust 10% Carbaryl or spray Endosulphan 35 EC (300 ml/200 l of water).
• Blister beetle – Use light traps and spray Carbaryl 50 WP (500 ml/200 l of water).
• Shoot fly – Spray Rogor (300ml/200 l of water) at 10 days interval from seedling stage to flag leaf stage. L. Male-female flowering synchronization:Synchronization of flowering of A-line with R-line in certified seed production plots is essential in order to ensure pollen availability in the R-line when stigmas emerge in the A-line. Synchronized flowering results in good seedset in A-line and higher yields in production plots (Fig. 14). The A- and R-line may differ for flowering due to their inherent genetic differences for this trait as well as due to their differential photo-thermal sensitivity. It necessitates generating information on flowering time of parental lines of hybrids in actual seed production areas rather than in experimental areas. Synchronization of flowering of A- and R-lines can also be enhanced by management interventions. Hastening of flowering time by 6-8 days can be achieved by 3-4 sprays of 4% urea at 2-3 days interval at boot leaf stage. Application of micronutrients also helps boost growth. Delay in irrigation to late-maturing parent creates artificial stress which is found effective in hastening flowering. If the difference in flowering time of parental lines is more, a practice of staggered sowing is followed. Removal of main shoot in early flowering parent also helps in synchronization of flowering of the parental lines. Non-synchronization results in poor seed set, low yield and thus practically a failure of seed production (Fig. 15). In recent years, a new technology has been developed to manage synchronization of parental lines in production plots. Landec Ag’s Intellicoat® Pollinator Plus® technology is being commercially used by seed companies to achieve synchronization of parental lines and to improve hybrid seed production of maize in US. When Pollinator Plus® seed coatings are applied to early flowering parental line, germination of coated seeds is delayed. By using this coating technology, seed companies can overcome the need for staggered planting of male and female lines and save on labour cost. This technology can be tested for its effectiveness in pearl millet. M. Roguing: The process of removal of pollen shedders from A-lines and off-types from parental lines in seed production field is called roguing. Pollen shedders are male fertile plants in an A-line with similar morphology. Pollen shedders in A-line are results of mutations or mechanical mixtures. Off-types are the plants distinctly
Fig. 15: Wrong synchronization in flowering of male- sterile line (central rows) and restorer line (outer rows) in seed production pearl millet resulting in poor seed set in male-sterile line different in morphological characteristics from those with typical characteristics of the line under production. The off-type plants may arise through mechanical mixture or out crossing and rarely as mutants. Adequate and timely rouging constitutes the most important operation in seed production (Fig. 16). Rogues differing from normal plants in phenotypes should be pulled out and discarded at the earliest possible stage of plant growth, before flowering to avoid genetic contamination. In case of pollen shedders, the best time for rouging is morning hours when the A-line will have least of the exposure to outcrossing and there is little wind movement. Precautions: • Pollen shedders should be removed before anther dehiscence. Removal of pollen shedders should be first in the morning activity and is the important aspect of quality seed production. • Off-type plants obviously differing in characteristics such as height, flowering time, colour of foliage, leaf size, shape, and orientation, tillering, panicle size, or any other morphological characteristic and diseased plants should be removed before flowering. Fig. 16: Rouging activity being undertaken in seed production plot of pearl millet hybrid
Roguing at maturity is also necessary to remove off-types not distinguishable earlier, and contaminants affecting the physical purity of seed. Roguing and sorting out of harvested panicles may be necessary in case of diseased panicles.
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