Pearl Millet Crop Management and Seed Production Manual

Abstract

Pearl millet is a major warm season coarse grain cereal grown on 26 million ha in some of the
\nharshest semi-arid tropical environments of Asia and Africa. India has the largest area (9–10 million
\nha) under this crop, ranking it third along with sorghum. It is cultivated in the most sandy, infertile
\nsoils and droughty environments (eg, arid Rajasthan) where no other cereal crop can survive. Even
\nunder these conditions, pearl millet yields 300–400 kg ha-1 of grain. Pearl millet hybrids maturing in
\n80–85 days, when cultivated as an irrigated summer season crop in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and
\nUttar Pradesh states of India, have been reported to give as high as 4000–5000 kg ha-1 of grain yield.
\nPearl millet grains have high protein content, balanced amino acid profile, and high levels of iron,
\nzinc, and insoluble dietary fiber. Eggs produced from layers fed on a diet of pearl millet have much
\nlower levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol) than those fed on a maize-based diet. These adaptive and
\nnutritional features combined with high yield potential make pearl millet an important cereal crop
\nthat can effectively address the emerging challenges of global warming, water shortages, land
\ndegradation and food-related health issues.
\nFarmers cultivating pearl millet continue to be plagued by uncertain and low economic returns
\nwhen production falls and also when production increases (due to low prices). This serves as a
\ndeterrent for farmers to invest in improved crop management, although the latter can play an
\neffective dual role in increasing productivity and enhancing production stability. The demand for
\npearl millet grain is likely to increase with its increasing use as poultry and animal feed. This
\ndemand can further increase if pearl millet enters the commercial convenience foods channel,
\nthereby increasing grain price. In turn, this will lead to greater investment in crop management and
\nconsequently productivity enhancement.
\nThe International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and National
\nAgricultural Research System (NARS) in India have played a pioneering role in developing a diverse
\nrange of improved breeding lines and parental lines of potential hybrids. These lines have been used
\nextensively by breeding programs in both the public and private sectors to develop and
\ncommercialize a large number of hybrids (more than 70 were under cultivation in 2006). These
\nhybrids are cultivated on 50% of the total pearl millet area, leading to 65% increase in grain yield
\nduring the past 20 years.
\nSince its inception in 1974, the All India Coordinated Pearl Millet Improvement Project
\n(AICPMIP) has developed production-protection technologies specific to agro-ecoregions of
\ndifferent states. Their application holds the promise of further enhancing the productivity of
\nimproved cultivars to commercial farming scales, and hence increasing the profitability of their
\ncultivation, similar to the one witnessed in the seed production sector.
\nThis lucid and comprehensive manual on pearl millet crop management and seed production by
\nAICPMIP and ICRISAT scientists delves into pearl millet biology, its distribution and climatic
\nrequirements; and various aspects of crop management and seed production. Though written
\nprimarily in the context of agriculture in India, its contents have a wider application for students,
\nteaching and training personnel, extension workers and farmers interested in development, crop
\nmanagement and seed production and marketing of pearl millet.