In this article we will discuss about the tillage and seeding of pearlmillet.
Tillage of Pearlmillet:
Relatively fine seedbed is necessary for small seeded pearlmillet. Compact or cloddy seedbed is unsuitable for seed germination under the harsh environment in which the crop is grown. In alluvial, red sandy or gravelly soils, land is ploughed twice or thrice with traditional country plough commencing with first monsoon rains.
In the Deccan black cotton soils, blade harrow is worked repeatedly to obtain desired tilth. Black soils of south India receive 2-3 plowings or harrowings to keep down the weeds and obtain good tilth. Sandy soils of Rajasthan receive two ploughings before drilling the seed.
Deep ploughing is advantageous for perennial weed control and conservation of moisture under dryland conditions. Results of experiments clearly indicated the beneficial effect of deep ploughing (30-40 cm) over shallow (10-12 cm) ploughing for rainfed pearlmillet.
Seed Rate, Spacing and Plant Population:
In general, a seed rate of 5 kg ha-1 is recommended to overcome the possible mortality of seedlings under the harsh environment in which pearlmillet is grown. Experimental results, however, indicate that optimum seed rate for sandy soils of Rajasthan is 4.5 kg ha-1.
However, farmers use 6-8 kg ha-1 to provide margin for mortality under adverse conditions. Over crowding leads to early growth retardation leading to reduced grain yield. A seed rate of 3 kg ha-1 is optimum for black soils with high water retentive capacity.
Method of seeding varies from place to place. In Utter Pradesh, it is mostly sown by broadcast, whereas in Rajasthan it is sown behind country plough. Improved method of seeding is drilling through three to six tined seed drills, which also facilitate intercultivation with bullock drawn implements.
A seeding depth of 5-7 cm is optimum for sandy soils of Rajasthan. In heavy soils of Maharashtra and south India, ideal seeding depth is 2 to 3 cm. Pearlmillet is, generally, sown by using 3 to 6 tined local seed drills in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
A row spacing of 45 cm is adequate for drilling. It facilitates use of local blade harrows for intercultivation. Within the row, the spacing ranges from 8 to 12 cm. Thinning is usually completed within three weeks after emergence of seedlings.
Short duration hybrids respond to relatively higher plant population. A spacing of 30 x 10 cm appears to the ideal under rainfed conditions. Since, pearlmillet is a tillering cereal, a wide range of spacings from 30 x 10 to 60 x 10 cm results in comparable yields.
Transplanting:
In spite of the fact that optimum time of seeding pearlmillet is well known, it is often not possible to sow the crop in time due to unpredictable onset of monsoon. Under such situation, transplanting can compensate for delayed onset of monsoon. However, irrigation is necessary for transplantation. Wherever irrigation facility is not available, seedlings can be transplanted on a rainy day.
In high rainfall areas, seedlings can also be dropped in plough furrows in relatively moist soil, which get well established with succeeding rains as in high altitude zone of Andhra Pradesh.
In intensive irrigated cropping systems, duration of the crops is very important. Three to four weeks’ time can be saved if crops are responsive to transplantation. Transplanted pearlmillet gives as much yield as that of direct seeded crop or even more with good management besides saving 3-4 weeks’ time for adjustments in the cropping systems. Three to four weeks old seedlings can be transplanted using two seedlings per hill.
Under south Indian conditions, summer irrigated pearlmillet is usually grown by transplantation. Ridges and furrows are formed with a spacing of 45 cm between the ridges and 21-30 days old seedlings are transplanted on the side of ridges with 20 cm spacing between plants within the row (45 x 20 cm).
A plant population of 1,75,000 ha-1 is optimum for hybrids. Earthling up is done around 40 days after planting. Instances of grain yield around 4 t ha-1 are common with good management of the crop.