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Millet

Millet

Introduction
Nutritional Profile
Area and Productivity
Climatic Requirements
Suitable Soil Type
Recommended Varieties
Agronomic Practices
Plant Protection
Harvest And Post Management

Introduction

Finger Millet (Marua) (Eleusine coracana)

Finger millet can be cultivated on various soil types and during different seasons across different regions of the country. A significant portion of the cultivation occurs under rainfed conditions, particularly in the Kharif season. Finger millet thrives in areas with moderate rainfall, ranging from 500 to 1000 mm annually. It can withstand low levels of rainfall, even as little as 130 mm, if well-distributed. However, its optimal performance is observed at around 900 mm of annual rainfall. Therefore, the crop is suitable to most parts of the Assam

Finger Millet

Nutritional Profile

Millets are nutritionally superior as their grains contain high amount of proteins, essential amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.

Area and Productivity

Particulars 2023-24
Area, (Lakh ha) 121.88
Production (Lakh Tones) 153.79

Source: DA&FW (Data Upload) (State wise millet production pdf)

Climatic Requirements

Foxtail millet is a tropical and subtropical climate crop and can be grown at an altitude of 2100 m above MSL. A mean temperature of 26-29°C during the growth is found optimum. Foxtail millet, grown in semi-arid regions, has a low water requirement and is successful almost entirely to its short growing season.

Suitable Soil Type

It can be grown on a wide range of soils from very poor to highly fertile and can tolerate a certain degree of alkalinity. Best soils are alluvial, loamy and sandy loam soil with good drainage.

Recommended Varieties

Varieties: Use the seeds of AAU-GSG-Maruadhan-1 (Gossaigaon Marua Dhan-1), Chhattisgarh Ragi 3 (BR-14-3), Vegavathi (VR 929), VL 376, GPU 67, PR 202 varieties for planting.

Agronomic Practices

Land Preparation and Planting Guidelines

Land Preparation: Fine seedbed and adequate moisture in the seedbed is conducive to good germination. Prepare the field by giving 2 or 3 ploughings followed by planking.

Sowing Time: Sowing should be done in the month of last week of July-August and Transplantation of 30-day-old seedlings in the first week of September.

Planting method:

  • Transplanting of seedlings: 25-30 days old seedlings are transplanted in the month of September. This will help reduce the weed problem in high rainfall areas, particularly in Assam.

Seed Rate: A seed rate of 12 kg ha-1 is recommended.

Seed treatment: Treat the seed with Propiconazole @1ml/kg of seed.

Sowing/Planting/Spacing:

  • Line sowing is beneficial as it helps in effective intercultivation and weed control. The maintenance of an optimum plant population of 4-5 lakh plants per hectare is achieved through line sowing using a seed drill, with a spacing of 22.5-30 cm between rows and 7.5-10 cm between plants.

Seed bed: To facilitate seed sowing, prepare a raised seed bed (10 – 25 cm) measuring 10 × 1.25m, with a gap of 30 cm between the beds. Apply 20-30 kg of cow dung per bed and mix it thoroughly with the soil. Sow 150g of seeds per bed.

Spacing: 25 cm X 15 cm

Fertilizer Application

Nutrient Requirement (kg/ha) Form Fertilizer requirement kg/ha Fertilizer requirement kg/bigha
N Urea 88 12.00
P2O5 SSP 125 16.50
K2O MOP 32 4.25

Apply Farmyard Manure (FYM) or Compost at a rate of 5 tons per hectare or 6 quintals per bigha. This practice enhances the quality of the crop and contributes to improved root growth development.

Apply 50% of the full doses of FYM, P2O5, and K2O as basal fertilizer, and apply the remaining 50% of nitrogen (N) as a top dressing 30 days after transplanting.

Irrigation and Drainage

  • Depending on soil type, weather conditions, and duration of variety, 8-14 irrigations are necessary.
  • Light soils: During the tillering stage, it requires irrigation but in later stages, subsequent irrigation is not required.
  • Heavy soils: Irrigation required once in 12-15 days.
  • Irrigations during the peak tillering, flowering, and grain-setting stages are crucial. Ensure to irrigate the crop when the soil moisture level reaches around 50% depletion.

Weed control.

  • Weed problems can be efficiently managed through cultural and mechanical methods.
  • Manual Weeding: The initial weeding should be carried out 20-25 days after transplanting, followed by subsequent weedings as needed.
  • Line sowing: 2-3 intercultivations and one hand weeding.
  • Broadcast crop: 2 effective hand weeding will minimize weeds.
  • In assured rainfall and irrigated areas: Pre-emergence spray: Isoproturon @ 0.5 kg a.i./ha. (Rainfed areas).

Plant Protection

Blast: Pyricularia setariae
Symptoms:

On leaves symptoms develop as small pin head water-soaked yellowish dot that turns spindle shaped within 2-3 days with greyish centre surrounded by dark brown margin.

 
Finger Millet
Management
  1. Treat seeds with fungicides such as Propiconazole or azoxystrobin@ 2ml/kg of seed a day before sowing.
  2. Spraying of trifloxystrobin 25% WP @ 1-1.5 g/ l of water to control this disease.
  3. Administer a fungicide spray at 50% flowering. Use Propiconazole or tebuconazole @1ml/litre of water to control neck and finger blast, repeat the spray 10 days later.
Leaf Spot: Helminthosporium panici-miliacei
Symptoms:
  • Infected leaves produced brown rectangular spot.
  • Seed infection causes seed rotting, coleoptile spot, and seedling blight.
Finger Millet
Management:

Seed treatment with Carboxin @ 2-2.5 g/kg seed.

In recent times, brown spot disease, caused by Drechslera nodulosa, has been gaining significance. This disease's impact can be severe, especially when the crop is exposed to drought or suffers from nutritional deficiencies. Effective management of the disease involves proper nutrition and water management. As required, spraying Propiconazole or azoxystrobin @1ml/litre of water can be employed.

Pests

Finger millet is susceptible to various pests, among which armyworms, cutworms, stem borers, leaf aphids, grasshoppers, grey weevils, shoot flies, and ear caterpillars are particularly significant.

Army worm: Spodoptera mauritia
Symptoms:
  • Larvae cut the seedlings in large scale.
  • Severe infestation- cattle grazing appearance to the field.
  • They feed gregariously.
Finger Millet
Management:
  • Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ha at the time of the last ploughing.
  • Seed treatment with chlorantraiiprole 19.8% + thiamethoxam 19.8% FS @ 4 ml/kg seed.
  • Set up FAW pheromone traps @ 12 nos./ha.
Cutworm: Spodoptera exigua
Symptom

Defoliation

Finger Millet
Management:
  • Use Steinernema carpocapsae entomopathogenic nematode or Beauveria bassiana fungi at emergence of cutworm.
  • Before one week of sowing, apply Bacillus thuringenesis + Rice husk in the main field to control cutworm.
  • Release Trichogramma parasitoid weekly once for 3 weeks continuously to control cutworm eggs.
  • Chlorantraniliprole @ 1 ml/l of water.
Stem borer: Chilo partellus
Symptoms
  • It infests the crop a month after sowing and the damage persists up to the emergence of ear heads.
  • Central shoot withering leading to “dead heart” is the typical damage symptom.
  • Bore holes are visible on the stem near the nodes.
  • Young larva crawls and feeds on tender folded leaves causing typical “shot hole” symptom.
  • Affected parts of the stem may show internally tunneling caterpillars.
Finger Millet
Management
  • The stubbles should be ploughed up during winter and burnt to destroy the hibernating larvae.
  • Dead hearts should be pulled out and used as fodder or buried in manure pits.
  • Set up light trap till midnight to attract and kill the stem borer moths.
  • Bio-control agents viz., Trichogramma chilonis (egg parasitoids), Bracon chinensis, and Apanteles flavipes (larval parasitoids) should be encouraged.
  • Spraying of chlorantraniliprole 20 SC@ 30 g a.i/ha or thiamethoxam 25 WG @100 g/ha to control this pest.

Harvest And Post Management

Crop Harvesting and Drying

Selecting the optimal harvest time for maximum grain yield and quality holds significant importance. It's recommended to carry out harvesting when approximately 75-80% of the panicles exhibit a yellowish color. Sun drying of the grains on a clean threshing floor might be required to decrease moisture content, maintain viability and vigor, and enhance storage quality. It's essential to dry the grains to the recommended moisture level of around 12% to retain their viability and vigor.

Yield or Expected yield: 18-20 q/ha

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