Little Millet

Varieties

A number of varieties with high yield potential have been released for different states. The list of latest and popular varieties recommended for different states are given below

Season

• Odisha - Middle of June
• Tamil Nadu - June and September-October
• Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and South Bihar  - last week of June to first week of July is desirable to escape from shoot fly and gall midge.

Spacing and seed rate

Spacing : 22.5 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants within a row

Seed rate:

• 8 kg per ha for line sowing
• 12 kg per ha for broadcasting

Manuring and fertilization

• 5 tones of farm yard manure per hectare 2-3 weeks before sowing.
• The fertilizer required for different states is as follows

Bio-fertilizer: Seed inoculation with Agrobacterium radiobacter and Aspergillus awamori improves seed yield.

Weed control

• Two inter cultivations and one hand weeding in line sowing
• Two hand weeding in broadcasted crop

Cropping systems

Inter cropping

• Odisha : Little millet + black gram (2:1 row ratio)
• Madhya Pradesh: Little millet + +Sesamum / soybean / pigeon pea (2:1 row ratio)
• Southern Bihar: Little millet + +pigeon pea (2:1 row ratio)

Cropping sequence

• South Bihar : Little millet – Niger

Diseases

Though there are no serious diseases on this crop, grain smut may be problematic sometimes, which is effectively checked by pre sowing treatment of the seeds with either Carbendazim or Carboxin @ 2g per kg seeds

Pests

Shootfly
It is the most serious pest causing significant yield losses.
Control : Early sowing with the onset of monsoon is an effective and cheapest method of control.

Source : Indian Institute of Millets Research