Effect of Planting Dates on Growth and Yield of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.)

Abstract

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is one of the most important millet crop grown in India. In the world, it’s ranks sixth followed by rice, wheat, corn, barley and sorghum. However, in India, it is fourth most important cereal crop after rice, wheat and sorghum. Pearl millet Belongs to family Poaceae and genus Pennisetum. Pearl millet originated in central tropical Africa and widely distributed in the drier tropics and India. India is the largest producer of pearl millet in the world. In India major producing states are Rajasthan (46 %), Maharashtra (19 %), Gujarat (11 %), Uttar Pradesh (8 %) and Haryana (6 %), which share about 90 per cent of total pearl millet production. Pearl millet occupies an area of 7.12 million hectares with a production of 8.06 million tonnes and productivity of 1132 kg/ha in the country. While in Gujarat, Total grown area 4.31 lakh hectares with a total production of 9.31 lakh tonnes and productivity of 2158 kg/ha.(Anon. 2017).Nutritionally, the pearl millet grains are rich source of protein (9-15 %), fat (5 %), carbohydrates (67 %), mineral matters (2-7 %), high energy value (>360 Kcal/100g) and high Fe, Zn and Ca compared to other cereals. Thus, it is the cheapest source not only energy and protein but also for micronutrients such as Fe and Zn. It is rich in vitamin-A and B, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 01 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com