Sustainable Production of Barnyard Millet through Improved Production Technologies

Abstract

Barnyard millet is cultivated for food besides fodder. Millets are less nutrient demanding, cultivated with low chemical inputs, less greenhouse gasses emitting crop thus millets reduce carbon footprint in agriculture. In India, barnyard millet is a significant dry land crop and cultivated over an extensive range of environmental situations under deprived soil conditions for human consumption and for fodder as well. It has the distinct feature of drought resistance and can survive water logging for two weeks which are unique features of it. Crop has wide flexibility and lodges a special place in marginal rainfed areas because of its short life cycle. In India, it is largely cultivated in two different agro-ecologies i.e., in the mid hills of Himalayan region of Uttarakhand in the North and Deccan plateau region of southern peninsula of India. Less productivity of crop is largely due to poor crop management practices. Barnyard millet is considered of regional importance and hence little attention is been given for research despite its higher significance. Considering the significance of the crop, an initiative has been undertaken to draw out the agronomic management strategies for barnyard millet for sustained productivity and to compile the agronomic studies on the crop.