Great Millet/ Sorghum

  • Season: Kharif
  • Soil type:  The crop is grown in varying soil and environmental condition.Well drained soil is desirable for sorghum.
  • Seed rate: 4-5 kg/acre
  • Seed treatment: Seed treatment with bio pesticides (Trichodermaharzianum@ 5g / kg or thiram 75% dust @ 3 g/ kg of seed.
  • Sowing time: First fortnight of June to first fortnight of July
  • Method of sowing: Line sowing behind the furrow or by seed drill. Maintain a row spacing of 45 cm and plant to plant spacing 12-15cm
  • Intercultural operation: Thing at 10 DAS to maintain a spacing of 12-15 cm with in the row. First weeding at 15-20 DAS and second weeding at 45-50 DAS.As an alternate to manual weeding pre-emergence application of atrazine or simazine @ 1.0 kg/ha on the day following sowing in moist soil effectively controls weeds. Application of 2,4-D @ 0.5-0.75kg/ha at 4-6 weeks effective against broad leaved weeds.
  •  Nutrient management: Basal (Urea 13 kg + SSP 75 kg +MOP 20 kg), Ist top dressing at 15-20 DAS (Urea 26 kg), IInd top dressing at 45-50 DAS (Urea 13 kg)
  • Water management:  Jowar are highly sensitive to waterlogging and Water should not be allowed to stand in the field at any stage of the crop. Critical growth stages of sorghum for water demand are flower primordial initiation at about 25-30 DAS, flag leaf stage (50-55DAS), floweing (60-70 DAS) and grain filling (80-90 DAS)
  • Harvesting: Crop should be harvested at physiological maturity to avoid losses from grain mold. About 10-11% or less moisture is desirable for safe storage of sorghum grains.