Cultural techniques of pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke] grown as new forage crop of higher yield and quality.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) has been detected as an important new forage crop of higher quality and yield in Korea since 1985. Thus, the objective of the study was to establish its cultural practices suitable to Korean environmental conditions. The seed did not germinate at the constant 10deg C, but germinated at the constant 11deg C. The minimum temperature was 12deg C for germination of pearl millet seed. The seeds with dormancy and without dormancy germinated 99 to 100 percent when soaked in the H2O2 1% solution for 24 hours and rinsed with pure water. The optimum depth of planting was 2cm under the optimum soil moisture condition, and 4 to 6cm under the drier soil moisture condition. The subcoleoptile internode length and seedling crown depth were positively correlated with actual planting depth, indicating that deeper planting would not be good for appropriate adventitious root and tiller development. For grain crop, economic planting season was from early May to late June, and their harvest index also did not vary much, but greatly reduced in the July 15 planting plot. For forage crop, economic planting season was from mid-May to mid-June with optimum planting density of 60x15cm in dibbling, but in drilling 5Kg of seed per hectare was good for higher fodder yield. The appropriate nitrogen fertilizer application level was N 450-600Kg per hectare for the highest green fodder yield. Increased phosphorus and potash fertilizer application also increased productivity, especially with higher potash fertilizer effect in the upland soil. In the newly reclaimed upland soil, improved and doubled fertilizer application plot of 600-600-400-40,000 Kg per hectare in N-P2O5-K2O-Compost was 38% higher being 126 tons per hectare of green fodder yield as compared with standard fertilizer application plot. Clipping height 20cm above the soil surface was the best resulting in producing 111 tons per hectare of green chop. Four weeks cutting interval was the best for higher yield. Crude protein content of the clipping height 20cm was the highest being 12.8 %.