Plant density and nitrogen fertilizer effects on pearl millet production in Niger.
Bationo A. | Christianson C.B. | Baethgen W.E.
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br) is an important crop in many developing countries in West Africa and provides 80 to 90% of the food requirement for Niger. Farmers plant at a wide range of densities which may affect crop response to fertilizer. Studies were conducted for 3 yrs in a sandy soil in southern Niger to assess the effects of N fertilization (0-60 kg N ha-1) and plant density (5,000-40,000 pockets ha-1, three plants per pocket) on millet yield and yield components. The effects of N and density on yield were influenced by midseason rainfall. With low midseason rainfall, high-density planting reduced yield slightly and N had no effect. With average or above rainfall, N application and high plant density increased millet grain yield four- to fivefold. Nitrogen increased stover production 33% in a dry year and 100% in the wetter year. Plant density significantly affected stover yield only in 1983, a year with high early season rainfall. Increasing plant density tended to increase stover production in all years. Grain weight in 1983 decreased 14% when plant density exceeded 20,000 pockets ha-1. Nitrogen fertilizer doubled the number of heads per pocket at low plant densities when rainfall was normal or above. A plant density of 15,000 to 20,000 pockets ha-1 and N application of 30 kg N ha-1 in two splits achieved good yields in average and wet years, with only a small yield reduction in the drought year.
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