How organic cultivation of Barnyard Millets beneficial for rainfed areas?

Barnyard Millets is also one of the coarse grains that used to be the main food item of people whose income is below the poverty threshold, but now it seems out of reach of the common people. The government is promoting the cultivation of Barnyard Millets like other cereals, as it is rich in nutrients and can be easily grown in rainfed areas.

Cultivation of (Barnyard Millet): It would not be wrong to call Barnyard Millet a substitute for rice, because in North India, people used to eat Barnyard Millet rice with great joy, its kheer was especially liked, but in the era of modernity, nutritious Barnyard Millet was left behind and its cultivation also decreased. Now, for the last few years, efforts have been made to promote the cultivation of coarse grains, because these are not only beneficial for farmers, but they are also more beneficial for health than wheat and rice.

Barnyard Millet requires less water than other crops. It is used in the same way as rice. It is also used as animal feed. Barnyard contains more nutrients than rice, and it also contains up to 40% digestible protein. Barnyard can be cultivated with less water and cost, so it is beneficial for farmers.

Climate and soil

Barnyard Millet crops can also be planted in soil with low fertility. It can also be grown in low-lying areas along river banks, but sandy loam and loam soils are considered the most suitable for its cultivation. While a mild humid and warm climate is suitable for its cultivation. It is a kharif crop.

Soil preparation and sowing

Prepare the field by cultivating before the monsoon starts. After the monsoon starts, do the first cultivating with a rotavator. Prepare the field by doing 2-3 ploughing with a cultivator. Add 60-70 kg of rotten manure to make it more fertile. Sow Barnyard Millet between June 15 and July 15. It can be done by spraying method or in rows as soon as the monsoon starts. If sowing in rows, keep the seeds of the rows 25 cm apart. 8-10 kg of seeds are required per hectare for sowing.

It is more beneficial to cultivate barnyard Millet completely in a natural way. Treating the seeds with pesticides before sowing can reduce seed-borne diseases by 40-50%. For treatment, mix 5 kg of cow dung, 5 litres of cow urine, 50 grams of lime, and a handful of fossil-containing soil from under a sacred fig in 20 litres of water and keep it for a day. Stir it with a stick twice a day. Treat 100 kg of seeds in this solution and then dry it in the shade and sow it.

Natural Fertilizer

Using natural fertilizers in farming is beneficial. This increases the nutrient content of the soil, as well as the water-holding capacity. Mix compost manure in the field at the rate of 5-10 tons per hectare at the time of the first cultivation after the monsoon.

solid biofertilizer
This is a microbial-enriched dry fertilizer. It can be applied during planting or up to 3 days after watering. To make it, mix approximately 100 kilograms of cow dung, 1-2 kilograms of jaggery (molasses), 1-2 kilograms of besan (gram flour) made from urad dal, corn, mung, or chickpeas, around 100 grams of powdered ash from a banyan or peepal tree, and mix it with about 5 litres of cow urine to create a paste-like fertilizer. Keep this mixture covered in the shade for 48 hours. Then, spread it in the shade to dry and store it in a bag or container. It remains effective for up to 6 months. You would need about one quintal (100 kilograms) of this enriched microbial fertilizer for one acre of land.

Irrigation and Harvesting

In general, barnyard Millet does not need irrigation, but if it has not rained for a long time, then one irrigation should be done during flowering. And if the field is flooded due to excessive rain, then arrange to drain the water. After ripening, the crop is harvested from the roots and left to dry in the field for a week by making a bundle, after which threshing is done. 10-20 quintals of grain and 20-25 quintals of straw are obtained per hectare.