At the end of this Lesson, you have learned to answer:

1
Module 1 About Pearl Millet
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Modules
Lessons

Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant

• At the end of this Lesson, you have learned
  to answer
• How pearl millet is a better crop than other
  cereal crops like maize, wheat, etc.?
• How many days pearl millet seed takes to
  germinate?
• Describe the root system in pearl millet?
• Describe the shoot system in pearl millet?
• What is boot stage and how can you identify this
  stage in pearl millet?

Course on Diseases of Pearl Millet
2
Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant

• At the end of this Lesson, you have learned
  to answer
• How can you identify flowering in pearl millet?
• What is physiological maturity in pearl millet?
• How can you identify physiological maturity in
  pearl millet?
• In how many days pearl millet plant matures?
• What is the optimum stage to harvest pearl millet?

3
Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Pearl Millet is a member of the grass family and
originally a wild plant in Africa. The evolution
of pearl millet under the pressures of drought
and high temperatures imparted the ability to
tolerate drought, soil toxicities, and extremes
of temperature more effectively, to cultivated
pearl millet plants than other cereals like wheat
and rice.
Wild Pearl Millet Species
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Germination
At optimum temperature (25 to 300 C) and
moisture, the pearl millet seed germinates in 2
to 4 days. When pearl millet seed is sown in
moist soil, the seed swells due to moisture
absorption. The seed coat breaks a small shoot
(coleoptile) and a primary root (radicle)
emerge. Initially the young seedlings take
nutrients from the endosperm of the seed.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Root system
Primary roots These roots develop from the
radicle and die subsequently.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Root system
Secondary or Adventitious roots These rots
occupy 5 to 15 cm area in the soil around the
base of the stem. Adventitious roots are small,
uniform, and form a small portion of the root
system.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Root system
Secondary or Adventitious roots Another type of
permanent adventitious roots develop from the
second internode and above. These roots are
branched laterally (about 1 sq.m) interlacing the
soil vertically. These roots mainly supply
nutrients to the plant. Pearl millet roots will
grow up to more than 2 meters in pursuit of water
and soil nutrients.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Shoot system
Seedling development occurs during the first two
to four weeks, and rapid stalk development occurs
soon after. Pearl millet often tillers
producing a profuse leaf growth. There are
different type of tillersprimary, basal,
secondary, and nodal. Tillering may be extensive
in sparse stands, particularly if good soil
moisture is available.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Shoot system
Flag Leaf
About 6 to 8 days before flowering, the boot
forms a bulge in the sheath of the flag leaf
(uppermost leaf). This stage is called boot leaf
stage. Pearl Millet usually flowers 40 to 55
days.
Boot
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Shoot system
The flowering structure (inflorescence) in pearl
millet is called as panicle or head. In
cultivated pearl millets, the panicle starts
developing from 22 to 28 days after germination.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Shoot system
Depending on the variety or hybrid, the flowers
begin to open in 2 to 3 days after the emergence
of the panicle from the boot. The flowering can
be observed from the yellow pollen from the
anthers on the panicle (pearl millet head). The
maximum flowering takes place on 3rd or 4th day.
It takes 6 to 12 days for the whole panicle to
complete flowering depending on the tillering
habits and irrigated or rainfed crop.
Flowering in Pearl Millet
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Seed Development
The pearl millet seed is called grain. The grain
matures in 25 to 30 days after fertilization. Pea
rl Millet seeds can be nearly white, pale yellow,
brown, gray, slate blue or purple. The ovoid
grains are about 3 to 4 mm long. The 1000-seed
weight ranges from 2.5 to 14 g with a mean of 8
g. The size of the pearl millet seed is about
one-third that of sorghum.
Pearl Millet seeds
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Variation in Pearl Millet Heads and Seed Color
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Seed Development
Physiological maturity Maximum total dry weight
of the plant reaches at the physiological
maturity. Uptake of nutrients also mostly cease
at this stage. So, if there are problems like
bird damage, grain molds etc., it is advantageous
to harvest the crop at this stage.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Seed Development
Like in sorghum, physiological maturity can be
determined by the development of a small dark
layer at the bottom of the grain and this occurs
20 to 25 days after flowering. As the seed
moisture at this stage will be around 25 to 35,
proper drying of the seeds is important.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary
The growth and development of pearl millet can be
divided into 3 major stages.
Growth Stage 1 The seedling establishment with
root, leaf, and tiller development takes place
during this phase. Panicle initiation also
begins.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary
Growth Stage 2 Elongation of all the leaves,
emergence of all tillers, floral initiation in
tillers, and stem elongation takes place during
this phase. The elongation of the panicle and
formation of floral parts are found in this
phase. This stage comes to end with the
emergence of stigmas on the panicle.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary
Growth Stage 3 This phase begins with
fertilization of florets and continues up to
maturity of the plant. The dry matter
accumulation is mainly in grain formation and
partly in the enlargement of stem and leaves of
the tillers. The end of this phase is
physiological maturity, indicated by the
development of dark layer at the bottom of the
grain.
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary of Growth Stages
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary of Growth Stages
Vegetative Phase (0 T0 3) GS1
Panicle Development (4 T0 6) GS2
Grain-Filling Phase (7 T0 9) GS3
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary of Growth Stages
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Lesson 3 Growth of Pearl Millet Plant
Summary of Growth Stages
These 3 growth stages are the averages for
environmental conditions during June-September at
Hyderabad, India (170 North latitude).
Developmental rates are a function of the
environmental conditions and the variety that is
grown. The duration of growth stages may vary
considerably for other locations and varieties.
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Module 1 About Pearl Millet
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Lessons
Exercise
Modules

With this, the Lesson on Growth of Pearl
Millet Plant, and also the Module 1 - About Pearl
Millet concludes. If you want to check your
understanding on About Pearl Millet, please
click on Exercise button. The next Module
provides information about the area and
distribution of pearl millet cultivation.
Click Modules button and select Module 2
Course on Diseases of Pearl Millet