Effects of Plant Population and Tiller Number on the Growth and Yield of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum typhoides (Burm). Stapf and Hubb)

Abstract

A study was undertaken at the Botswana College of Agriculture to evaluate the effect of plant population and tiller number on the growth and yield of millet (Pennisetum typoides), variety Serere 6A. The plant populations were 166,000 250,000 and 500,000 plants/ha and tiller numbers of one, three and five were maintained and compared to a control where tiller production was not regulated. Grain yield was significantly (p<0.05) reduced at low and increased at high population densities. Dry matter was however, higher at low than high densities due to more tiller production at low densities. Maintaining three tillers per stand increased grain yield by 40% but maintaining five tillers or reducing tillers to one did not increase yield significantly and was similar to control in which tiller number were not regulated.


The grain yield advantage of maintaining a few tillers is due to the fact that not all tillers produced heads and those that did not produce heads were parasitic on the main shoot for resources. Interplant competition possibly for nutrients as too many heads were formed was detrimental to grain yield. This experiment indicates that farmers growing millet in Botswana and areas with similar climate could increase yields by planting at higher populations and regulating tiller production.

UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology Vol 3 (1) 1999: pp 62-68