On-farm seed priming increases yield of direct-sown finger millet in India

摘要

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner) is a crop that is popular with resource-poor farmers in Africa and Asia because it is adaptable, resilient, and yields well on marginal land without irrigation. It may be transplanted, as in some partsof India and Nepal, but most is direct-sown, often by broadcasting. Establishing adequate stands of direct-sown crops can be a problem in marginal areas where timely access to resources for land preparation is sometimes difficult. Improved stand establishment and increased yield following 'on-farm' seed priming has been reported recently in a number of crops (Harris et al. 1999 for upland rice (Oryza sativa L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.); Harris et al. 2001b for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.); Musa et al. 2001 for chickpea). Two trials of the effect of seed priming on six finger millet cultivars are described below.