Finger millet: high yielding, protein variety
By Our Agriculture Correspondent
The new variety is moderately resistant to the major diseases. Insets: Incurved fingers bearing matured grains.
SCIENTISTS AT the Department of Millets, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, have developed a high yielding and high-protein finger millet (Eleusine coracana) or ragi.
The medium-duration variety was released recently for commercial cultivation by the farmers under the name CO (Ra) 14. A cross derivative of Malawi 1305 and CO 13, the new variety was developed by following up the hybridisation by pure line selection, and it has several desirable traits. It excelled CO 13 in yield and quality, according to the scientists.
Its duration is 105-110 days. It recorded a mean grain yield of 3184 kg a hectare in the research station trials, and 2877 kg a hectare in the multi-location trials conducted all over Tamil Nadu.
In the All India coordinated trials its mean yield was 2217 kg a hectare, and in on-farm trials it recorded a mean yield of 2816 kg a hectare.
The mean yield of straw was 8420 kg a hectare, which was 20 per cent higher than that the check variety CO 13, and 27.8 per cent more than that of GPU 28. It recorded a mean grain yield of 2892 kg a hectare under irrigated conditions and 2794 kg in rain fed conditions.
CO (Ra) 14 has 8 to 9 top-curved fingers a panicle, and 5 to 9 productive tillers.
It is endowed with special attributes such as easy thresh ability, synchronised maturity and non-lodging growth habit. Its grains are rich in protein (12.43 per cent), fat (3.5 per cent), crude fibre (31 per cent) and calcium (0.66 per cent) with high flouring capacity (93 per cent) and low residual weight (7 per cent). Its grain colour, appearance, flavour, texture and taste have all been readily acceptable to consumers.
The new variety is moderately resistant to the major diseases — neck and finger blast. There is no major incidence of pest in finger millet and the damage caused by grasshopper, ear head caterpillar, weevil and aphids were below the threshold level.
It has good yield stability across seasons and locations, and it has been found to do well as rain fed crop during June-July and September-October.
The irrigated crop can be raised in December-January and April-May seasons. It is suited for cultivation all over Tamil Nadu. About 5 kg of seeds are needed to cover a hectare. Elevated beds should be made in 12.5 cents to raise healthy nursery to cover a hectare. The nursery beds should be prepared to fine tilth and well enriched with organic nutrients.
The nursery stage lasts for 20 to 21 days, and the seedlings should be planted in the main field at an espacement of 15 cm by 15 cm. One or two healthy seedlings should be used per hill in the beds.
A nutrient dose of 30 kg a hectare each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash should be added as basal dressing along with 12.5 tonnes of farmyard manure a hectare during the last ploughing. Micronutrient mixtures at 12.5 kg a hectare should be added prior to planting.
Another round of 30 kg of nitrogen a hectare should be applied as top dressing when the crop is three weeks old. One or two manual weeding and plant protection measures with botanical insecticides will keep the crop healthy. Because of its synchronised maturity, the entire crop is harvested at one time according to the scientists.
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