Cultivation of Kodo Millets (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.)

August 11, 2020 Agrovista

Cultivation of Kodo Millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.)

Kodo millet is a warm-season drought-tolerant crop that belongs to the family Gramineae. Kodo is one of the ancient grain crops of the world It originated in southern Africa and was domesticated in India 3000 years ago It is also known as rice grass, cow grass, or ditch millet. Kodo millet is also mentioned in ancient Indian literature

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It is cultivated in an area of about 0.20 m-hac with a production of 0.084 mt, and it is grown mostly in states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

Kodo millet is quite distinct from other millets due to purple pigmentation in leaves. The crop has a characteristic violet look. Kodo millet is a highly drought-resistant crop. It is the coarsest of all food grains. The grain is covered with a horny seed coat, which should be removed before cooking. Immature and moulded grains are supposed to be poisonous. Kodo grain is easily preserved and proves to be a good famine reserve.

Nutritional Value of Kodo Millet ;

The grain is recommended as a substitute for rice for patients suffering from diabetes disease. Straw is very poor in quality and harmful to horses.

Nutrient Value of Kodo Millet compared to Rice and Wheat ( Per 100 g)

Nutrient	Kodo	Rice	Wheat
Carbohydrate (gms)	65.9	78.2	71.2
Protein(gms)	8.3	6.8	11.8
Fat (gms)	1.4	0.5	1.5
Energy(Kcal)	309	345	346
Crude Fiber(gms)	9	0.2	1.2
Minral Matter(gms)	2.6	0.6	1.5
Ca (mg)	27	10	41
P(mg)	188	160	306
Fe (mg)	0.5	0.7	5.3

Micro-Nutrient Value of Kodo Compared to Rice and Wheat (mg/100 g)

Nutrient	Kodo	Rice	Wheat
Mg	147	90	138
Na	4.6	0	17.1
K	144	0	284
Cu	1.6	0.14	0.68
Mn	1.1	0.59	2.29
Mb	0	0.058	0.051
Zn	0.7	1.4	2.7
Cr	0.02	0.004	0.012
Su	136	0	128
Cl	11	0	47

Climatic Requirements for Kodo millets Cultivation;

Kodo makes rapid growth in a warm and dry climate. It is highly drought-tolerant and, therefore, can be grown in areas where rainfall is scanty and erratic. It grows well in areas receiving only 40 to 50-centimeter annual rainfall

Soil Requirements for Kodo millets Cultivation

Kodo is grown from gravelly and stony upland poor soils to loam soils. Despite adverse conditions, the crop can struggle on even poor soils and may yield some quantity of grain and straw. But it thrives in the best loam-to-loam soils. Soil should be well-drained.

Varieties of Kodo Millets;

Not many high-yielding varieties of Kodo are yet available. However, the description of some of the important varieties is given below:

Madhya Pradesh: RK 65- 18, JK 439, RBK 155, JK 13, JK 65 and JK 48, JK 137, RK 390- 25, JK 106, GPUK 3
Tamil Nadu: KMV 20 (Bamban), CO 3, TNAU 86, GPUK 3
Gujarat: GK 1 and GK 2, GPUK 3
Chattisgarh: RBK 155 and JK 43 9, Indira Kodo – 1, Indira Kodo – 48, GPUK 3
Karnataka; GPUK 3, RBK 155
Viveka Nand Lab; VL-124 and VL-149 are mostly developed for the hill states of the country.

Rotations and Mixed Cropping in kodo millets;

Kodo can be grown as a pure crop or mixed with red gram (arhar), sesamum, and hemp. Sometimes kodo is mixed with sorghum and black gram. It is generally grown in rotation with mustard, linseed, gram, barley, etc. The common rotations are given below:

Kodo– linseed

Kodo–gram

Kodo-mustard/taramira

Kodo-barley

Field Preparation for Kodo Millets Cultivation;

Before the onset of monsoon, the field should be ploughed to get good tilth and enable it to retain moisture. With the onset of monsoon, the field should be harrowed or ploughed with a local plough two to three times followed by planking. The field should be leveled.

Seed and Sowing of Kodo Millets;

Sowing time for Kodo is between June 15 to July 15 in northern India. In the south, it is mostly grown as a rainfed crop from September to December.

Spacing: It is beneficial to sow Kodo in lines 3-4 centimeters deep. The line-to-line distance should be 40-45 centimeters and the plant-to-plant distance 8-10 centimeters.

Seed Rate: 10 to 15 kg seed is sufficient for sowing one hectare. It may be sown by the broadcast method, but it is not a good practice.

Seed Treatment: Treat the seed with agrosenG.N. or Thiram @ 2.5 gms per kg of seed

Manures and Fertilisers required for kodo millet cultivation;

The addition of organic manures is always beneficial since it helps to improve the water retention capacity of soil in addition to providing essential nutrients to crop plants. The crop should be manured with 5 to 10 tons of farmyard manure per hectare. Apply 40 kg nitrogen, 20 kg P,0, and 20 kg K2O per hectare in the form of chemical fertilizers. All the fertilizers may be applied at the time of sowing in furrows.

Water Management in kodo millet crop;

Kodo sown in Kharif season generally does not require any irrigation. It is mostly grown as a rainfed crop. If irrigation facilities exist, apply one or two irrigations at the time when the rains stop for a long spell. Drain out the excess rainwater from the field during heavy and continuous rains.

Weed Control in the Kodo crop;

It is essential to control weeds in the initial stages of plant growth. The field should remain weed-free for up to 35–40 days of sowing. Generally, two weddings at an interval of 15 days are sufficient. Weeding may be done with a hand hoe or wheel hoe in a line-sown crop.

Diseases of Kodo Millets;

ERGOT

This disease is caused by a fungus. The consumption of disease-affected grains is injurious to humans as well as cattle. The disease first appears in the form of a honey-like liquid, which later turns dark brown and sticky. In case such a disease occurs, do not grow Kodo in the same field for the next few years. Use healthy seeds for sowing to avoid the incidence of this disease.

SMUT

It is also caused by a fungus. The affected ears are full of black masses covered with a thin yellow membrane. This is a seed-borne disease and can be controlled by treating the seed with hot water at 55°C for 7–12 minutes or with Agrosan G.N. or Ceresan at the rate of 2.5 to 3 g per kg of seed. 0r seed treatment with chlorothalonil or mancozeb at 2 g/kg. The variety GPUK 3 is tolerant to head smut

RUST

It is also caused by it fungus. Brown pustules are seen on leaves. This disease hinders photosynthesis and causes considerable loss in yield. This may be controlled to some extent by spraying a 0.2% solution of Dithane M-45.

Insect Pests of Kodo Millets;

White ants and stemborers are major insect pests of the Kodo crop. White ants may be controlled by applying 20–25 kg Aldrin or Heptochlor dust to the soil before sowing. Thimet granules at the rate of 15 kg per hectare may control the stem borer.

Harvesting and Threshing

The crop becomes ready for harvest in September or October in northern India. The plants are cut close to the ground, bundled and stacked for a week, and then threshed by trampling under the feet of bullocks.

Yield of Kodo Millets;

The average yield ranges from 15-18 quintals of grain and 35-40 quintals of fodder per ha. Grains should be stored after drying them properly. Moisture in grain should not be more than 10–12 percent.

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