Is the grain crop broomcorn millet the same as foxtail millet? What is the market price per jin? Which regions is it suitable for growing? When is it planted and harvested? (with planting techniques for each region)
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the 2018 technical guidance for broomcorn millet production, giving planting guidance for the Northeast spring broomcorn millet region, the Northern spring broomcorn millet region, and the Loess Plateau summer broomcorn millet region. So is broomcorn millet the same as foxtail millet? What is the market price per jin? Which regions is it suitable for growing? When is it planted and harvested?
Broomcorn millet is not foxtail millet. It is the second cereal crop, an annual herb of the genus Panicum, and it is divided into non-glutinous and glutinous types. The non-glutinous type, called shu, is not sticky and is generally used as food. The glutinous type is sticky; after milling and removing the husk it is called large yellow rice or soft yellow rice, and it has a wide range of uses. It can be ground into flour for pastries, and in ancient times it was also widely used for brewing wine.
Latest price of broomcorn millet:
The market price of red broomcorn millet seeds has always been very stable. The price per jin of seeds is around 60 yuan to 75 yuan. This price is still very low and still within a range that everyone can accept.
Suitable planting regions:
China's broomcorn millet planting area is more than 8 million mu year-round, mainly distributed in the arid and semi-arid areas of the northwest, north, and northeast. The main producing areas include Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei, northern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, central and eastern Gansu, southern Ningxia, as well as parts of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.
Planting techniques for each region:
I. Northeast spring broomcorn millet region
This region is the main producing area for glutinous broomcorn millet, mainly including Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia's Hinggan League, Tongliao City, Chifeng City, and other places.
(1) Select superior varieties. According to the ecological conditions and production levels of each place, scientifically choose high-quality varieties, and avoid cross-regional introduction of seeds without experimental demonstration.
(2) Carefully prepare the land. Broomcorn millet is a dryland cultivated crop, so it is advisable to choose plots with deep plough layers, relatively high fertility, and good water and fertilizer retention and drainage for planting. Broomcorn millet is not suitable for continuous cropping or alternating cropping with the same crop. Legumes, sorghum, wheat, potato, and other crops are good previous crops. Before sowing, deeply plough and prepare the land. The ridge surface is required to be level with no clods, so as to help improve sowing quality, ensure full emergence after one sowing, and store water and conserve soil moisture.
(3) Sow at the right time. Do a good job of seed treatment. After winnowing the seeds clean, dry them in the sun for 2—3 days, soak the seeds in 15% salt water, skim off the plump grains floating on the water surface, remove the plump grains, rinse them with clean water, dry them in the shade, and then sow. Use mechanical drilling or manual dibbling, generally sowing from late April to mid-May. When sowing, apply 10—15 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer, keep sowing depth consistent and soil covering uniform, with a sowing width of 10—12 cm and a soil covering thickness of 3 cm, and press down promptly to ensure full emergence after one sowing.
(4) Field management. Generally, the basic seedling population per mu is 35,000—40,000 plants. After jointing, weed once. At the jointing stage, combine weeding with 1—2 times of hoeing and ridging, and apply 7—10 kg of urea per mu as topdressing. At the heading stage of broomcorn millet, spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution 1—2 times to prevent fertilizer deficiency in the late growth period of broomcorn millet.
(5) Control insect pests. At the seedling stage of broomcorn millet, pay attention to timely control of armyworms and millet stem flea beetles. When damage by boring pests such as corn borers is found, control should be carried out promptly to ensure high and stable yields of broomcorn millet. In places with many sparrows, pay attention to driving them away.
(6) Harvest at the right time. The maturity period of broomcorn millet is not uniform. The upper part of the panicle matures first, and the middle and lower parts mature later. There is also a large difference in maturity between the main panicle and the tiller panicles. Generally, when the grains at the base of the panicle have hardened and can be cracked with a fingernail, this is the suitable harvest period. If harvesting is too late, the millet panicles are easily blown by the wind and shed grains. When harvesting, tie into small bundles, stack them up to dry the panicles, and there is no need to put them on a stack. For mechanical harvesting, segmented harvesting can be used: first cut and lay them out to dry, and after 7—10 days of after-ripening, pick them up and thresh.
II. Northern spring broomcorn millet region
The eastern part of this region includes northern Hebei, northwestern Shanxi, Inner Mongolia's Ulanqab City, and other places. The western part includes northern Shaanxi, central Gansu, southern Ningxia, and other arid and semi-arid agricultural areas. With the Yellow River as the boundary, the east mainly grows glutinous broomcorn millet, while the west mainly grows non-glutinous broomcorn millet.
(1) Carefully prepare the land. The climate in this region is arid, so it is advisable to choose sandy loam or medium loam plots with deep soil layers and relatively high fertility for planting, avoid continuous cropping and alternating cropping with the same crop, and the best previous crops are legumes, potato, flax, and other crops. After the previous crop is harvested, carry out deep ploughing and timely harrowing and pressing. Before sowing, rotary till and harrow to make the upper layer loose and the lower layer firm, with a level topsoil.
(2) Select superior varieties. This region spans a large east-west area, and the broomcorn millet varieties grown are all different. According to the ecological conditions and production levels of each place, scientifically choose high-quality varieties, and avoid cross-regional introduction of seeds without experimental demonstration.
(3) Fertilize reasonably. Fertilization is mainly base fertilizer, applied once in combination with spring land preparation. Generally, apply 500—1000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu, 10 kg of pure nitrogen, 4 kg of pure phosphorus, and 4 kg of pure potassium. From the 8—9 leaf stage to the heading stage, topdressing can be done when there is rain, applying 5—6 kg of urea per mu.
(4) Sow at the right time. Do a good job of seed treatment, remove blighted grains and impurities, and sun the seeds for 2—3 days. Before sowing, choose suitable chemicals for seed dressing to control broomcorn millet smut. The generally suitable sowing period is late May—early June. According to the density requirements of different regions, the sowing rate for drill sowing is 0.6—1 kg per mu, and for precision mechanical sowing it is 0.25—0.4 kg per mu, with a sowing depth of 3—5 cm. According to soil moisture, sowing can be appropriately advanced or delayed. When moisture is good, sow shallowly; when moisture is poor, sow appropriately deeper, and press moderately, paying attention to sowing in time by taking advantage of rain to seize moisture.
(5) Field management. When seedlings are 3 cm high, thin and finalize the seedlings, and the retained seedlings must be uniform, neat, and strong. Generally, cultivate 2 times: the first at the 5—6 leaf stage of the seedling period, and the second at the jointing stage, with a cultivation depth of 2—3 cm.
(6) Harvest at the right time. When the grains at the base of the broomcorn millet panicle enter the wax ripeness stage and 70%—80% of the grains have dehydrated and hardened, this is the best harvest period. Manual harvesting should preferably be done in the morning, which can reduce grain shattering. After mechanical harvesting, dry in the field for 5—7 days, then thresh to prevent large amounts of grain shattering.
III. Loess Plateau summer broomcorn millet region
This region mainly includes central and southern Shanxi, southern Yan'an City and Weibei in Shaanxi, Pingliang City and Qingyang City in Gansu, and the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area. It is generally sown after wheat harvest, and there is also some spring-sown broomcorn millet.
(1) Select superior varieties. According to the ecological conditions and production levels of each place, scientifically choose high-quality varieties, and avoid cross-regional introduction of seeds without experimental demonstration.
(2) Apply sufficient base fertilizer. Broomcorn millet is a dryland crop, so sufficient base fertilizer should be applied once before sowing. Generally, in combination with land preparation, apply about 500 kg of farmyard manure per mu or 15 kg of diammonium phosphate and 6 kg of potassium sulfate. Where conditions permit, in combination with rainfall, apply 6 kg of urea as topdressing at the jointing stage.
(3) Sow for drought resistance. The suitable sowing period for summer-sown broomcorn millet is late June—early to mid-July, and early sowing is preferable. When soil moisture is insufficient, pay attention to sowing while pressing to draw up moisture. When the dry soil layer on the surface is too thick and the seeds are not easy to germinate after sowing, adopt the methods of waiting for rain to seize moisture and sowing seeds in advance.
(4) Reasonable close planting. For plots relying on the main stem to form panicles, the basic seedling population per mu is generally 60,000—80,000 plants.
(5) Harvest at the right time. When the grains at the base of the broomcorn millet panicle enter the wax ripeness stage and 70%—80% of the grains have dehydrated and hardened, this is the best harvest period. Manual harvesting should preferably be done in the morning, which can reduce grain shattering. After mechanical harvesting, dry in the field for 5—7 days, then thresh to prevent large amounts of grain shattering.