How can farmers reduce the risks associated with millet farming practices to preserve soil quality and productivity over the long term and what potential hazards and difficulties are involved?
@ Himanshu, millet itself can improve soil health by enhancing soil organic matter, reducing soil erosion, and improving soil structure and fertility. Moreover, millet have a low carbon footprint compared to other crops because they require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Soil fertility can be further improved by incorporating cover crops that add organic matter to the soil, which leads to improved soil structure and promotes a healthy, fertile soil; by using green manure or growing legumes to fix nitrogen from the air through the process of biological nitrogen fixation. Although there is a potential difficulties in growing millets as the lack of access to HYV seeds which led to low crop productivity, the lack of public awareness about nutritional benefits of millets has led to limited adoption of millets as a ready to cook cereal.
Soil fertility can be further improved by incorporating cover crops that add organic matter to the soil, which leads to improved soil structure and promotes a healthy, fertile soil; by using green manure or growing legumes to fix nitrogen from the air through the process of biological nitrogen fixation. Millet more appealing to farmers is its ability to enhance soil nutrients. The plant has a fibrous root system that prevents soil erosion and maintains soil integrity. As an organic matter, millet composts slowly and helps retain water. Generally the Millets are grown in tropical as well as sub-tropical upto an altitude of 2,100m. It is a heat loving plant and for its germination the minimum temperature required is 8- 10°c. A mean temperature range of 26-29°c during the growth is best for proper development and good crop yield. Such soil fertility management practices include the use of fertilizers, organic inputs, crop rotation with legumes and the use of improved germplasm, combined with the knowledge on how to adapt these practices to local conditions. Soil productivity encompasses soil fertility plus the inherent and management-related factors affecting plant growth and development. It is generally measured in terms of inputs versus outputs, which for agronomic situations generally refers to water and/or nutrient input versus crop yield. Soil fertility is one of the most important soil characteristics for crop growth. Crops require nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients at the right levels to grow properly and yield well. Fertile soils retain moderate to high levels of the nutrients needed for plant growth and good yield.
Except pearl millet and sorghum most of the millets are being grown with traditional methods and varieties with least risk. As we started scientific interventions like varieties and use of chemicals the risk factor increases.Therefore, better to grow them organically combined with other practices for soil fertility improvement like use of biofertilisers, compost, crop rotation and optimum irrigation etc.
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