Intensification of Pearl Millet Production in Niger through Mechanized Sowing and Weeding, Seed Priming, Seed Treatment, and Microdosing

Pearl millet production in Niger is characterized by manual sowing and weeding and low use of inputs like mineral and organic fertilizer. This objective of the study was to compare a traditional production package (control) against a new production package consisting of mechanized sowing and weeding, seed priming, seed treatment with a fungicide/insecticide, and microdosing at rate of 0.3 g NPK 15-15-15 hill(-1). The experiment was conducted for 2017 and 2018 and at three sites each year. The average time used for sowing and weeding was reduced from 70.2 hours ha(-1) in manual operations to 20.3 hours ha(-1) in mechanized operations. The new production package reduced the time to maturity by 11 days compared with the traditional package. Average grain yield in the traditional and new production package was 947 and 1470 kg ha(-1), respectively, while the corresponding stover yields were 2460 and 3005 kg ha(-1), respectively. The increased yield as a result of the new production package is likely an effect of more precise sowing, better weed control, and faster crop development. The improved package increased the gross margin by 80.2% compared with the traditional production method. The improved package will be interesting for the farmers because of the increase in land and labour productivity.