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Soils

Loamy Soil

Grain pearl millet can be grown on many different soils. Pearl millet will yield best on fertile, well-drained loamy soils. However, it is quite tolerant of shallow soil and droughty conditions. Pearl millet can be grown successfully on clay, clay loam, or sandy loam soils.

Fertile, well drained soils are important to optimize yield. Soils with clay loam or loam texture, having good water retention capacity are best suited for pearl millet cultivation. Grain pearl millet do not grow well in soils prone to waterlogged conditions.

Pearl millet grown on deep, well drained permeable soils usually develops extensive root systems.

Mature plant roots may penetrate to depths of 4 to 6 feet in an ideal soil. Root development can be severely restricted by soil conditions such as excessively high or low soil moisture levels, hard pan and compaction.  Pearl millet can tolerate acid sub-soils to as low as pH 4 and high in aluminum content. But, does not grow well under calcareous  soils.

Striga infected pearl millet field

Soils seriously infected with witch weed or striga must be avoided.

In semi-arid and arid conditions of India, pearl millet is extensively grown in light - textured red sandy, red loamy, alluvial and coastal - alluvial soils as well as on mixed black and red and medium black soils. Pearl millet is also grown on medium black soils, deep alluvial loams and on sandy and gravelly soils of poor fertility with low organic matter content but the yields are low.