Saskatchewan Works on Early Millet

REGINA - Nov 7/05 - SNS -- Plant breeders in Saskatchewan are working on early season millet varieties they hope will diversify the province's birdseed ingredient industry beyond canaryseed.

Italian (Setaria italica) and Proso millet (Panicum milaceum) are major components of birdseed mixes. Dr. Pierre Hucl of the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan is working on adapting those classes of millet to Saskatchewan.

"Millets tend to perform well under high temperature conditions. They are physiologically similar to sorghum and corn," Hucl explains.

"Proso and Italian millet can be harvested with conventional equipment. Proso millet seems better adapted to Saskatchewan than Italian Millet, which tends to be grown further south in the Great Plains. We have identified the early maturing Italian millets in the USDA crop gene bank, and we have tested these particular lines at contrasting sites in the province."

Dr. Hucl and his colleagues had carried out an earlier screening study in 2001. He sought a wider environmental sample for his second project. Of the 730 millet seed samples accessed, 13 were tested for grain at four sites in 2003 and 11 at four sites in 2004.

"Averaged over six trials, the Italian millet lines yielded 50 to 70% more grain than the Proso millet check variety, while they were, on average, a week later maturing than the Proso Millet. It should be noted that the Italian millet lines had smaller seed and lower test weights than the Proso millet check variety," Hucl says.

"We determined that the earlier-maturing Italian millets can be grown successfully in Saskatchewan for grain production. Based on this baseline agronomic data, we feel that an economic feasibility study should be conducted. We have also initiated breeder seed production of the most promising lines, should there be interest in commercial production."

Hucl points out that one of the main impediments to grain millet production is currently a lack of registered weed control products. Research will be required in the area before any commercial production is undertaken.

A copy of the final report on the ADF project Selection of Italian and Proso Millets For Birdseed or Forage ##035; 20020219 may be obtained by phoning (306) 787-6566 in Regina.