A. Sultana et al., INFLUENCE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY ON GERMINABILITY IN PEARL-MILLET (PENNISETUM-GLAUCUM), Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 64(3), 1994, pp. 165-167
An experiment was conducted during the rainy season 1988 Lo study the
effect of physiological maturity on germination of pearl millet [Penni
setum glaucun (L.) R Br. emend. Stuntz]. When pearl millet seeds were
harvested at different stages of maturity at 1-week intervals followin
g stigma emergence, there was a gradual decrease in the water content
of the developing seed from 87 to 11 %. This was accompanied by an inc
rease in the dry-matter accumulation from 1.6 to 10.6 g/1 000 grain wi
th a corresponding increase in the seed germination. Physiological mat
urity was attained at 11 % moisture content, which was 35-42 days afte
r stigma emergence. This may be used as the harvest date for this crop
. Germinable seeds may be collected much earlier than the time of maxi
mum dry-weight accumulation.