General climatic and soil requirements for pearl millet

Pearl millet is a warm season crop and is sensitive to frost. Temperatures of around 28 to 30°C are regarded as suitable for crop growth. Pearl millet is generally sensitive to low temperatures during the seedling and flowering stages. The crop grows well in a wide range of rainfall regimes ranging from 200 to 1,500 mm per annum although 250 to 700 mm is considered as the ideal range. The rainfall is preferably evenly distributed throughout the growing season. Too much rainfall during flowering is reported to cause yield reductions. The seed matures best in a non-rainy, dry and cool climate.

Even though millets are drought tolerant, prolonged dry spell can reduce yields significantly. But its rapidly developing root system, the special mechanism of its root system to prevent desiccation during periods of moisture stress, and its high tillering capacity make pearl millet tough to drought.

Millet grows well in deep to loamy sands but performs best on deep well drained fertile soils. Deep soils are ideal, as the pearl millet roots can grow to nearly 3.6 m depth. Pearl millet also performs relatively well under acidic soil conditions. But the crop does not grow well in calcareous soils.