For one hectare, raise seedlings on 7.5 cents near a water source where water does not stagnate. Apply 750 kg of FYM, and sow 3.75 kg of seed (0.5 kg per cent) in shallow rills no deeper than 1 cm, covering with 500 kg of FYM. In shoot fly-endemic areas use up to 12.5 kg per hectare and transplant only healthy seedlings. Do not keep seedlings in the nursery for more than 18 days, and do not let cracks form in the nursery.
Plough twice with an iron plough and twice with a country plough to a fine tilth. Spread 12.5 t/ha of FYM or compost on the unploughed soil and incorporate it. Form ridges and furrows 6 m long and 45 cm apart (30 cm if pulses are intercropped). Transplant 15–18-day-old seedlings at 45 x 15 cm, on the side of the ridge half-way from the bottom, 3–5 cm deep. Before planting, dip the roots for 15–30 minutes in a slurry of 1000 g Azospirillum and 1000 g phosphobacteria in 40 litres of water.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cumbu – Main field & transplanting, pp. 83–85
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Direct sowing and intercropping with pulses
For direct sowing, use 45 x 15 cm spacing and 5 kg of seed per hectare, placed 4–5 cm apart in the fertilized furrows; optimum population is 1,45,000 per hectare. With a pulse intercrop, use 30 x 15 cm for bajra and 30 x 10 cm for pulses, alternating one paired row of bajra with one row of pulses. After the first weeding, gap-fill and thin to 15 cm between bajra plants.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cumbu – Direct sown crop; thinning, pp. 85–86
