Grain productivity and nutrient accumulation in millet straw grown in the off-season

Given the growing demand for grains cultivation in the off-season, an experiment was conducted to evaluate grain yield and nutrient accumulation in straw, straw production, and decomposition of pearl millet varieties and hybrids cultivated at different sowing times in off-season in the municipality of Rio Verde, state of Goiás. This was a randomized block experimental design, with four replications and four planting times. The work was carried out on an Oxisol, using two forage varieties, ADR300 and ADR500, the dual-purpose pearl millet hybrid ADR8010 for grain and biomass production, and two grain hybrids, ADR9010 and ADR 9020. The accumulation of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur) was quantified in the straw at grain harvest. Hybrids ADR 9010 and ADR 9020 had the highest grain yield in the first season, with 2,626 and 2,425 kg ha-1, respectively, while the ADR 9010 hybrid showed the highest accumulation of macronutrients (except phosphorus) in the straw. Hybrid ADR 9010 is the best option for planting in the off-season with the objective of grain production, with high biomass production and accumulation of nutrients in the straw.