Table 1 Optimum agrarian conditions for major cereals and millets

Rice

Oryza sativa

Heavy to sandy loam

Sea level up to 2500 m

21–37 °C

6.5 to 8.5

Less than 3.0 dS/m

Range 100–300 cm

Average 120–140 cm

100–160

[13]

Wheat

Triticum aestivum L.

Light clay or heavy loam

Sea level to 2500 m

Range 1.3–35 °C

Average 15.5 °C

6.0 to 7.0

6.0 dS/m

Range 30–100 cm

90–125

[15, 16]

Sorghum

Sorghum bicolor

Clay loamy soils to shallow soils

Sea level to 3000 m

Range 7–30 °C

Average 26–30 °C

5.0–8.0

4–6 dS/m

40–100 cm

90–120

[17, 18]

Pearl Millet

Pennisetum glacum

Loamy soils, shallow soils, soils with clay, clay loam and sandy loam texture

Sea level to 2700 m

30–34 °C

*can grow up to 46 °C

6.0–7.0

*can grow up to 8.0 pH

11–12 dS/m

*yields are economically well up to ECe 8dS/m

20–60 cm

60–70 

[19]

Finger millet

Eleusine coracana

Rich loam to poor upland shallow soils

Sea level to 2300 m

26–29 °C

*lower productivity below 20 °C

4.5 to 7.5

11–12 dS/m

50–60 cm

90–120 

[20]

Proso millet

Panicum miliaceum

Sandy loam, slightly acidic, saline, low fertility soils

1200–3500 m above sea level

20–30 °C

5.5 to 6.5

–

20–50 cm

60–90 

[21]

Foxtail Millet

Setaria italica L.

Sandy to loamy soils

Sea level to 2000 m

Range 5–35 °C

Average 16–25 °C

5.5–7.0

6 dS/m

30–70 cm

75–90

[22,23,24]

Barnyard Millet

Echinochloa, E. frumentacea (Indian barnyard millet) and E. esculenta (Japanese barnyard millet),

Medium to heavy soils

Sea level to 2000 m

Range 15–33 °C

Average 27–33 °C

4.6–7.4

3–5 dS/m

–

45–70 

[25, 26]

Kodo millet

Paspalum scrobiculatum L.)

Fertile to marginal soils

Up to 1500 m

25–27 °C

–

–

800–1200 mm

100–140

[27]

Little Millet

Panicum sumatrense

–

Up to 2100 m

–

–

–

–

80–85 

[27, 28]