Method of millet seeds harvesting (Panicum virgatum L.)

The article presents the results of research on the effectiveness of different methods of harvesting rodshaped millet seeds – separate and direct. In particular, a separate method with maturation and drying of seeds on mown plants and a direct method with maturation and drying of threshed seeds immediately after mowing. An important element of seed harvesting technology is the determination of the optimal timing of mowing plants. It was founded that the optimal method of millet seeds harvesting is the separate method, in which the quality of seeds significantly increases regardless of the timing of mowing the seed heads into a swath at panicle browning from 75 % – the beginning of mowing to 100 % – the end of mowing. With the separate method of harvesting, both when browning 50 % of the panicle, the energy of germination, seed germination, and the weight of 1000 seeds probably increased by 5 %, 4 %, and 0.17 g respectively, and when browning 75–100 % of the panicle, compared to the direct method collection. The improvement of seed quality with the separate harvesting method, when the seeds ripen and dry on mowed plants, is due to the outflow of nutrients from the plant to the seeds, which is not the case with the direct harvesting method, where the seeds ripen and dry in the piles immediately after threshing. The quality of seeds was significantly affected by the timing of mowing of the seed bins in both the separate and direct harvesting methods. In particular, with the direct method of harvesting and browning of the panicle at 100 %, germination energy and germination rate increased by 6 %, and the weight of 1000 seeds – by 0.25 g, compared to the mowing time with the panicle browning at 50 %. This method of collecting millet seeds harvesting is not energy-intensive and can be used in seed farms that grow seeds of the crop. In order to obtain high-quality millet seeds, it is advisable to harvest the seeds separately, mowing the seed heads in a swath with panicle browning is from 75 % (beginning of mowing) to 100 % (end of mowing), ripening the seeds on the mown plants and then thresh them. The direct harvesting method significantly reduces seed quality. Key words: panicle browning, separation method, germination energy, germination, weight of 1000 seeds.