Effects of climate change on pearl millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i> [L. R. Br.]) production in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the relationship between climate change and pearl millet production in Nigeria. It discusses the origin, distribution of the species with some of their properties including production constraints in the Sub Saharan Africa and Nigeria in particular. Northern states of Nigeria were found to be the dominant producers of pearl millets with Sokoto state having a total cultivated area of 747,580ha. Pearl millet was also found to be the major crop amongst others, useful for minimizing the adverse effect of climate change, hence facilitating income and food security among farming communities. Major production constraint of the crop in the Sub Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria is yield reduction and/or total crop failure caused by erratic seasonal rainfalls, floods, failing soil fertility and poor crop management practices. Biotic stress due to weeds such as Striga spp as well as insect pests and diseases pestilences is a constraint. Therefore, appropriate climate change mitigation efforts to improve pearl millet production and enhance food security should be adopted in the Sub Saharan Africa and Nigeria.

Effect of Seasonal Temperature on the Genotypic Variability of Flowering Duration in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in Niger

“…Millet is the crop that is "still" capable of growing and producing food seeds, in agroclimatic conditions where any other cereal would fail (Daouda Ousmane, 2017;Varshney et al, 2017;Kadri et al, 2019). It is the cereal proven to be the main crop to minimize the adverse effects of climate change in arid and semi-arid zones (Azare et al, 2020). Millet is almost exclusively grown under strict rainfed conditions, in the Sahelian zone where there is only one rainy season.…”