1. Crop Rotation:

Rotate millet with other crops. During the growth of other crops, weeds can be removed during the seedling stage, significantly reducing weeds for the following year. In areas with concentrated millet cultivation, if crop rotation isn't feasible, rotate millet varieties with different seedling colors to facilitate weed removal during thinning.

2. Strengthen Field Management:

Thinning should be focused on. It's advised to use film mulching hole planting, as the spacing of millet plants is clear, and those deviating from the normal position of the plant are weeds, making weeding easier.

When choosing new varieties, understand their morphological and color characteristics to aid in weeding and removing different plants and weeds. After heading, millet and weeds can be clearly distinguished; remove weeds before flowering to reduce damage of the year and prevent the spread of weeds next year.

Deep plowing in autumn can bury most weed seeds into the soil layer below 15cm, preventing them from germinating. This is one of the main measures for controlling wild oats and other weeds. Applying fertilizer in autumn can mature the soil and fully decompose organic fertilizers, killing weed seeds including wild oat weeds.

Organic fertilizers made from crop straws, weeds, and animal manure should be composted at high temperatures to kill weed seeds before being applied to fields. Combining high-temperature composting in summer, clearing weeds around fields and channels, and deep plowing to eradicate weeds in uncultivated lands are effective measures to reduce wild oat sources for the following year.

3. Use Suitable Herbicides:

Specific herbicides should be chosen. Read the instructions carefully and use them strictly as directed, or under the guidance of the manufacturer or experts.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

Although wild oats and millet seedlings look similar, there are clear differences:

1. Each green leaf of wild oats has a white midrib, while millet leaves are entirely green.

2. The stems of wild oats are flat and ridged, while those of millet are round.

3. Wild oats require higher temperatures for germination, with most seeds germinating between 20-30℃, while millet can germinate at the lowest temperature of 7-8℃ and at the highest temperature of 30℃. The coleoptile of wild oat is red, and the first leaf that emerges after breaking through the coleoptile is wider, followed by the second longer and narrower leaf. After three or four leaves, it starts tillering. These characteristics can be used to help remove the wild oats.

If it is still unclear after using the above standard, you can dig out a clump of millet seedlings with seeds from multiple places in the field, shake off the soil to see the seedlings with roots. Millet seedlings with yellow seed coats are millets, while those with black and thinner seed coats are wild oats. These seedlings can be used as reference for thinning. It's advised to use film mulching hole planting, as the spacing of millet plants is clear, and those deviating from the normal position of the plant are wild oats, making wild oating easier.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

They mature early, shed easily, have broad adaptability and strong viability. They can grow in both high water and fertilizer conditions and in dry and poor conditions.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

1. Wild oats and foxtail grass often grow in large quantities on field edges, barren slopes, and in short-stalked crop fields with extensive management. Mature seeds enter the fields with wind or rainwater, becoming the source of seeds for the following year. This situation is common in mountainous or hilly areas, especially in low-lying areas. When collecting manure, a large number of wild oat seeds mixed with grass and soil are introduced, most of which rot and die, but some remain viable and germinate when applied to the field.

2. Most seeds in feed grass with wild oats die after digestion in livestock's stomachs, but a small portion can survive. These seeds are introduced into fields with manure and become another source of wild oats, making their complete eradication difficult.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

For dry-land, 8000-10000 seedlings per mu are appropriate, and for irrigated land, 10000-12000 seedlings per mu. Within this range, dense planting is suitable for lands with better fertility and water conditions, while sparse planting based on practical experience is advisable for poorer fields.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

"Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet belongs to the large-spike type of hybrid variety, with spikes reaching up to 40cm and a high tillering rate. Therefore, cultivation management should focus on exploiting individual advantages, adhering to the principle of appropriate sparsity rather than density.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

Under the condition of film mulching, millet can be planted in hilly and slope areas up to an altitude of 1800m. In dry lands, "Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet No. 3, No. 13, and No. 19 are suitable, and in areas with better moisture conditions, "Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet No. 5 and No. 10 are to be selected.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

Seed selection, land preparation, and sowing seeds should be focused on. The film is ensured to be smooth and tight to prevent natural seed germination from being affected by misaligned seeding holes. The film should be covered with soil to prevent strong winds from lifting the film.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

Millet itself is a water-saving and drought-resistant crop, and "Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet has even stronger drought resistance. Combining with film mulching technique can promote seedling protection and strengthening in spring.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)

Film mulching is an important measure in mountainous dry-land agriculture, mostly developed as film mulching cultivation in autumn. It helps retain the rain water from the previous year's autumn to benefit spring sowing and seedling growth of the year.

Source: Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS)