Some pearl millet in sanliurfa ecological conditions determination of forage yield and quality characteristics of [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] populations

This research was conducted with the aim of determining the forage yield and some quality characteristics of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.), a warm-season annual cereal crop, under ecological conditions in Akçakale/Şanlıurfa in the year 2022. In the study, in addition to the Yellow control variety, 6 pearl millet populations (9198, 8022, 4903, 9645, 9449, and 5455) obtained from ICRISAT were used as materials. The experiment was established in a randomized complete block design with three replications. In the research, each population was planned with 4 rows, row spacing of 70 cm, and row-to-row spacing of 25 cm. Harvesting was carried out when the grains in the panicle reached the milk-dough stage. In this study, in addition to yield-related traits, some quality characteristics related to forage quality were determined. Flowering duration ranged from 55.67 to 59.00 days, plant height from 311.67 to 351.67 cm, stem count from 37.00 to 59.33 (pcs/m), lodging score from 3 to 5, green forage yield from 5400.00 to 8076.19 kg da-1, dry forage yield from 2322.00 to 3472.76 kg da-1, crude protein (CP) content in dry forage from 6.87% to 9.25%, acid detergent fiber (ADF) content in dry forage from 31.11% to 36.69% and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content in dry forage from 44.49% to 52.09%. According to the research results, when yield and quality characteristics were evaluated together for Şanlıurfa province and similar ecological conditions, the population coded as 5455 was found to be superior to other populations, and it was concluded that it could be considered for forage production purposes under second-crop conditions in our region