Pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (l.) Leeke) is an annual graminea, of tropical climate, used in animal feeding as forage, in direct feeding, for cut, hay, silage and as grain crop for feed. To study the behavior of the pearl millet, sown at different times of the year underconditions in Botucatu, SP, Brazil, under plastic tunnel, with the purpose of seed production, two experiments were carried out. In experiment 1, nine sowing times (April to December) were studied using the BN2 cultivar and in experiment 2, three times (January to March) using the Comun cultivar. A randomized experimental design was used with five replications. The following were evaluated: yield components, yield, seed germination and vigor (first count of the germination test, electrical conductivity and seedling emergence in soil). The sowing time affected the pearl millet seed yield and quality. The mass of 1000 seeds and the number of seeds per panicle contributed to the best yield results. The promising sowing times for pearl millet seed production in Botucatu are December and January.
Pennisetum americanum; yield; germination; vigor
