HPIPM:Wild proso millet

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Magnoliophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Superorder	Lilianae
Order	Poales
Family	Poaceae
Subfamily	Panicoideae
Tribe	Paniceae
Genus	Panicum

Scientific Name

Panicum miliaceum

Common Name

wild-proso millet

Wild proso millet (Panicum miliaceum)

Author: The Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Colorado State Parks, and Colorado Natural Areas Program - in partnership with the Division of Plant Industries in the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Adapted from Appendix 4: Profiles of Colorado State-Listed Noxious Weeds, page 239 by Marjolein Schat, Montana State University

Identification and Life Cycle

Wild proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), also called proso millet and broom corn millet, is an annual in the grass family (Poaceae). Seedling leaf blades are densely hairy as are the leaf sheaths. The back of the midrib often has a row of hairs protruding at a 90-degree angle. The large, shiny, dark brown to black seed coat often persists on the root system. Mature plants are 2-6 feet tall with erect stems that branch at the base. Leaf blades are o.5 to 0.75 inches wide. Sheaths are open with long spreading hairs. The ligule is a fringe of dense hairs. The inflorescence is a spreading panicle 6-12 inches wide and not fully extended from the leaf sheath. Seeds are smooth, shiny, and olive brown to black. Wild proso millet has a short fibrous root system. The only way to distinguish between wild proso millet and domestic proso millet is seed color. Domestic proso millet has yellow or light brown seeds.

Habitats

Wild proso millet is commonly found in crops and along field edges and roadsides. It grows particularly well on rich, irrigated soil but can grow on a wide range of soil types.

Impacts

Wild proso millet is a strong competitor in row crops, and is a particular problem in corn, soybeans, and dry edible beans.

Biology and Ecology

Wild proso millet reproduces by seed. Germination begins in spring and continues throughout the summer. Flowering begins in July and continues throughout the summer. Seeds mature from late August through September. A single plant may produce between 400 and 2,100 seeds. Seed can remain viable in the soil for over five years.

Management Approaches

Preventing seed production can reduce the seed bank by 70% per year.

Biological Control

There are no biological control agents for wild proso millet.

Mechanical and Cultural Control

Rotary hoeing kills a large percentage of the first flush of wild-proso millet if properly timed. Rotary hoe about 7 to 10 days after the last tillage for seedbed preparation when weed seedlings have sprouted, but before they emerge.

Chemical Control

A number of herbicides can be used to successfully control wild proso millet. For herbicide recommendations for specific grain rotations and weeds in Montana, please see the MSU Herbicide Chooser Tool.

Examples of herbicides that can be used to manage wild proso millet

Consult herbicide labels for additional rate, application, and safety information. Additional herbicide information can be found at http://www.greenbook.net.

Herbicide Active Ingredient trade name	Mode of Action	Product per Acre	Application Time or Growth Stage
Alfalfa
Clethodim	Inhibition of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)
*Select Max		9 - 16 ounces	Apply when wild proso millet is 2 to 10 inches tall. May be applied to seedling or established alfalfa. Apply at least 15 days before harvest, grazing, or feeding.
Peas and Lentils
Quizalofop	Inhibition of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)
*Assure II		5 - 8 ounces	Apply to emerged weeds 2 to 6 inches tall. For best results apply when weedy grasses are in the 3-leaf to boot stage.
Wheat and Barley
Fenoxaprop	Inhibition of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)
*Puma		6.4 ounces	Apply Puma to wheat from the 1-leaf to 60 days before harvest in MT and 70 days before harvest in UT and WY. Apply Puma to barley from crop emergence up to the 5-leaf stage. Do not apply after jointing.
Corn and Sorghum
Dicamba; diflufennzopyr; nicosulfuron	Action like indole acetic acid (synthetic auxins), Inhibition of acetolactate synthase ALS (acetohydroxyacid synthase AHAS)
*Celebrity Plus		4.67 ounces	Apply to actively growing millet 2-4 inches tall when corn is 4 to 24 inches tall.
Dry Beans
Sethoxydim	Inhibition of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)
*Poast		0.5 – 1 pint	Apply Poast to wild proso millet less than 10 inches tall and at least 30 days prior to bean harvest.

The information herein is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and that listing of commercial products, necessary to this guide, implies no endorsement by the authors or the Extension Services of Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming or Montana. Criticism of products or equipment not listed is neither implied nor intended. Due to constantly changing labels, laws and regulations, the Extension Services can assume no liability for the suggested use of chemicals contained herein. Pesticides must be applied legally complying with all label directions and precautions on the pesticide container and any supplemental labeling and rules of state and federal pesticide regulatory agencies. State rules and regulations and special pesticide use allowances may vary from state to state: contact your State Department of Agriculture for the rules, regulations and allowances applicable in your state and locality.

References

For more information and images please visit IPM Bugwood.

http://www.ipmimages.org/search/action.cfm?q=wild%20proso%20millet&Start=1&results=30

http://128.104.239.6/uw_weeds/extension/articles/woolwildpro.htm