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Background and Objectives: Foxtail millet (SETARIA italica L. ) is cultivated world wide for human and animal consumption. Because of drought and salt tolerance, millets can be cultivated in the areas affected by drought and salt stress conditions in the country. Weeds are the major obstacles in increasing the productivity of millets. Since now, there has been no remarkable research and suitable herbicides available for weed control in foxtail millet fields during the post-emergence stage. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of some herbicides on weeds grown in the field and their safety on foxtail millet simultanously. Materials and Methods: A field study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of herbicides for weed control in foxtail millet (SETARIA italica L. ) in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Khorasan Razavi Province, in Mashhad in 2012 growing season. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized blocks design with four replications. Treatments were consisted of the post emergence application of dual purpose herbicides including: metsulfuron-methyl+ sulfosulfuron (Total® WG) 32 g active ingredient (a i) ha-1, sulfosulfuron (Apirus® WG) 19. 95 g a i ha-1, oxadiazon (Ronstar® SC) 1000 g a i ha-1, mesosulfuron+ idosulfuron (Atlantis® OD) l8 g a i ha-1, isoprotron+ diflophenican (Panther® SC) 1100 g a i ha-1, anilofus+ ethoxysulfuron (Sunrice Plus® EC) 945 g a i ha-1, oxadiargyl (Topstar® 30 EC) 1200 g a i ha-1, and grass killers including: fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (Puma Super® ) 55. 2 g a i ha-1, diclofop-methyl (Illoxan® EC) 867. 5 g a i ha-1, pinoxaden (Axial® 100 EC) l50 g a i ha-1, clodinafop (Topik® 240 EC) 192 g a i ha-1, pinoxaden+ clodinafop (Traxos® EC) 300 g a i ha-1 plus hand weeding and weedy checks. Results: Results showed Amaranthus retroflexus (L. ) Chenopodium album (L. ), Portulaca oleracea (L. ) were dominant broadleaved weed species and Echinocloa crus-galli (L. ) P. Beauv. and SETARIA viridis (L. ) P. Beauv. were dominant narrowleaved weed species in the field. Density and dry matter of dominant weed species were significantly decreased by dual purpose and grass killer herbicides. Because of severe damage on foxtail millet, application of fenoxaprop-pethyl, diclofop-methyl, pinoxaden, clodinafop, pinoxaden+ clodinafop, metsulfuron-methyl+ sulfosulfuron, sulfosulfuron, mesosulfuron+ idosulfuron are not recommended to be used for weed control in foxtail millet fields. Conclusion: Application of oxadiargyl, oxadiazon, isoprotron+ diflophenican, and anilofus+ ethoxysulfuron showed suitable weed control and caused no adverse effect on biological and grain yield of foxtail millet and therefore can be recommended to be used for weed control in foxtail millet fields.

Objective: Fusarium diseases that cause grain mold and stalk rot of millet are the most important diseases, of these crops in Iran. Fusarium can cause stalk rots, ear rots, and grain mold, resulting in serious production losses in millet, and produce mycotoxins that are harmful to both humans and domesticated animals.Methods: A total of 23 Fusarium isolates were recovered from Foxtail millet collected from different geographic regions of Southern Khorasan provinces in Iran during 2012 - 2014. Fusarium isolates were identified based on the morphological characters.Results: According to morphological features, 9 out of 23 isolates were identified as F. solani, one as F. fujikuroi, three as F. diversisporum., one as F. verticillioides, three as F. semitectum, two as F. equiseti, one as F. crookwellense and three as F. acuminatum. Based on the available references, all Fusarium species that were recovered in this study, are reported from millet for the first time from Iran.

Optimizing the effectiveness of herbicides by additives is one of the ecological and economical approaches for weed management. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vegetable oils on the efficacy of clethodim herbicide in control of foxtail as a factorial based on a completely randomized design including clethodim concentration in six levels (0, 7. 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 g ai per ha) and additives in eight levels (without vegetable oil and vegetable oils of sesame, bitter almonds, sweet almonds, cottonseed, canola, rapeseed and soybean) with four replications in 2014 in Research Greenhouse of Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. The results of this study showed that clethodim concentration, vegetable oil types and interaction effect of concentrations in vegetable oils had a significant effect on measured traits of foxtail including height, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root and root volume. Increasing relative potency for all traits measured based on 50% effective dosage was observed, which indicates an increase in the efficiency of clethodim in foxtail control. The results of this study also showed a 90% effective dose reduction for fresh and dry weight of green foxtail in the presence of all vegetable oils. The higher relative potency for fresh and dry weight of roots compared with fresh and dry weight of the shoot showed greater root susceptibility to the application of vegetable oils by increasing the transfer of clethodim to the root. The application of sesame, bitter almonds, sweet almonds, cottonseed, canola, rapeseed and soybean oil led to 1. 20, 1. 26, 1. 42, 1. 39, 1. 41, 1. 43, and 1. 41 times increases, respectively, in clethodim performance. Finally, application of vegetable oils as additives to clethodim herbicide can be considered as an ecological and environmental approach for controlling green foxtail.

In order to stablity analysis of foxtail millet, six foxtail millet genotypes (five new genotyps and Bastan as control) were cultivated in six locations (Karaj, Gonbad, Varamin, Yazd, Sari and Birjand) across two years in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results of combined analysis for studied traits (number of tillers, number of leaves, days to flowering, height, fresh forage yield, dry forage yield and seed yield) showed that the environment main effect and intraction effect between genotypes and environments were significant at 1% probability level for all studied traits and genotypes. Main effects on all traits except number of leaves, days to flowering and height were significantley different. All of the studied genotypes except G4, had higher forage yield than Bastan (control). The total mean yield of fresh forage was 24. 76 t/ha and the average of all cultivars except G3 and G5, was lower than total mean. The results of the stability analysis by differnrt methods (ranking, regression, Wricke oekovalenz, Shukla stability variance, CV, superiority index and AMMI stability value) showed that G5 had high yield and was the most stable genotype in the studied environments. Spearman's rank correlation between forage yield and stabilty parameters showed strong negative correlation between forage yield and superiority index (Pi) and ranking (Si). These results indicated that using Pi and S1 for simultanious selection of stable and high yielding foxtail millet genotypes would be efficent. Rregression deviation, Wricke's ecovalence and Shukla stability variance are equivalent in ranking genotypes for stability and could be substituted with each other in breeding programs. In conclusion, the results showed that G5 had high yield and good stability to all environments and could be introduced as a new cultivar.

The study was carried out on karyotypes of 15 Panicum miliaceum L. and SETARIA italica L. populations. Karyotypic attributes were recorded at metaphase stage of mitotic cells of the populations. Karyotypic parameters, including total length of chromosome, long and short arms length, arm ratio, centromer index, differences between the relative length, intra and inter-chromosomal index and total form percentage were estimated. Analysis of variance using completely randomized design model showed a significant difference (P<%1) among the populations for all of the estimated parameters. Total length of chromosomes varied from 87.3 micrometer in population of Najaf Abad to 238.3 micrometer in population of Badroud. The chromosome number was x = 9 for studied populations. P. miliaceum and S. italica were tetraploid and diploid, respectively. According to Stebbins classification, most of the populations placed in 1A and 2B class, indicating relative symmetrical karyotype.

In order to evaluate the quantitative factors in fox tail millet (SETARIA italica L.) under three stages of growth, an experiment was conducted in Birjand during spring and summer of 2010. The preliminary objective was evaluation of fox tail physiological characteristics on animals that feed them. Planting of Foxtail millet was performed according to local practices and endemic acknowledge. Sampling was carried out at Vegetative, flowering and seeding stages, then samples transported to laboratory of animal nutrition. After Drying of sampling, dry matter, dry matter digestibility, crude protein, metabolically energy, Acid Detergent Fiber and Nitrogen Detergent Fiber, Ash and some mineral nutrients were measured. The results showed significant differences in measured characteristics in various phonological stages. Forage quality was higher in flowering and seeding stages than in vegetative stage. Dry matter digestibility and metabolically energy were high and NDF and ADF were less in vegetative stage. Because fox tail millet is leafy and palatable by animal at this stage, it’s optimum yield is important. Ability to produce Green fodder by this plant and the possibility of cultivation in different regions and its ability to produce forage for livestocks, its planting is recommended.

In order to determine the best planting date and plant density on forage yield of Foxtial millet, an experiment was conducted using a factorial experiment in Randomized Complete Block Design with 4 replications at research station of Gorgan in 2005. First factor included different three planting dates (Jun.22th, Ju1.7th, and Ju1.22th) and second factor plant densities (30, 45 and 60 plant per m2).Results showed that forage yield increased with increasing of plant density. The highest forage yield obtained in 60 plants/m2 (fresh forage= 35628kg/hac, dry forage=13494kg/hac). Forage yield decreased with delaying of planting date, as highest density forage yield (fresh forage=37011kg/hac, dry forage=12833 kg/hac) obtained in first planting date (Jun.22th). Interaction of planting date and plant density wasn't significant. Total dry matter, COR, LAI and LAR increased with increasing of plant densities. Also total dry matter, COR, LAI and LAR increased with delay in planting date.