Hybrids are available as well as open pollinated and synthetic varieties. Pearl millet is primarily grown for grain production but may be suitable for forage. Pearl millet, Pennisetum americanum , is a relative newcomer to Colorado. It comes from tropical, arid regions and is a distant relative of grain sorghum. Crosses between the two species have been reported.
Pearl millet is a common grain in the semiarid areas of Africa south of the Sahara.
Pearl millet is one of the most water-efficient cultivated plants. Its requirement values fall between the proso and common millet. It survives well where dryland sorghum may fail to make a crop. Under irrigation or high precipitation, however, pearl millet yields generally are not competitive with sorghum. Pearl millet types exist for both forage and grain production.