Different cultivation measures, including seeding patterns, plastic film mulching, and drip irrigation, significantly affect crop growth and yield. This study conducted a two-year field experiment, involving eight treatments: hole seeding and drill seeding, mulching and bare land, as well as with and without drip irrigation. Analyzed the impact on agronomic traits, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and yield components during the growth period of foxtail millet. The results of two years indicate that the growth trend of foxtail millet was consistent under both hole seeding and drill seeding. The best performance was achieved with drip irrigation treatment for mulching, followed by drip irrigation for bare land, no drip irrigation for mulching, and no drip irrigation for bare land. In 2024, the maximum yield of HFD in hole seeding pattern was 4627.55 kg/ha. The maximum yield of DFD in drill pattern is 4430.22 kg/ha. In summary, based on the comprehensive optimization of two years of data and the effective accumulated temperature in the local area, the best planting method is hole seeding, mulching, and drip irrigation. In cold and cool regions, mulching with film aids in increasing the accumulated temperature of the tillage layer. Hole seeding is conducive to enhancing seedling quality. Performing drip irrigation once during the late heading stage stimulates the growth and fruiting of foxtail millet, thereby increasing yield.

Grass damage has become an important factor restricting foxtail millet production; chemical weeding can help resolve this issue. However, special herbicides in foxtail millet fields are lacking. Penoxsulam has a broad weed control spectrum and a good control effect. In this project, Jingu 21 was used as the test material, and five different concentrations of penoxsulam were used for spraying test in the three–five leaf stage. In this experiment, the effects on the growth of foxtail millet were discussed by measuring the agronomic characters and antioxidant capacity of foxtail millet after spraying penoxsulam. The results showed that: (1) penoxsulam is particularly effective in controlling Amaranthus retroflexus L. (A. retroflexus) and Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. (E. crus-galli), but is ineffective in controlling Chenopodium album L. (C. album) and Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (D. sanguinalis); (2) the stem diameter, fresh weight, and dry weight of the above-ground parts decreased with the increase in spraying amount; (3) as the spraying dosage increased, the superoxide (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities in the foxtail millet initially increased and subsequently decreased; the malonaldehyde (MDA) content increased. Our experiment found that 1/2X and 1X spraying dosages had certain application value in controlling gramineous weeds in foxtail millet field. Other spraying dosages are not recommended as they may harm the crops. Our findings provide reference for identifying new herbicides in the foxtail millet field.