Effect of Conservation Tillage and Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth, and Productivity Performance of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) in a Pearl Millet–Chickpea Cropping System of the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 kharif seasons at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, to assess the effects of conservation tillage and integrated nutrient management on the growth, yield attributes, productivity and economics of pearl millet in a pearl millet–chickpea cropping system. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. Four tillage treatments, namely ZT–ZT, ZT–CT, CT–ZT and CT–CT, were assigned to main plots, while four nutrient management treatments were allotted to sub-plots. Pooled results showed that tillage and nutrient management significantly influenced crop performance. Among tillage practices, ZT–ZT recorded the highest plant height (203.83 cm), dry matter accumulation (172.70 g plant⁻¹), SPAD value (63.11), biological yield (259.89 q ha⁻¹), grain yield (36.80 q ha⁻¹), stover yield (223.09 q ha⁻¹), net return (₹65,872 ha⁻¹) and benefit–cost ratio (1.85). Among nutrient management treatments, FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹ + crop residue (100%) + biofertilisers produced the highest dry matter accumulation (178.99 g plant⁻¹), SPAD value (63.28), biological yield (263.58 q ha⁻¹), grain yield (37.78 q ha⁻¹), stover yield (225.80 q ha⁻¹), net return (₹61,304 ha⁻¹) and benefit–cost ratio (1.69). The findings indicate that zero tillage combined with organic amendments, crop residue retention and biofertilisers can improve pearl millet productivity and profitability under the studied conditions.