Effect of Irrigation and Antitranspirant on Growth and Yield Attributes of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.)

Abstract

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is a drought-tolerant crop, yet its growth and yield are significantly influenced by water availability and moisture stress conditions. The use of optimized irrigation strategies along with antitranspirants can help reduce water loss and improve crop productivity under limited water resources. The field experiment was conducted at Crop Research Farm, Naini Agriculture Institute, Department of Agronomy, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj during Zaid¸ 2025 on sandy loamy soil. The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design, replicated thrice, consisting of nine treatments i.e.,I1AT0 Irrigation (At 30, 60 DAS) + No Antitranspirant, I1AT1 Irrigation (At 30, 60 DAS) + Kaolin 40g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), I1AT2 Irrigation (At 30, 60 DAS) + Fulvic acid 1.5g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), I2AT0 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60 DAS) + No Antitranspirant, I2AT1 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60 DAS) + Kaolin 40g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), I2AT2 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60 DAS) + Fulvic acid 1.5g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), I3AT0 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60, 75 DAS) + No Antitranspirant, I3AT1 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60, 75 DAS) + Kaolin 40g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), I3AT2 Irrigation (At 30, 45, 60, 75 DAS) + Fulvic acid 1.5g/l (Spray at 20 DAS), 40:20:20 N:P:K kg/ha. The field experiment results revealed that significantly higher plant height (105cm), number of tillers per hill (8.89), plant dry weight (12.55g), panicle length (19.70cm) and number of grains per panicle (1197.04) were observed with the application of four irrigations (I3) that were at 30, 45, 60 and 75 DAS. Whereas with the application of antitranspirant (AT2) fulvic acid 1.5g/l spray at 20 DAS, significantly higher plant height (100.88cm), number of tillers per hill (8.90), plant dry weight (12.49g) was observed and significantly higher panicle length (18.16cm) and number of grains per panicle (1147.87) was observed with the application of antitranspirant (AT1) kaolin 40g/l spray at 20 DAS.