Growth and Phenology of Minor Millets as Influenced by Fertility Levels under Semi-Arid Conditions of Haryana

Abstract

Decline in productivity of major cereal crops has been observed due to climate change and global warming. The main effects of climate change are increase in temperature, uncertainties in rainfall and enhancement of greenhouse gasses emission. So, under these changed climatic scenario to ensure the nutrition and food security at national level the adoption of millets may be a good choice as millets are climate smart crops because of their high nutritive value, better adaptation to warm and drought conditions with short life, low external inputs requirement and higher tolerance to water and temperatures stress. The extent cultivated for the production of minor millets in India has declined significantly in recent decades due to the dominance of major cereal crops, despite their nutritional and agronomic benefits. Enhancement of millet productivity involves efficient nutrient management practices, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), to maximize growth and yield. The goal of this research was to evaluate the growth and phenology response of different minor millet varieties under different levels of nitrogen and phosphorus application. Specifically, the study was laid out in split plot design to analyze four species of various minor millets: Foxtail millet (SIA 3156), Barnyard millet (VL 207), Proso millet (TNAU 202), and Finger millet (GPU 67) designated as main plots. Additionally, four levels of nitrogen and phosphorus are applied in sub-plots, categorized as N0 + P0, N20 + P10, N40 + P20, and N60 + P30 kg ha-1. The recorded data included growth attributes such as plant population (mrl-1), plant height (cm), dry matter accumulation (g mrl-1), and number of tillers (mrl-1). Phenological observations were recorded, including the measurement of days to crop emergence, days to heading, and days to maturity. The results indicated that the application of nitrogen and phosphorus to various minor millets significantly improved the growth and phonological attributes of millets which finally affected yield performance.