Long-term Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana G.) in Alfisols under Different Cropping Systems

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of long-term integrated nutrient management (INM) on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of rainfed finger millet during kharif 2019 at field unit of All India Co-ordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India. The experimental plot in the field was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 10 treatments and four replications. Growth parameters such as plant height (112.44 cm), number of productive tillers per hill (4.75), number of ear heads per hill (4.49), number of fingers per ear head (7.25), total dry matter production per hill (77.39 g) and yield parameters like grain yield (28.27 q ha-1) and straw yield (32.63 q ha-1) were found to be higher with application of FYM @10 t ha-1 + 100% RDF under finger millet- groundnut rotation (T9). Similarly, T9 also recorded higher uptake of nitrogen (37.03 and 26.40 kg ha-1), phosphorus (6.78 and 4.57 kg ha-1) and potassium (30.17 and 48.68 kg ha-1) in grain and straw of finger millet, respectively. It implies that INM over long period of time tend to supply the plants with sufficient amount of essential nutrient elements while creating favourable physico-chemical properties of soil for healthy environment. It also safeguards soil nutrient balance in long term to an optimum level for sustaining the desired crop productivity.