Impact of Foliar Fertilizer Spraying on Productivity and Economics of Greengram (Vigna radiata L.) Grown in Rice Fallow Condition

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai, during the rice fallow season of 2022-23 and 2023-24 to evaluate the impact of foliar fertilizer application on the growth, yield and economic performance of rice fallow greengram. The spray treatment viz., Water spray-control, 2% Urea, 2% DAP, 2% NPK 18:18:18, 0.5% ZnSO₄, 2% Urea + 0.5% ZnSO₄, 2% DAP + 0.5% ZnSO₄ and 2% NPK 18:18:18 + 0.5% ZnSO₄. The study was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The greengram variety ADT 3 was used for this study. The treatments were imposed as per treatment schedule. Among the treatments, foliar application of DAP 2% + 0.5% ZnSO₄ at the pre-flowering and pod initiation stage resulted in superior growth and yield parameters, including plant height (72.5 cm), the number of pods plant-1 (56.2), the number of seeds pod-1 (13.5), test weight (4.1 g) and higher seed yield of 1175 kg ha-1, which was comparable with the NPK 18:18:18 @ 2% + 0.5% treatment. Consequently, foliar application of DAP 2% + 0.5% ZnSO₄ achieved the highest economic returns, with a gross income of Rs.82,250 ha-1, a net income of Rs.53,284 ha-1 and a benefit-cost ratio of 2.84.