Integrated Nutrient Management for Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.) cv. Attappadi Local

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, Kasaragod, Kerala, from October 2024–March 2025, to study the response of traditional finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) to different levels of nutrients. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors replicated thrice. The objectives of the study were to evaluate biometric parameters and standardize integrated nutrient management practices for a traditional finger millet variety. Factor A consisted of two levels of farmyard manure (A1 - FYM @ 2.5 t ha⁻¹ and A2 - FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹), and Factor B consisted of four nutrient levels: B1 - NPK @ 45:22.5:22.5 kg ha⁻¹ (Kerala Agricultural University Package of Practice, POP), B2 - Soil Test Based Fertilizer Recommendation (SBFR) NPK @ 32:6:16 kg ha⁻¹, B3 - NPK @ 60:30:30 kg ha⁻¹, and B4 - Farmer’s practice (FYM alone or no NPK). Results indicated significant differences among treatments for all growth characteristics. The SBFR treatment (B2 - NPK @ 32:6:16 kg ha⁻¹) produced the highest values for plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, dry matter production and grain yield. The study concluded that traditional finger millet responds positively to integrated nutrient management compared to the farmer’s practice of applying FYM alone. However, increasing nutrient levels beyond the SBFR recommendation did not result in higher yields, likely due to nutrient imbalance in the soil or the limited yield potential of the traditional variety. Implications: These findings suggest that adopting soil test–based fertilizer recommendations can improve growth and yield efficiency in traditional finger millet, promoting sustainable nutrient management and optimizing input use for smallholder farmers.