Effect of nutrient-management practices on yield, nutrient uptake and economics in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture Jobner, Jaipur (Rajasthan) during the rainy (kharif) season of 2018, to study the comparative response of finger millet (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) and pearl millet (Cenchurs americanus (L.) Morrone; syn Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] to applied nutrients under semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan. The experiment, consisting of 8 fertilization levels (control, N, P, Zn, N+P, N+Zn, P+Zn and N+P+Zn), to each finger millet and pearl millet were tested in randomized block design with 3 replications. Results showed that the apparent values of yield-attributing characters of both the crops viz. effective tillers/plant, grains/ear and test weight, increased with application of plant nutrients either alone or in combination. Significantly higher values were obtained with combined application of N + P + Zn. The same treatment resulted in statistically higher yields of grain and stover as well as uptake of N, P and Zn in both the crops. It resulted in the grain and stover yields of 2006 and 3,304 kg/ha in finger millet and 2024 and 5,317 kg/ha in pearl millet, being 40 and 29% higher in finger millet and 69 and 46% higher in pearl millet over the control, respectively. However, the same treatment was found at par with that against N+P. The harvest index in grains remained unaffected due to application of any nutrient applied alone or in combination. Fertilization with N+P+Zn significantly improved the net returns from finger millet (`57,178/ha) and pearl millet (`48,717/ha) over rest of the treatments. A comparison between yield and economic from both the crops proved superiority of finger millet which gave approximately `8,400/ha higher than pearl millet. Finger millet proved to be more economic, as its benefit: cost ratio ranged between 2.59 and 3.26/` invested