Effect of Plant Growth Regulator on Growth, Physiology and Yield of Direct Sown Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

Abstract

Aims: To determine the “Effect of plant growth regulator on growth, physiology and yield of direct sown finger millet”.
 Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was conducted during rabi 2022 at South Farm, Division of Agronomy, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore.The soil of the experimental field was sandy clay loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 5.36), level of organic carbon (1.03%), available N (289 kg/ha), P (115 kg/ha) and K (437 kg/ha). 
 Study Design: Completely randomized block design.
 Methodology: T1 (RDF + Water spray - Control), T2 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T3 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T4 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm), T5 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T6 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T7 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm), T8 (Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T9 (Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T10 (Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm).
 Results: The experiment was laid out in RBD and showed that 100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm (T2) gave highest No. of tillers/hill, Dry matter production, leaf area index, grain yield, straw yield, harvest index, post-harvest NPK uptake of finger millet. when comparedcontrol (Farmer practice).
 Conclusion: From this study, it was concluded that PGR along with nutrients application increases the nutrient uptake and yield.