Effect of Zinc Levels and Plant Geometry on Growth and Yield of Kharif Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season (2021) at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Allahabad (U.P.) to assess the response of finger millet on spacing and zinc levels on growth and yield. Soil of experimental plot was sandy loam in texture. Treatments consisted of T1- Zn @ 2kg/ha + 30 cm   x 10 cm, T2- Zn @ 2kg/ha + 20 cm x 10 cm, T3- Zn @ 2kg/ha + 40 cm x 10 cm, T4- Zn @ 4kg/ha + 30 cm x 10 cm, T5- Zn @ 4kg/ha + 20 cm x 10 cm, T6- Zn @ 4kg/ha + 40 cm x 10 cm, T7- Zn @ 6kg/ha + 30 cm x 10 cm, T8- Zn @ 6kg/ha + 20 cm x 10 cm, T9- Zn @ 6kg/ha + 40 cm x 10 cm. An experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design, with 9 treatments replicated thrice. Results revealed that maximum plant height (95.49 cm), numbers of tillers per plant (9.86), plant dry weight (21.98 g/plant), effective tillers per m2(466.66), test weight (4.5 g) and number of fingers per plant (7.1), grain yield (3.23 t/ha) and straw yield (4.30 t/ha) was significantly influenced with application zinc 6 kg/ha and crop sown at spacing 30x10 cm. It can be concluded that zinc 6 kg/ha + spacing 30x10 cm was found to be more productive.