Physiological Characters and Yield of Transplanted Finger Millet (Eleusine Coracana L.) as Influenced by Different Plant Geometry and Graded NPK Levels

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Tamil Nadu during Rabi season (Oct - Mar) 2018 – 19 to evaluate the effect of different plant geometry and graded NPK levels on the performance of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) under transplanted condition. The experiment was planned with different spacing in combination with different fertilizer levels viz., Absolute control (Random planting without fertilizer application), farmer practices (30 × 10 cm + 100% RDF), square planting of 25 × 25 cm with 100%, 125 % and 150 % RDF, square planting of 30 × 30 cm 100 % 125 % and 150 % RDF. SPAD values were found to increase progressively from 30 to 60 DAT but declined at harvest. Among all the treatments, higher SPAD value and light interception percentage were recorded under plant spacing of 25 × 25 cm + 150 % RDF (47.30 & 71.02, 61.55 & 88.24 and 29.17 & 83.68 at 30, 60 and 90 DAT, respectively). It was significantly on par with the spacing of 25 × 25 cm + 125 % RDF (45.62 & 70.15, 59.43 & 87.30 and 27.60 & 82.16 at 30, 60 and 90 DAT, respectively). The treatment 25 × 25 cm with 150 % RDF was identified as the best yield attributes, and yield-producing treatment as it has recorded higher no. of productive tillers hill-1 (7.3), no of fingers earhead-1 (7.5), finger length (cm) (9.8) and test weight (g) (2.8), grain (2692 kg ha-1) and straw yield (4129 kg ha-1) and it was on par with 25 × 25 cm + 125 % RDF. The lowest SPAD values, light interception percentage, yield attributes and yield were recorded in absolute control.