Effect of Nitrogen Management and Spacing on the Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Finger Millet in Coastal Part of West Bengal

Abstract:

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is one of the vital millets which responds well to added nitrogenous

fertilizers and agronomic management practices. Based on the facts, a field experiment was carried out

at Instructional Farm, The Neotia University, West Bengal to study the effect of nitrogen management

and spacing on the growth, yield attributes and yield of finger millet during kharif season of 2023. The

soil of the experimental field contains 58.29% sand, 21.78% silt and 19.93% clay and having 356 kg ha-1

available N, 26.75 kg ha-1 available P2O5, 360 kg ha-1 K2O and 0.46 % organic carbon. The experiment was

laid out in split plot design, replicated thrice, having four levels of nitrogen viz., N0, Control, N1, 20 kg

N ha-1, N2, 40 kg N ha-1, N3, 60 kg N ha-1 and three spacings: S1, 15 cm × 10 cm, S2, 20 cm × 10 cm, S3 25 cm

× 10 cm. The variety of finger millet was CFMV 1 (Indravathi). Results showed that application of 60 kg

N ha-1, i.e., N3 recorded significantly higher values ofall the growth attributes, yield attributes, seed yield

(18.59 q ha-1) and straw yield (26.04 q ha-1) of finger millet. Among various spacings studied, S3, i.e., 25

cm×10 cm spacing recorded highest seed yield (15.75 q ha-1) and straw yield (23.44 q ha-1) of finger millet.

The results concluded that cultivation of finger millet can be done with 60 kg N ha-1 and 25 cm × 10 cm

to obtain higher growth and productivity of finger millet in the coastal part of West Bengal.