Primary nutrient content and its uptake in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) as influenced by different nutrient management and seed priming

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in the experimental plots of DKS farm, IGKV, Bhatapara Dist- Baloda Bazaar, Chhattisgarh during kharif season of the year 2019. The soil of the experimental field was Alfisol and climate was sub-humid with a total rainfall of 872.2 mm during the crop growth. The objectives of experiment were to the study the effect of various nutrient management and seed priming treatments on N, P and K content and uptake of finger millet. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design. The treatments constituted with five nutrient management N1 (control), N2 (125 kg Neem cake + 1.25 tons ha-1 vermicompost), N3 (50“Kg/ha N : 50 Kg/ha P2O5 : 50 Kg /ha K2O”and 2% Borax spray at flowering), N4 (125 Kg Neem cake + 1.25 tons ha-1 vermicompost + 50 Kg/ha N : 50 Kg/ha P2O5 : 50 Kg /ha K2O and 2% Borax spray at flowering) and N5 (Recommended dose of fertilizer i.e. 20 Kg/ha N”: 20 Kg/ha P2O5 : 10 Kg /ha K2O) in main plots with four priming treatment P1 (control), P2 (Hydro priming for 6 hrs), P3 (Seed priming with 2% KH2PO4 for 6 hrs) and P4 (Seed priming with 20% liquid Pseudomonas fluorescens) in sub plots. Results revealed that the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents in plant tissue were not affected significantly by nutrient management and seed priming treatments. However, the nutrient uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were found in higher range where either higher doses of chemical fertilizers or the chemical fertilizers in combination with organic manures were applied. No significant effect of seed priming was seen for nutrient uptake of these elements by plants.