Changes in soil micronutrient status by different nutrient management and seed priming and its effect on yield and micronutrient uptake of finger millet (Eleusine coracana)

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 changes in soil micronutrient status and its uptake by different nutrient management and seed priming and its effect on yield of finger millet (Eleusine coracana). 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 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 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 available cationic micronutrients in soil increased significantly and found higher where either higher doses of chemical fertilizers or the chemical fertilizers in combination with organic manures were applied. The grain, straw and ultimately the biological yields were found higher where either higher doses of chemical fertilizers or the chemical fertilizers in combination with organic manures were applied however, the priming treatments did not influenced the yield significantly. The content of cationic micronutrient namely Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn in plant tissue was not affected by any nutrient management and seed priming treatments however the uptake Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn by grain straw and ultimately total uptake in finger millet increased significantly where either higher doses of chemical fertilizers or the chemical fertilizers in combination with organic manures were applied.