Effect of foliar application of nano urea and nano DAP on growth and yield of forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif, 2023 at Agronomy Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur to access the “Effect of Foliar Application of Nano Urea and Nano DAP on Growth and Yield of Forage Sorghum {Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench}”. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design and with 14 treatments was replicated three times. The treatments were T1 (Recommended dose of fertilizers), T2 [100% PK + 50% RDN basal + nano urea (4 ml litre-1 water) spray at panicle initiation (PI)], T3 [T2 + nano urea (4 ml litre-1 water) spray at flag leaf (FL) stage], T4 [T2 + nano urea (4 ml litre-1 water) spray at PI and FL stages], T5 [100% PK + 50% RDN basal + prilled urea (2%) spray at panicle initiation (PI)], T6 [T2 + prilled urea (2%) spray at flag leaf (FL) stage], T7 [T2 + prilled urea (2%) spray at PI and FL stages], T8 (100% K + 50% RDNP basal + nano DAP spray at PI stage), T9 (100% K + 50% RDNP basal + nano DAP spray at FL stage), T10 (100% K + 50% RDNP basal + nano DAP spray at PI and FL stages), T11 [100% K + 50% RDNP basal + DAP (2%) spray at PI stage], T12 [100% K + 50% RDNP basal + DAP (2%) spray at FL stage], T13 [100% K + 50% RDNP basal + DAP (2%) spray at PI and FL stages] and T14 (Unfertilized control). The experimental results revealed that there is a corresponding increase in growth characteristics such as plant height (253.00 cm), dry matter accumulation (125.72 g plant-1), CGR (2.39 g m-2 day-1) and green (40563 kg plot-1), as well as dry fodder yield (13015 kg ha-1) was recorded under the application of T4 [T2+ nano urea (4 ml litre-1 water) spray at PI and FL stages], over the other treatments.