Effect of foliar nutrition on yield, and water use efficiency of Rabi Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) in semi-arid conditions

Abstract

A field investigation entitled Effect of foliar application of nutrients on growth, yield and water use efficiency of Rabi sorghum was conducted during the Rabi season of 2023-24 under the Sorghum Improvement Project at the Instructional Farm, MPKV, Rahuri, Maharashtra. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with nine treatments viz., T1: Absolute control; T2: GRDF (80:40:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha⁻¹ + 5 ton FYM ha⁻¹); T3: GRDF (50% N through urea at basal) + one foliar spray of nano urea @ 4 ml L⁻¹ at Panicle Initiation (PI) stage;: GRDF (50% N through urea at basal) + one foliar spray of nano urea @ 4 ml L⁻¹ at Flag Leaf (FL) stage; T5: GRDF (50% N through urea at basal) + two foliar sprays of nano urea @ 4 ml L⁻¹ at PI and FL stages; T6: GRDF + two foliar sprays of NaCl @ 1% at PI and FL stages; T7: GRDF + two foliar sprays of Phule Micro Grade II @ 1% at PI and FL stages; T8: GRDF + two foliar sprays of Potassium Nitrate (13:0:45) @ 1% at PI and FL stages; T9: Protective irrigation at PI and FL stages. The highest panicle length (21.20 cm) and panicle weight (86.40 g) were recorded in T7 (GRDF + two foliar sprays of Phule Micro Grade II @ 1% at PI and FL stages), which also showed maximum panicle density (2303.99 panicles m⁻²) and grain weight (40.32 g). Grain yield was significantly higher in T7 (2793 kg ha⁻¹), followed by T8 (2418 kg ha⁻¹). Water use efficiency (WUE) was highest in T7 (11.04 kg ha⁻¹ mm), demonstrating the effectiveness of micronutrient-based foliar sprays in improving sorghum productivity and resource efficiency in semi-arid conditions.