Effect of Hydrogel and Zinc on growth and yield of Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

Abstract

The field experiment titled “Effect of Hydrogel and Zinc on Growth and Yield of Finger millet (Eleusine coracana)” was conducted during kharif 2024 at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agriculture Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj. The soil of experimental plot was sandy loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 6.9), low in organic carbon (0.516%), available nitrogen (78.9 kg/ha), available phosphorus (17.3 kg/ha) and available potassium (177.5 kg/ha). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with ten treatments which are replicated thrice. The treatments combinations are T1: Hydrogel 3kg/ha + ZnSO4 0.5%, T2: Hydrogel 3kg/ha + ZnSO4 1%, T3: Hydrogel 3kg/ha + ZnSO4 1.5%, T4: Hydrogel 5kg/ha + ZnSO4 0.5%, T5: Hydrogel 5kg/ha + ZnSO4 1%, T6: Hydrogel 5kg/ha + ZnSO4 1.5%, T7: Hydrogel 7kg/ha + ZnSO4 0.5%, T8: Hydrogel 7kg/ha + ZnSO4 1%, T9: Hydrogel 7kg/ha + ZnSO4 1.5% and T10: Control (RDF-N: P: K 60:30:30 kg/ha) are used. Results obtained that combined application of Hydrogel 5kg/ha + ZnSO4 1% (Treatment 5) significantly highest plant height (93.24 cm), number of tillers/hill (5.77), plant dry weight (21.43 g/plant), number of ear head/m2 (142.50), number of fingers/ear head (8.48), Number of grains/finger (351.00), grain yield (3.55 t/ha), stover yield (6.73t/ha) and also higher economics viz., higher gross returns (1,36,364.00 INR/ha), net returns (99,330.60 INR/ha) and B:C (2.68).