Influence of foliar nutrient and its time of application on growth, seed yield and quality parameters of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Hanumanmatti, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, to evaluate the effects of foliar nutrient application and timing of application on the seed yield and associated traits of foxtail millet (Setaria italica). The results indicated that foliar nutrient application at the panicle initiation stage resulted in significantly improved performance compared to application at the flowering stage. Specifically, panicle initiation stage treatments recorded higher panicle length (14.13 cm), number of productive tillers per plant (11.61), seed yield per plant (2.03 g), seed yield per hectare (13.22 q/ha), seed germination percentage (85.53%), seedling length (17.39 cm), and seedling vigour index-I (1488). In contrast, foliar nutrient application at the flowering stage resulted in slightly lower values: panicle length (13.99 cm), productive tillers (11.34), seed yield per plant (1.91 g), seed yield (12.40 q/ha), seed germination (85.13%), seedling length (17.21 cm), and vigour index-I (1455). Among the different foliar nutrient treatments, vermiwash at 5% concentration showed the most promising results. It significantly enhanced panicle length (14.48 cm), seed yield per plant (2.22 g), seed yield per hectare (14.44 q/ha), seed germination percentage (86.83%), seedling length (17.94 cm), and seedling vigour index-I (1557), when compared to the control treatment which recorded lower values: panicle length (13.72 cm), seed yield per plant (1.65 g), seed yield per hectare (10.69 q/ha), seed germination (83.67%), and seedling vigour index-I (1401).However, the interaction effect between the time of foliar nutrient application and the type of nutrient was found to be non-significant, indicating that each factor independently influenced the measured parameters.