Performance of different foliar nutrient applications on yield and nutrient uptake by finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2024 at RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur of Mahatma Phule Krushi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, India using a randomized block design with 13 treatments and 3 replications. The study aimed to assess the effects of foliar nutrient sprays on the growth, yield, quality and nutrient uptake by finger millet. The soil was black vertisol with silty loam texture and moderate fertility. Foliar application of 19:19:19 @ 2% at tillering and flowering stages significantly improved yield attributes, grain yield (23.74 q/ha), straw yield (29.52 q/ha), and nutrient uptake (N: 44.88, P2O5: 16.04, K2O: 43.10 kg/ha). These results were statistically on par with two foliar sprays of MPKV’s Phule Liquid Micro Grade II @ 1%, making both treatments agronomically and economically viable for enhancing finger millet productivity.