Study on light interception and photosynthesis of rainfed pearl millet grown under different fertility levels
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Date
2013
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Publisher
CCSHAU
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken the study on light interception and
photosynthesis of rainfed pearl millet grown under different fertility levels. The field experiment
was conducted at the Research area of the Dry Land Agriculture, Chaudhary Charan Singh
Haryana Agricultural University Hisar. The experiment was laid out in the randomized block
design (RBD) allocating 13 fertilizers levels with three replications. Quantum sensor was used to
measure the photo synthetically active radiation at three levels of crop canopy at ground, middle
crop canopy and above the crop surface. The crop duration increased from 64.7 days in control to
71.7 days in maximum dose of fertilizer treatment. The LAI increased slowly initially up to 20
days after sowing and then faster and reached to its maximum at 50 DAS in all treatments due to
photosynthesis process. Grain yield was recorded minimum in control treatment i.e. 1256.5 kg
ha-1 and maximum in T13-60kg N+30kg P2O5 +20kg K2O ha-1 i.e. 2063.1 kg ha-1. Growing degree
days increased from emergence to maturity in all the treatments. Heat use efficiency showed an
increasing trend with advancement of growth and attained maxima at 60 days after sowing. Dry
matter production in agricultural crops is closely related to the amount of photosynthetically active
radiation (PAR) intercepted and utilized by the crop canopy during the period of its active growth.
Photosynthesis increased from 30 to 45 days after sowing and declined thereafter till crop
maturity. Among the various agrometeorological parameters, heat use efficiency was best
correlated with dry matter (0.98). The radiation use efficiency explained the maximum variability
in leaf area index i.e. up to 86 percent. The variability up to 79 per cent in dry matter accumulation
was explained by heat use efficiency alone.
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Keywords
Light interception, Photosynthesis, Pearl millet