NITROGEN AND POTASSIUM REQUIREMENT FOR TARGATED YIELD OF SUMMER PEARL MILLET
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Date
2009-01
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Abstract
A field experiment was conducted on medium black calcareous soil at Instructional Farm, Junagadh and a cluster of field experiments were conducted on farmers‟ fields on with medium black calcareous soils of different villages of Junagadh district to study the “Nitrogen and potassium requirement for targeted yield of summer pearl millet” during summer 2007 and 2008; respectively. The object was to assess the effect of nitrogen and potassium levels on growth, content and uptake of nutrient, yield and yield attributes, quality parameters, and nutrients (N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) availability as well as to develop targeted yield equations and to verify different yield targets. Twenty fertilization treatments comprising of five levels of nitrogen (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1) and four levels of potassium (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg ha-1) were investigated.
The results of the field experiment revealed that the maximum dry matter accumulation was observed during the period of 60 DAS
to harvest (63.59 %) followed by 30- 60 DAS (33.13 %) and 1-30 DAS (3.28 %). In general, the N, P and K content in the plant decreased with advancement of crop growth. In case of micro nutrients, the maximum iron, zinc and copper content in dry stover was observed at harvest but manganese content was highest at 30 DAS. The accumulation of major (N, P, K) and micro (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) nutrients by crop was increased with advancement of its growth and age. The dry weight of crop and CGR value were observed maximum under application of nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1. In respect of yield attributes, the plant height (143.2 cm), number of tiller per plant (5.64), earhead girth (8.13 cm), quality parameters like test weight (8.77 g), protein content (10.11 %) and grain (3206 kg ha-1) and stover (6124 kg ha-1) yield of pearl millet were also recorded highest with application of 120 kg N ha-1. While, ear head length (20.93 cm) and grain: stover ratio (0.544) was recorded higher with maximum dose of nitrogen @160 kg ha-1. The content of all the macro and micro nutrients in plant and grain were not influenced by varying levels of nitrogen application, except nitrogen content; which was found highest in dry stover at 30 DAS and in grain with 120 kg N ha-1. While, the concentration of N in dry stover at 60 DAS and at harvest was observed maximum with 160 kg N ha-1.
The uptake of all the macro (N, P, K) and micro (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) nutrients was recorded maximum with application of nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1 at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and at harvest by dry stover yield as well as its uptake by grain and total uptake by crop, except K and Mn uptake by grain, which was observed maximum with 160 kg N ha-1. Increasing levels of nitrogen did not affected the availability of macro and micro nutrients in soil, except nitrogen availability, which was significantly highest at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and at harvest of crop, under higher dose of nitrogen i.e. 160 kg N ha-1 in compared to lower dose of nitrogen application. The dry matter yield of crop at all the growth stages, CGR at 30 DAS and 60 DAS and test weight (8.75 g) were recorded significantly higher under application of 80 kg K2O ha-1. While, plant height (142.5 cm), number of tiller per plant (5.42), grain: stover ratio (0.521), protein content (9.65 %) and grain (3097 kg ha-1) and stover (5893 kg ha-1) yield of pearl millet were obtained higher under application of potash @ 120 kg ha-1. The effect of potassium on ear head girth and length was found non-significant. The content of nitrogen, phosphorus and all the micro nutrient (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) in dry stover were not significantly influenced by application of potash at all the growth stages and also in grain. While, the concentration of potassium was observed higher in dry stover at all the growth stages and also in grain under application of potassium @ 120 kg ha-1.
The nitrogen uptake by dry stover at all the growth stages as well as its uptake by grain and total uptake by crop, phosphorus uptake at 30 and 60 DAS and K uptake at 60 DAS were obtained maximum with application of 80 kg K2O ha-1. While significantly highest P uptake by dry stover at harvest, grain and its total uptake and K uptake at 30 DAS and at harvest as well as its uptake by grain and total uptake by crop was obtained with application of 120 kg K2O ha-1. The uptake of micro nutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) by dry stover yield at different growth stages as well as its uptake by grain and total uptake by crop was recorded higher under application of potash @ 80 kg ha-1, except Cu uptake by grain and Zn uptake by dry stover at harvest, which was observed maximum with 120 kg K2O ha-1. Only the availability of potassium in soil was increased with increasing level of potassium. While other macro and micro nutrients status of soil was not influenced by potash application.
The total dry matter yield at 30 DAS and at harvest, CGR at 30 DAS, grain and stover yield of pearl millet, uptake of nitrogen, potassium, iron and manganese by dry stover at 30 DAS, phosphorus at 30 and 60 DAS and copper at 30 DAS and at harvest were recorded significantly higher under application of nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1 along with 80 kg K2O ha-1. While the maximum CGR value at harvest with N160K120, grain: stover ratio with N160K80 and uptake of phosphorus by grain and its total uptake by crop and iron
and manganese uptake by grain with N80K80 treatment. The maximum uptake of K by stover was obtained with N120K120 and so also the total uptake with N80K120 treatment. The plant height, number of tillers per plant, ear head length and girth, test weight, protein content, content of all the macro and micro nutrients in plant at all the growth stages as well as in grain and its availability in soil at all the growth stages were not affected by interacting effects of nitrogen and potassium. The requirement of nitrogen and potassium for producing one quintal pearl millet grain was 3.78 and 2.07 kg, respectively. Pearl millet grain yield were achieved within ± 9.02 to 2.04 per cent variation at different yield targets (18, 24, 30 and 36 q ha-1) from verified trials on basis of derived equation of N (FN = 10.98 x T (yield targets q ha-1) – 0.92 SN) and K (FK2O = 6.48 x T – 0.51 SK). The additional grain yield was obtained at 24 and 30 q ha-1 yield targets by 9.08 and 29.9 per cent, respectively, over general recommended dose of pearl millet.
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NITROGEN AND POTASSIUM