Effect of fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19) on growth and yield of little millet (Panicum sumatrense L.)

Introduction

Little millet (Panicum sumatrense L.) is one of the oldest domesticated small millets belonging to the family Poaceae. It is an important nutri-cereal crop cultivated predominantly under rainfed conditions due to its short duration, drought tolerance, and adaptability to marginal and low-fertility soils. The crop plays a significant role in ensuring food and nutritional security, particularly in semi-arid and tribal regions of India (Gavit et al., 2024) [3] . Little millet grains are rich in dietary fibre, protein, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, making them superior to many conventional cereals in terms of nutritional quality (Louhar et al., 2020) [5] . Owing to its low glycaemic index and high micronutrient content, little millet is increasingly recognized as a healthy food suitable for diabetic and health-conscious consumers. India is the largest producer of millets in the world, and little millet occupies an important place among small millets. However, its productivity remains comparatively low because it is generally cultivated under rainfed conditions with inadequate and imbalanced nutrient management. The continuous depletion of soil fertility, coupled with insufficient fertilizer application, limits crop growth and yield. Therefore, the adoption of efficient nutrient management practices is essential for improving the productivity and profitability of little millet cultivation. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the primary macronutrients required for optimum crop growth and development. Nitrogen promotes chlorophyll formation, vegetative growth, and protein synthesis, phosphorus enhances root development, energy transfer, and early crop establishment, while potassium regulates enzyme activation, photosynthesis, water relations, and translocation of assimilates. Balanced application of these nutrients improves nutrient use efficiency and contributes significantly to higher biomass production and grain yield (Louhar et al., 2020) [5] . Foliar application of water-soluble fertilizers has emerged as an effective complementary nutrient management strategy for supplying nutrients during critical crop growth stages. Foliar feeding ensures rapid nutrient absorption, minimizes nutrient losses, and enhances physiological processes such as photosynthesis, dry matter accumulation, and grain filling. When integrated with soilapplied fertilizers, foliar nutrition improves fertilizer use efficiency and sustains crop productivity under rainfed conditions (Veer et al., 2025; Sase et al., 2025) [10,8] .

Soil characteristics

Before sowing, composite soil samples were collected from a depth of 0-15 cm and analysed using standard laboratory procedures. The experimental soil was neutral in reaction, low in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus, and high in available potassium, making it suitable for evaluating the response of little millet to different fertilizer doses and foliar nutrition.

Experimental design and treatments

The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with Seven treatments and three replications.

Statistical analysis

The experimental data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) appropriate for the Randomized Block Design as described by Gomez and Gomez (1984) [11] . The significance of treatment effects was tested using the F-test, and treatment means were compared using the Critical Difference (CD) test at the 5% probability level.

Results and Discussion

3.1 Growth parameters 3.1.1 Plant population (m -2 ) Plant population at 30 DAS was not significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19). The non-significant variation indicated that plant establishment was primarily governed by seed quality, germination and crop geometry rather than nutrient management practices. These findings are in close agreement with those reported by Patel et al. (2020) [7] .

Plant height of little millet was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19) at all growth stages (30 DAS, 60 DAS and harvest). At 30 DAS, the highest plant height (38.27 cm) was recorded with T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF). Since the foliar spray was applied at 30 DAS, the variation observed at this stage was mainly due to the effect of basal fertilizer application. At 60 DAS and at harvest, T₃ maintained significantly higher plant height (106.87 and 112.40 cm, respectively) compared with most of the other treatments. However, it remained statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS). The lowest plant height at all growth stages was recorded under the control treatment (T₁). Similar result findings were reported by Behera et al. (2025) [1] . The increase in plant height under integrated nutrient management may be attributed to improved nutrient availability, enhanced chlorophyll synthesis, greater photosynthetic activity, and increased cell division and elongation, which collectively promoted vigorous vegetative growth.

Number of tillers (per meter row length)

The number of tillers at harvest was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19). The maximum number of tillers (66.67 m⁻¹ row length) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), which was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS). The lowest number of tillers (26.00 m⁻¹ row length) was recorded under the control treatment (T₁). The increase in tiller production under integrated nutrient management may be attributed to the adequate and balanced supply of essential nutrients, which enhanced photosynthetic activity, nutrient uptake, and vegetative growth, thereby promoting the development of productive tillers. Similar result findings were reported by Gavit et al. (2024) [3] .

Dry matter accumulation

Dry matter accumulation of little millet was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19) at all growth stages (30 DAS, 60 DAS and harvest). At 30 DAS, the maximum dry matter accumulation (5.20 g plant⁻¹) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) (4.86 g plant⁻¹), whereas the minimum value (3.46 g plant⁻¹) was observed under the control (T₁). A similar trend was observed at 60 DAS, where T₃ recorded the highest dry matter accumulation (37.24 g plant⁻¹) which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (35.03 g plant⁻¹) and T₅ (33.33 g plant⁻¹), while the lowest value (17.04 g plant⁻¹) was recorded in the control. At harvest, T₃ again produced the maximum dry matter accumulation (50.67 g plant⁻¹), which was significantly superior to all over the treatment and remained statistically at par with T₂ (46.85 g plant⁻¹) and T₅ (45.45 g plant⁻¹), whereas the minimum dry matter accumulation (19.70 g plant⁻¹) was recorded under the control treatment. The increased dry matter accumulation under integrated nutrient management may be attributed to improved nutrient availability, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, and greater production and translocation of assimilates, resulting in increased biomass accumulation throughout the crop growth period. Similar result findings were reported by Parjane et al. (2025) [6] .

The highest panicle length (cm) at harvest was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + NPK foliar spray (19:19:19) once at 30 DAS) (35.05 cm), which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was at par with treatment T₂ (100% RDF) (31.70 cm) and T₅ (75% RDF + NPK foliar spray twice at 30 and 50 DAS) (30.82 cm).

Number of grains per panicle

The number of grains per panicle was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19). The highest number of grains per panicle (556.67) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) (516.67 grains panicle⁻¹) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS) (506.67 grains panicle⁻¹), but was significantly superior to the remaining treatments. The lowest number of grains per panicle (305.00) was observed under the control (T₁).

Test weight

Test weight was not significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19). Although numerical differences were observed among the treatments, the variations were statistically non-significant, indicating that nutrient management practices had no marked effect on the individual grain weight of little millet.

Grain yield Grain yield was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19).

The highest grain yield (1303.33 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) (1200.00 kg ha⁻¹) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS) (1176.67 kg ha⁻¹). The lowest grain yield (670.00 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded under the control (T₁). The higher grain yield under T₃ may be attributed to the combined effect of adequate basal fertilization and foliar nutrient application, which ensured continuous nutrient availability during critical growth stages, resulting in improved growth, enhanced yield attributes, and efficient translocation of photosynthates towards grain development. The present findings are in agreement with those of Veer et al. (2025) [10] , Behera et al. (2025) [1] , and Dewangan et al. (2025) [2] , who also reported higher grain yield with integrated soil and foliar nutrient management.

Straw yield Straw yield was significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19).

The maximum straw yield (2632.00 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), which was significantly superior to all other treatments but was statistically at par with T₂ (100% RDF) (2550.00 kg ha⁻¹) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS) (2496.67 kg ha⁻¹), while the minimum straw yield (1606.67 kg ha⁻¹) was observed under the control (T₁). The increased straw yield under integrated nutrient management may be attributed to improved vegetative growth, higher dry matter accumulation, and enhanced nutrient uptake throughout the crop growth period. Similar result findings were reported by Veer et al. (2025) [10] .

Harvest index

Harvest index was not significantly influenced by different fertilizer doses and foliar application of NPK (19:19:19). Although numerical differences were observed among the treatments, the highest harvest index (33.09%) was recorded under T₃ (100% RDF + one foliar spray of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 DAS), followed by T₂ (100% RDF) (32.12%) and T₅ (75% RDF + two foliar sprays of NPK (19:19:19) at 30 and 50 DAS) (32.07%). The lowest harvest index (29.39%) was recorded under the control (T₁), indicating that nutrient management practices had no significant effect on the partitioning of total biomass into economic yield. Similar result findings were reported by Patel et al. (2020) [7] .

References

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