Response of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend Stuntz] to crop residue and nutrient management

Introduction

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend. Stuntz] is one of the most important climateresilient cereal crops cultivated in the arid and semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa. It is valued for its tolerance to drought, high temperature and poor soil fertility, and serves as a major source of food, feed and fodder for millions of people. Pearl millet grains are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre, making the crop an important component of nutritional security. In India, Rajasthan is the leading pearl millet producing state, contributing substantially to the total area and production. The sustainability of pearl millet production is increasingly threatened by declining soil fertility, low organic carbon content and imbalanced nutrient application resulting from continuous cultivation and excessive dependence on inorganic fertilizers. Long-term studies have shown that integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources improves soil organic carbon, microbial activity and productivity of pearl millet-based cropping systems (Kumari et al., 2024; Sheoranet al., 2024) [5,7] . Integrated nutrient management has emerged as an efficient approach for maintaining soil fertility, improving nutrient use efficiency and ensuring sustainable crop productivity (Tomar et al., 2023; Deepshikha et al., 2024) [8,2] . Crop residues represent an important source of organic matter and plant nutrients. Their incorporation into soil improves aggregation, moisture retention, microbial activity and nutrient cycling. Residue recycling also enhances water use efficiency and yield stability under rainfed conditions (Yogi et al., 2023) [9] . However, the high C:N ratio of residues often leads to temporary nitrogen immobilization during decomposition. Supplementation with nitrogen and cellulolytic microorganisms accelerates residue breakdown and facilitates nutrient release, thereby improving soil health and crop growth. Crop residue application has been reported to significantly enhance productivity and nutrient biofortification in pearl millet under conservation agriculture (Yogi et al., 2023) [9] . Similarly, residue recycling practices have improved soil microbial activity and yield stability across diverse agro-ecological regions (Bana et al., 2023) [1] . Balanced nutrient management is indispensable for achieving higher productivity of pearl millet. Application of recommended doses of fertilizers in conjunction with organic inputs has been found to improve growth attributes, yield components and nutrient uptake (Tomar et al., 2023; Saini et al., 2024) [8,6] . Recent studies have further indicated that integrated nutrient management practices significantly enhance grain and stover yields of pearl millet while maintaining soil fertility and productivity in the long term (Deepshikha et al., 2024; Sheoranet al., 2024) [2,7] . Although considerable information is available on the individual effects of crop residue management and nutrient application, studies on their combined influence under the loamy sand soils of Rajasthan are limited. Therefore, the present investigation entitled "Response of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend. Stuntz] to Crop Residue and Nutrient Management" was undertaken to evaluate the effect of crop residue incorporation and different nutrient levels on the growth, yield and productivity of pearl millet under semi-arid conditions.

Materials and Methods

The field experiment entitled "Response of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend Stuntz] to Crop Residue and Nutrient Management" was conducted during the kharif season of 2024 at the Agricultural Research Farm of Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur (Rajasthan), on loamy sand soil. The study was laid out in a factorial randomized block design comprising combinations of soil moisture conservation practices and integrated nutrient management. The experiment consisted sixteen treatments viz., two factors with where four levels of residue management (Control, Residue incorporation, Residue incorporation and application of urea 25 kg/ha, Residue incorporation and application of urea @ 25 kg/ha + cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha) and four treatments of nutrient management (Control, 75% RDF, 100% RDF and 125% RDF). The pearl millet variety used for study was "RHB-233". The experimental farm is located in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan at an elevation of 548 m above mean sea level, between 26°92′ N latitude and 75°77′ E longitude, and falls under agro-climatic zone III-A (Semi-Arid Eastern Plain) of Rajasthan. The region experiences a typical semi-arid climate, characterized by wide variations in temperature during summer and winter seasons. The average annual rainfall of Jaipur ranges from 400 to 450 mm, of which nearly 80-85 per cent is received through the south-west monsoon, mainly from July to early September. During the cropping period, the maximum temperature varied from 31.41 to 38.71 °C, while the minimum temperature ranged between 20.71 and 27.85 °C. The relative humidity fluctuated up to 91 per cent during the season. Average daily sunshine hours ranged from 0.68 to 5.01 hours, whereas wind velocity varied between 0.88 and 2.82 km/h. The recorded observations were statistically analyzed using standard procedures as described by Fisher (1950) [3] .

Results and Discussion

Plant height of pearl millet was significantly influenced by residue and nutrient management (Table 1). Among residue management treatments, residue incorporation along with urea @ 25 kg N/ha and cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha (R₃) recorded the maximum plant height (164.40 cm), which remained statistically at par with residue incorporation along with urea @ 25 kg N/ha (R₂; 158.90 cm) and significantly surpassed residue incorporation alone (R₁; 143.47 cm) and control (R₀; 127.73 cm).

The improvement in plant height under R₃ may be attributed to enhanced decomposition of crop residues, increased nutrient availability and improved soil microbial activity resulting from the combined application of urea and cellulolytic microbes. Similarly, nutrient management exerted a significant influence on plant height. Application of 125% RDF (N₃) recorded the highest plant height (165.07 cm), which was statistically at par with 100% RDF (N₂; 159.82 cm) and significantly superior to 75% RDF (N₁; 146.93 cm) and control (N 0 ; 126.39 cm). Enhanced vegetative growth under higher fertility levels might be due to adequate nutrient supply, which promoted cell division, photosynthetic activity and dry matter production. Similar findings have been reported by Tomar et al. (2023) [8] , Deepshikha et al. (2024) [2] , Saini et al. (2024) [6] Sheoranet al. (2024) [7] and Suthar et al. (2026) [4] . Residue management significantly influenced grain, stover and biological yield of pearl millet (Table 2). The highest grain yield (2376 kg/ha), stover yield (5177 kg/ha) and biological yield (7553 kg/ha) were recorded under residue incorporation along with urea @ 25 kg N/ha and cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha (R₃), which remained statistically at par with residue incorporation plus urea @ 25 kg N/ha (R₂) and significantly outperformed residue incorporation alone (R₁) and control (R₀). The increase in yield under residue-based treatments may be ascribed to improved nutrient release, enhanced soil physical properties, better moisture conservation and increased microbial activity, which ultimately resulted in higher photosynthate accumulation and translocation to sink. Similar observations were reported by Bana et al. (2023) [1] , Yogi et al. (2023) [9] and Kumari et al. (2024) [5] . Among nutrient management treatments, application of 125% RDF (N₃) produced the highest grain yield (2354 kg/ha), stover yield (5219 kg/ha) and biological yield (7573 kg/ha), which remained statistically at par with 100% RDF (N₂) and significantly exceeded control and 75% RDF. Higher productivity under adequate nutrient supply might be attributed to increased nutrient uptake, efficient photosynthesis and better partitioning of assimilates. Similar results have been documented by Tomar et al. (2023) [8] , Saini et al. (2024) [6] , Deepshikha et al. (2024) [2] and Sheoranet al. (2024) 7 [] . Harvest index was not significantly affected by either residue management or nutrient management, indicating that the increase in grain yield was proportionate to the increase in total biomass production.

Interaction effect of residue and nutrient management

The interaction effect between residue management and nutrient management significantly influenced grain yield (Table2a). The highest grain yield (2743 kg/ha) was obtained with residue incorporation coupled with urea @ 25 kg N/ha and cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha along with 125% RDF (R₃N₃), which remained statistically at par with R₃N₂ (2654 kg/ha) and R₂N₃ (2720 kg/ha). The lowest grain yield (962 kg/ha) was observed under control treatment (R₀N₀). The superior performance of these combinations could be attributed to synchronized nutrient release from residues and fertilizers, enhanced nutrient use efficiency and favourable soil biological conditions. Similar findings were reported by Bana et al. (2023) [1] and Yogi et al. (2023) [9] . A significant interaction effect was observed for stover yield (Table 2b). The maximum stover yield (5762 kg/ha) was recorded under R₃N₃, followed closely by R₃N₂ (5696 kg/ha), whereas the minimum stover yield (2705 kg/ha) was obtained under R₀N₀. Improved nutrient availability and better vegetative growth under integrated residue and nutrient management treatments resulted in greater biomass accumulation and stover production. Biological yield was significantly affected by the interaction between residue and nutrient management (Table 2c). The highest biological yield (8482 kg/ha) was recorded under residue incorporation + urea @ 25 kg N/ha + cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha along with 125% RDF (R₃N₃), which remained comparable with R₃N₂ (8351 kg/ha) and R₂N₃ (8218 kg/ha). The lowest biological yield (3668 kg/ha) was obtained under R₀N₀. The increased biological yield under integrated treatments might be attributed to improved soil fertility, enhanced nutrient availability and efficient utilization of resources. Similar findings have been reported by Kumari et al. (2024) [5] , Sheoranet al. (2024) [7] and Saini et al. (2024) [6] .

Conclusion

Based on the results of the present investigation, residue incorporation supplemented with urea @ 25 kg N/ha and cellulolytic microbes @ 2.0 kg/ha significantly improved the growth and productivity of pearl millet. Application of 100% RDF remained statistically at par with 125% RDF and recorded higher plant height, grain yield, stover yield and biological yield. Thus, integration of crop residue management with 100% RDF proved to be an efficient and sustainable approach for enhancing pearl millet productivity under loamy sand soils of Rajasthan.

References

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