Influence of Nutrient Levels on Growth and Yield Performance of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.) Varieties

Introduction

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is an important small millet valued for its short duration, adaptability, nutritional quality and resilience to moisture stress. Its suitability for diverse agro-climatic conditions and relatively low water requirement make it a promising crop for cereal diversification and climate-resilient agriculture (Xing et al., 2023) [13] . Despite its adaptability, productivity of foxtail millet is influenced considerably by nutrient availability. Balanced application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium promotes vegetative growth, leaf development, tillering, biomass accumulation and reproductive development. Nitrogen is particularly important for canopy development and biomass production, whereas phosphorus and potassium contribute to root development, energy metabolism, water regulation and assimilate translocation (Li et al., 2022) [4] . Varietal selection is equally important because foxtail millet varieties differ in plant architecture, biomass production, yield potential and nutrient-use efficiency (Ramyasri et al., 2018) [7] . Information regarding the response of recently developed varieties to enhanced nutrient levels under irrigated rabi conditions is comparatively limited. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the response of foxtail millet varieties to different nutrient levels with respect to growth, yield, nutrient uptake, quality, nutrient-use efficiency and economic returns.

Material and Methods

The field experiment was conducted during rabi 2025-26 at the AICRP on Weed Management Field, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications comprising four nutrient levels and three foxtail millet varieties. The nutrient treatments were N₀: absolute control, N₁: 100% RDF (40:20:20 N:P₂O₅:K₂O kg ha⁻¹), N₂: 125% RDF (50:25:25 N:P₂O₅:K₂O kg ha⁻¹) and N₃: 150% RDF (60:30:30 N:P₂O₅:K₂O kg ha⁻¹). The varieties evaluated were V₁: PDKV Yashashree, V₂: KOPFX-2107 and V₃: DHFT 109-3. The crop was sown on 2 December 2025 at a spacing of 30 × 10 cm with a seed rate of 10 kg ha⁻¹ and maintained under irrigated conditions. The experimental soil was clayey, slightly alkaline, medium in organic carbon, low in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and high in available potassium. Observations on plant height, number of tillers, leaf area, dry matter accumulation, yield attributes, grain yield, straw yield and harvest index were recorded at appropriate growth stages. Nutrient uptake, post-harvest soil fertility, quality parameters, nutrient-use efficiency and economics were also determined using standard procedures. The experimental data were subjected to analysis of variance, and treatment means were compared using the critical difference at the 5% level of 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Growth attributes 3.1.1 Plant height (cm) Plant height increased progressively with increasing nutrient levels. N₃ recorded the maximum plant height at 30, 60, 90 DAS and harvest (30.62, 111.56, 150.14 and 154.51 cm, respectively), and was generally at par with N₂. The minimum plant height was recorded under N₀. The improved growth under higher nutrient availability may be attributed mainly to enhanced nitrogen supply, which promotes cell division, cell expansion and vegetative development. These results are consistent with those reported by Ramyasri et al. (2019) [6] and Jyothiet al. (2016) [3] in foxtail millet. Among varieties, V₂ (KOPFX-2107) recorded the highest plant height at all growth stages, followed by V₃ and V₁, indicating genetic differences in vegetative growth potential. These results align with the studies conducted by Ramyasri et al. (2017) and Jyothi et al. (2016) [3] in foxtail millet. The interaction between nutrient levels and varieties was nonsignificant. [8] . Among varieties, V₂ recorded the highest leaf area at all stages and was generally comparable with V₃, while V₁ recorded lower values. Similar varietal differences in leaf area were reported by Ravindranadh et al. (2019). The interaction between nutrient levels and varieties was nonsignificant. [10] also reported higher dry matter accumulation in foxtail millet under improved nutrient management.

Among varieties, V₂ recorded the highest dry matter accumulation, generally comparable with V₃. At harvest, V₂ and V₃ were superior to V₁. Similar varietal differences in dry matter accumulation at different growth stages were reported in foxtail millet by Sathisha et al. (2020) and Venkatesh Babu et al. (2025). The interaction between nutrient levels and varieties was non-significant at all growth stages. Grain yield increased significantly with increasing nutrient levels. N₃ (150% RDF) recorded the highest grain yield (1777 kg ha⁻¹), which was at par with N₂ (125% RDF; 1717 kg ha⁻¹), while N₁ (1492 kg ha⁻¹) and N₀ (1004 kg ha⁻¹) recorded lower yields. The increase in grain yield may be attributed to improved vegetative growth, greater dry matter production and enhanced translocation of assimilates towards grain formation. Similar improvement in grain yield with increased fertilizer application was reported by Jhansi et al. (2025) [2] . Similar improvement in foxtail millet growth and yield with increasing fertilizer levels was reported by Jhansi et al. (2025) [2] , who recorded the highest grain yield with 125% RDF. Among varieties, PDKV Yashashree (V₁) recorded the highest grain yield (1555.96 kg ha⁻¹), followed by KOPFX-2107 (1507.83 kg ha⁻¹) and DHFT 109-3 (1428.77 kg ha⁻¹).

The superior grain yield of V₁ may be attributed to its better yield potential and assimilate partitioning towards grains. These results are comparable to Navya Jyothi et al. (2016) [3] and Radha Kumari and Sahadeva Reddy (2023) who observed numerical varietal differences in grain yield. The nutrient level × variety interaction was significant, with the highest grain yield recorded in N₃V₁. These results align with previous studies by Jyothi et al. (2016) [3] .

Straw yield increased significantly with increasing nutrient levels. N₃ recorded the highest straw yield (3192 kg ha⁻¹), which was at par with N₂ (3169 kg ha⁻¹), while N₀ recorded the lowest yield (2085 kg ha⁻¹). Higher nutrient availability enhanced vegetative growth and dry matter accumulation, resulting in greater straw production. Jhansi et al. (2025) [2] similarly reported a marked increase in straw yield of foxtail millet with higher fertilizer levels. Among varieties, KOPFX-2107 (V₂) recorded the highest straw yield (2996.02 kg ha⁻¹), followed by DHFT 109-3 (2842.68 kg ha⁻¹) and PDKV Yashashree (2751.46 kg ha⁻¹). The higher straw yield of V₂ may be associated with its superior vegetative growth and greater biomass production. These findings concur with Vaghdevi et al., (2020) [11] , who reported varietal variation in straw yield. This highlights the role of genotypes in biomass production.

Conclusion

Nutrient levels significantly improved the growth and productivity of foxtail millet under irrigated rabi conditions. Among nutrient levels, 150% RDF recorded the highest grain yield, straw yield and harvest index and was comparable with 125% RDF for several yield parameters. PDKV Yashashree recorded the highest grain yield and harvest index, whereas KOPFX-2107 produced the highest straw yield. The N₃V₁ combination recorded the highest grain yield, while N₃V₂ produced the highest straw yield. Overall, 150% RDF with PDKV Yashashree was the most promising treatment for grain production under the conditions of the study.

References

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