Influence of Cropping System and Nutrient Management Practices on the Yield, and Economics of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum]

The Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of cropping systems and nutrient management practices on the yield, and economics of pearl millet in the School of Agricultural Science, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, India). The experiments were laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with two factors (Cropping system and Nutrient management) and three replications for two consecutive seasons in 2022-23. The study comprised three cropping system treatments namely C1 – Sole Pearl millet cropping, C2 - Pearl millet + Black gram intercropping (1:1), C3 – Pearl millet + Cowpea intercropping (1:1) along with four nutrient management treatments viz., N1 - 100% Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) @80:40:40 kg of N, P2O5, and K2O/ha., N2– 75% RDF + Azospirillum @2kg/ha and Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) @2kg/ha, N3 – 75% RDF + Soil application of Azospirillum (2kg/ha) and PSB (2kg/ha) + Foliar spray of 2% urea @ 15 and 35 days after transplanting (DAT), N4 – 75% RDF + Soil application of Azospirillum (2kg/ha) and PSB (2kg/ha) + Foliar spray of Panchagavya3% @ 15 and 35 DAT. The results of the experiment revealed that the intercropping of black gram or cowpea in pearl millet proves to be beneficial and advantageous in terms of, grain yield and returns per rupee invested, rather than going for the sole cropping of pearl millet. On the other hand, reduced application of inorganic recommended dose of fertilizers by 25% with the inclusion of biofertilizers like Azospirillum and phosphate solubilizing bacteria, along with the foliar application of 2% urea or 3% Panchagavya will be an economically viable and environmentally sustainable nutrient management practice for improving the yield of pearl millet.