Effect of Sowing Time and Establishment Techniques on Growth and Yield of Prosomillet (Panicum miliaceum L.) under Lateritic Soil of Konkan

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Dapoli, during kharif 2015, to study the effect of sowing time and establishment techniques on growth and yield of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) under lateritic soil of Konkan. The present investigation was carried out in strip plot design with three replications. The vertical strip comprised of three sowing time 23rd meteorogolical week (MW), 25^th MW and 27th MW and horizontal strip constituted four establishment techniques viz., drilling at 20 cm, broadcasting, transplanting at 20 cm x 15 cm and awatni (a traditional method of cultivation in which seedling are uprooted from nursery and planted by throwing it randomly). The results indicated that, sowing of proso millet on 25th MW produced maximum and significantly higher grain (0.926 t ha^-1) and straw (3.30 t ha^-1) yield over rest of the sowing times. Transplanting of proso millet produced maximum and significantly higher grain (1.015 t ha^-1) and straw (3.621 t ha^-1) yield over rest of the establishment techniques which was followed by awatni method. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content in grain and straw of proso millet were recorded significantly higher under 25th MW sowing over rest of the sowing times. The uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in grain, straw and their total was significantly higher under 25^th MW sowing over 23rd MW and 27th MW sowing times. Transplanting technique recorded higher nitrogen (1.32 and 0.33%), phosphorus (0.25 and 0.22%) and potassium (0.26 and 3.43%) content in grain and straw, respectively. The uptake of nitrogen (13.54 and 11.94 kg ha^-1), phosphorus (2.56 and 7.96 kg ha^-1) and potassium (2.26 and 124.20 kg ha^-1) in grain and straw was higher in transplanting technique. Maximum grain and straw yield with highest gross return (Rs. 36405.00 ha^-1), net return (Rs. 5936.00 ha^-1) and B:C ratio (1.19) was obtained when the proso millet sown on 25th MW with transplanting technique.