EFFECT OF NANO DAP APPLICATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF PEARL MILLET (PENNISETUM GLAUCUM L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2025 at the National Agricultural Research Project, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, to evaluate the effect of Nano diammonium phosphate (Nano DAP) on the growth and yield of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with ten treatments and three replications using hybrid AHB 1200 Fe. The experimental soil was clayey and alkaline (pH 8.01), with 0.41% organic carbon, low available nitrogen (158 kg ha⁻¹), medium available phosphorus (14.63 kg ha⁻¹) and high available potassium (360 kg ha⁻¹). Treatments included the recommended NPK dose (60:30:30 kg ha⁻¹), reduced fertilizer doses, Nano DAP seed treatment and foliar sprays. The recommended NPK treatment (T₂) recorded the maximum plant height (185.80 cm), leaf area (152.37 dm²), dry matter accumulation (154.67 g plant⁻¹), grain yield (2546.28 kg ha⁻¹) and dry fodder yield (5908.53 kg ha⁻¹). Among Nano DAP treatments, T₉, comprising 75% of the recommended dose of phosphorus, seed treatment at 5 mL kg⁻¹ seed and foliar sprays at 5.0 mL L⁻¹ at 3 and 5 weeks after sowing, recorded the highest grain yield (2291.65 kg ha⁻¹) and was statistically at par with T₂. Integrated Nano DAP application showed potential to improve pearl millet productivity, although the recommended NPK treatment recorded the highest grain and dry fodder yields under the experimental conditions.