Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2022)

Author(s):
Biram Singh Gurjar, Kuldeep Singh, Akshay Kumar Yogi and Anju Kanwar Khangarot

Abstract:
Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is one of the most important staple food crop of majority of poor and small land holders in Asia and Africa continent. It is also consumed as feed and fodder for livestock. India accounts for half of global millet production in the country. It is good source of energy, carbohydrate, fat (5-7%), ash, dietary fibre (1.2 g/100 g), protein (9-13%), antioxidant such as coumaric acids with better digestibility. Pearl millet cultivation in India is mostly confined to coarse textured soils having the problem of poor moisture retention capacity and low soil fertility. Lack of improved practices, cultivation on poor and marginal lands of low fertility and poor and delayed germination due to soil crusting are some of the major constraints responsible for its poor yield. This gap between nutrient removal and supply cannot be bridged by fertilizer and manure alone. It can be supported by foliar nutrition also. Foliar nutrition is a method of feeding plants by applying liquid fertilizers directly to their leaves. Plants are able to absorb essential elements through their leaves and bark. Foliar uptake is a means of rapid nutrient supply, especially when soil nutrient availability or root activity is reduced. Quick recovery from N deficiency is possible in dry farming areas where uptake of soil nutrient is a constraint due to moisture deficiency.