Effect of Seed Rate and Nitrogen Nutrition on Rice Fallow Finger Millet- A Review
Abstract
Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.)), a climate resilient and nutrient dense cereal, holds significant potential for sustainable intensification of rice fallow systems in India. Its rich profile of calcium, dietary fibre, and essential amino acids makes it a critical crop for addressing nutritional security, particularly in dryland and tribal regions. However, suboptimal agronomic practices, especially with regard to seed rate and nitrogen nutrition, continue to limit its productivity in rice fallow conditions.
This review synthesizes recent research findings to evaluate the influence of seed rate and nitrogen management on the growth, yield attributes, and resource-use efficiency of finger millet. Studies indicate that appropriate seed rate enhances plant population, tillering, and weed suppression, while optimizing nitrogen levels significantly boosts chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation, grain yield, and nitrogen use efficiency. Findings from trials conducted across diverse agro ecological zones including Zaid and summer seasons demonstrate that both excess and deficient nitrogen applications negatively affect yield and grain quality. Furthermore, the interaction between seed rate and nitrogen shows synergistic effects on canopy architecture, nutrient uptake, and panicle development, particularly under residual soil moisture conditions typical in rice fallows.
Despite extensive field experimentation, region specific recommendations for rice fallow ecosystems remain limited. This review reveals the importance of optimizing both seed rate (typically 6–15 kg/ha) and nitrogen management (60–80 kg N/ha) to unlock the genetic yield potential of finger millet and promote its adoption in underutilized rice fallow areas for greater food and nutritional security.
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Introduction
Among small millets finger millet is one of the most nutritious crops, with high levels of methionine, an essential amino acid lacking in diets of millions of poor living on starchy foods. Finger millet has been identified as one of the “future smart food crops” by FAO (Liand Siddique, 2018). Finger millet is known for drought tolerance and can adapt to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions though it prefers fertile, well drained sandy to sandy loam soils, with a pH ranging from 5 to 7 (Triveni et al., 2018). It withstands warming stress, water stress and nutrition stress hence it is called “A climate change compliant crop” (Ferry, 2004). It is an important dryland millet crop and ranks third among the millet crops. In India it is widely cultivated in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, often as a rice fallow crop utilizing the residual soil moisture after the harvest of transplanted paddy. In India finger millet occupies an area of 1.03 million hectares with a production of 1.30 million metric tonnes with an average national productivity of 1336 kg ha-1 (Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India 2023-24).In Andhra Pradesh, it is an important millet crop cultivated in tribal and rainfed regions. It accounts for 0.27 lakh hectares of finger millet were planted, yielding 0.34 lakh tonnes of production and 1261 kg ha-1 of productivity in Andhra Pradesh (Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Andhra Pradesh, Government of Andhra Pradesh 2024). Finger millet grain contains 9.8% proteins, 4.3% crude fiber, 81.5% carbohydrates, 2.7% minerals, 1.37% ash and 0.33% calcium (Amir Gullet al., 2014). It also contains vitamin A, D, iron, phosphorous and dietary fibre. It is having low glycemic index and free from glutin which makes it suitable for people suffering from digestive problems, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Silage is prepared from the green straw of finger millet. It is an eco-friendly crop which requires less nutrients. Rice-fallow finger millet makes efficient use of the remaining soil moisture and nutrients during the fallow period after rice, thus increasing yield. When traditional crops fail in rice fallows, particularly in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, farmers are interested ingrowing finger millet in these areas and are looking for a decent package to follow. Since nitrogen and the ideal plant population are the two most important production elements, optimizing theN dose and seed rate is crucial for rice fallow finger millet.
Nitrogen availability is the nutrient that most frequently restricts crop production, making it a crucial component of agricultural productivity. Increased levels of N application lead to increased yield attributes and grain yield (Chakraborty et al., 2002). Applying the proper amount of N fertilizer is crucial for achieving the highest possible finger millet production. Variations in seed rates and nitrogen application dosages in rice fallow finger millet can impact crop growth, yield, and economics. To maintain production and profits in finger millet generally, it is essential to optimize seed rate and nitrogen application. This review aims to synthesize and evaluate current research on the effects of seed rate and nitrogen nutrition on the performance of finger millet in rice fallow systems, with the objective of identifying optimal agronomic practices and highlighting future research needs.
Conclusion
AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES: Based upon the reviewed literature, optimal seed rate (typically 6–15 kg/ha) improves plant population, tillering, canopy structure, and weed suppression in rice fallow finger millet. Nitrogen application (60–80 kg/ha) significantly enhances growth, chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield. Both over and under application of nitrogen adversely affect yield and grain quality. A synergistic effect of seed rate and nitrogen improves nutrient uptake, panicle development, and resource use efficiency under residual moisture conditions.
TABLE 3 SYNTHESIS OF AGRONOMIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RICE FALLOW FINGER MILLET Agronomic Optimal Primary Effect / Benefit Key Consideration for Rice Fallow Factor Range • Ensures optimal plant population.
Higher end of range may be beneficial in • Enhances tillering & canopy regions with better residual moisture. Lower Seed Rate 6-15 kg ha⁻¹ cover for weed suppression. rates may suffice in moisture-stressed • Maximizes grain & biomass conditions to reduce competition. yield. • Boosts chlorophyll synthesis & photosynthesis.
Application must be synchronized with residual • Increases dry matter Nitrogen 60-80 kg N soil moisture. Split applications are often accumulation & panicle Nutrition ha⁻¹ crucial for improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency development. (NUE) in this system. • Significantly enhances grain yield & harvest index. • Improves nutrient uptake efficiency.
The positive interaction is critical for unlocking Optimal Seed Synergistic • Optimizes canopy architecture for full genetic potential under the residual Rate + Interaction light interception. moisture and fertility constraints of rice Optimal N fallows. • Leads to superior panicle development and final yield.
Source: Authors' synthesis based on the consensus and ranges derived from the reviewed literature presented in this article.
To maximize productivity in rice fallows, region specific, integrated agronomic packages and precision nitrogen management are essential. Future research should focus on: (1) developing location-specific recommendations based on soil fertility and residual moisture levels, (2) investigating the interaction effects of seed rate and nitrogen across different cultivars and environments, (3) exploring efficient nitrogen sources and application timings for rice fallow systems, (4) assessing the economic viability of optimized practices for farmer adoption, and (5) integrating seed rate and nitrogen management with other agronomic practices for sustainable intensification of rice fallow finger millet cultivation CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflict of interest.
