Vol. 9, Issue 8, Part D (2025)

A field experiment was conducted during 2022-23 and 2023-24 to assess the effect of varieties, nutrient levels, and weed management practices on yield attributes and yield of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) under rainfed conditions of the Bastar plateau. The results revealed significant variation among treatments. Among varieties, CG Ragi-2 (V₂) recorded the highest number of fingers hill⁻¹ (9.78), seeds finger⁻¹ (230.1), ear head length (10.24 cm), seed yield (23.84 q ha⁻¹), straw yield (42.37 q ha⁻¹), and harvest index (36.01%), outperforming Indira Ragi-1 (V₁) and CG Ragi-3 (V₃). Nutrient levels significantly influenced crop performance, with 125% RDN (N₃) yielding the highest values for number of fingers hill⁻¹ (9.64), seeds finger⁻¹ (226.8), seed yield (23.47 q ha⁻¹), and straw yield (41.82 q ha⁻¹), indicating the importance of adequate nitrogen for enhancing physiological and reproductive processes. Among weed management practices, hand weeding twice (W₃) resulted in superior yield attributes and yield, with seed yield (23.51 q ha⁻¹), straw yield (42.01 q ha⁻¹), and harvest index (35.88%) on mean basis. The interaction of CG Ragi-2 × 125% RDN × hand weeding twice recorded the highest seed yield (25.36 q ha⁻¹), highlighting the synergistic effect of genotype, fertility, and weed control. This integrated approach proved most effective for maximizing finger millet productivity under rainfed conditions.