Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part P (2025)

A two-year field study was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024 at the Agronomy Research Farm, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, to investigate the interactive effects of integrated nutrient management strategies on the growth and biomass production of three pearl millet cultivars. The experimental design was laid out in factorial randomized block with three replications, evaluating three cultivars (Pioneer 86m90, HHB 299, MPMH 21) against seven nutrient treatments: T₁ (Control), T₂ (100% RDN through FYM), T₃ (50% RDN through FYM + 2 foliar sprays of nano-urea), T₄ (100% RDN through chemical fertilizer), T₅ (50% RDN through chemical fertilizer + 2 foliar sprays of nano-urea), T₆ (75% RDN through chemical fertilizer + 2 foliar sprays of nano-urea) and T₇ (75% RDN through FYM + 2 foliar sprays of nano-urea). The results demonstrated that both cultivar genetics and nutrient management significantly influenced growth parameters and dry matter accumulation over both the experimental years. The cultivar Pioneer 86m90 consistently exhibited superior performance, recording the maximum plant height (26.4,143.4 and 173.6 cm in 2023 and 27.8, 144.7 and 174.8 cm in 2024 at 30, 60 DAS and at harvest) respectively and dry matter accumulation (232.92 g/plant in 2023 and 239.28 g/plant in 2024 at 30, 60 DAS and harvest). Among the nutrient treatments, T₆ emerged as the most effective, producing the tallest plants and highest biomass across both years, significantly outperforming the full-dose chemical fertilizer treatment (T₄). The results demonstrated the efficacy of combining reduced chemical nitrogen with nano-urea foliar sprays in enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and sustaining crop growth. The treatment T₇ also performed well and results revealed that the potential of integrating organic manures with nano-fertilizer. The study concluded that the application of 75% of the recommended nitrogen dose through chemical fertilizers with two foliar sprays of nano-urea, in conjunction with the high-yielding cultivar Pioneer 86m90, constitutes an optimal strategy for maximizing pearl millet productivity in the semi-arid regions of Southern Haryana.