Vol. 9, Special Issue 8, Part F (2025)

A field experiment entitled “Response of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) to Foliar Application of Nano Urea” was conducted during the kharif season of 2024 at the National Agriculture Research Project (NARP) Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and ten treatments to evaluate the effect of different nutrient management strategies combining soil-applied nitrogen and foliar sprays of nano urea or conventional urea on the growth and yield of pearl millet. The hybrid AHB 1200 Fe was sown on July 1st, 2024 with a spacing of 45 cm × 10 cm. The study revealed that all nutrient treatments significantly influenced growth and yield parameters. Among all treatments, T₂ RDN (1/4 at basal, ½ after 3 weeks and ¼ after 5 weeks) recorded the highest grain yield (2946 kg ha⁻¹) and straw yield (6071 kg ha⁻¹). However, T₆ (75% RDN + foliar spray of nano urea @ 4 ml L⁻¹ between 3-4 weeks of sowing) proved to be agronomically superior by consistently recording higher values for plant height, number of functional leaves, dry matter accumulation, ear head length and girth and harvest index, while producing a comparable grain yield (2705 kg ha⁻¹). The performance of T₆ indicates that nano urea can improve nitrogen use efficiency and reduce dependence on conventional fertilizers without compromising productivity.