Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

A field experiment was conducted to study at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, India, during kharif season of 2023 and 2024. The experiment was laid out in 2-Factor Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with three replications. The experiment had three sowing dates: D₁ - 1^st June, D₂ - 15^th June, D₃ - 1^st July; and four nutrient management: N₁ - Control (No fertilizer), N₂ - RDF – 40-30-20 kg ha^-1 N, P₂O₅ and K₂O, N₃ - 100% Organic through FYM, N₄ - 50% Inorganic + 50% Organic through FYM. The pooled result of the two years revealed that sowing dates and nutrient management has significant effect on productivity of finger millet. Results from the experiment revealed that the pooled result of sowing date on 1^st July recorded the highest growth parameter, yield and yield attributes, viz., number of effective tillers (68.33 m^-2), CGR (4.10 g m^-2 day), number of panicles (202.41 m^-2), number of fingers ear^-1 (7.04), grain yield (1567. 58 kg ha^-1). Similarly, among nutrient management, the pooled result of N₄ - 50% Inorganic + 50% Organic through FYM recorded the highest growth, yield, viz., plant height (143.51cm), number of effective tillers (73.50 m^-2), CGR (3.95 g m^-2 day), number of panicles (231.66 m^-2), number of fingers ear^-1 (7.85), grain yield (1950. 43 kg ha^-1). The findings also revealed the pooled results among the interactions, the pooled result revealed that T₁₂ - D₃N₄ (Sowing on 1^st July, 50% Inorganic + 50% Organic through FYM) recorded the highest growth, yield and yield attributes. Among the interactions, T₁₂ - D₃N₄ recorded the highest yield with 2122.56 kg ha^-1 and least was recorded in T₁ - D₁N₁ (Sowing on 1^st June, Control) with only 705.23 kg ha^-1. As grain yield is the ultimate objective of any cultivation practices, hence, only this parameter was considered to identify the best combinations.