Comparative evaluation of foliar feeding approaches on growth, yield and economics of irrigated red gram (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh)

Abstract

Reduction in pulse production is often attributed to excessive flower drop and poor pod setting during the reproductive phase. This loss is mainly caused by nutrient deficiencies or hormonal imbalance or combined effect of factors environmental stress. Foliar application of balanced nutrients/hormonal imbalance effectively minimise flower drop by improving plant nutrition and hormonal balance. As a result, it enhances pod formation and ultimately boosts overall yield in pulse crops. A field experiment was conducted during the rabi (2023–24) at the experimental farm, School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design (RBD) with 8 treatments and it was replicated thrice. The results shows that application of 100 % recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF) + 12.5 t ha-1 farmyard manure (FYM) + foliar application of 5 kg Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) pulse wonder per hectare mixed with 500 L of water applied during the flowering stage registered higher growth parameter, yield attributes and economic analysis.