Influence of foliar application of zinc on yield and economics of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) varieties

In Kharif (2022), a field study was carried out at the Crop Research Farm, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P). to investigate the "impact of zinc foliar application on pearl millet variety growth and yield." Ten treatments, each of which was replicated three times, were used in the Randomized Block Design experiment. The treatments include foliar zinc spray on 25 DAS and 25 and 50 DAS, respectively, and three distinct pearl millet types (Kaveri super boss, Nutra pearl, and Nandi-75). The results of the experiment showed that the treatment (Kaveri Super Boss + ZnSO4 0.5% (At 25 & 50 DAS) T3) had the highest values of the following growth parameters: plant height (191.20 cm), dry weight accumulation (58.75 g/plant), CGR (10.55 g/m2/day), and yield attributes: ear head length (19.50 cm), grains/ear head (1203.60), test weight (10.02 g), grain yield (1.37 t/ha), & straw yield (1.70 t/ha). Increasing ZnSO4 foliar spray has a substantial impact on these parameters. However, using Kaveri Super Boss + ZnSO4 0.5% (at 25 and 50 DAS) resulted in higher gross returns (53610.00), net return ₹ (29699.78), and benefit cost ratio 1.24.