Performance of Organics Manures and Organic Foliar Spray in Nutri Cereals for Higher Productivity

India has rich in millet diversity since they are mostly rain fed and hardy, physiologically very efficient, wide adaptability and reliable harvest. The following species of small millets such as little millet (Panicum sumatrense), Italian millet (Setaria italica), and kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), which are adopted wide range of temperature, moisture region and input conditions and supplying food and feed to millions of dryland farmers. Besides, they also farm important raw material for potable alcohol and starch production, in addition millets are the best candidates to address the millennium goal of “Zero hunger”. Millet crops are reported to be most tolerant to moisture stress but even for short period of moisture stress during critical stages of growth, markedly reduces the yield (Udayakumar et al., 1986). Finger millet or Mandua or Bird’s foot millet commonly known as Ragi (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) is an important small millet crop ranked third in India in area and production and has the pride of place in having the highest productivity among the millets after sorghum and pearlmillet (Saravanapandian et al., 2005). It is a staple food crop in many hilly regions of the country. It is grown both for grain and fodder purposes and is cultivated up to an altitude of 3000 meters above MSL. The crop is well adapted to very poor and marginal uplands where other crops cannot be grown successfully (AICSMIP, 2008). Finger millet is the third most important millet in India next to sorghum and pearl millet covering an area of 2 million hectares with annual production of 2.15 million tonnes.

Application of foliar spray of organic nutrients along with chemical fertilizers would be a sound proposition in the input management leading to better yields.

Organic farming helps to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and maintains the ecological balance as well as productivity of life supporting systems for the future generations