Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Assessment of establishment techniques and varietal performance on yield and physiological traits of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.15879
Submitted
5 June 2026
Published
27-07-2026

Abstract

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is an important climate-resilient nutri-cereal, known for its superior nutritional quality and adaptability to drought-prone environments. However, its productivity remains comparatively low due to inefficient crop establishment practices and varietal differences. The present study evaluated the effects of 3 crop establishment techniques and 4 finger millet varieties on physiological traits, growth and yield under field conditions. The location of this study carried out in SRMCAS college farm, Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu district, India. The experimental design is split plot design. The findings revealed that improved establishment methods, particularly the System of Ragi Intensification (SRI) significantly enhanced plant growth, dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll content (SPAD), relative water content, membrane stability index and yield attributes compared to conventional direct sowing. Among the tested varieties, Paiyur 2 exhibited superior physiological performances and recorded the highest grain yield (1668 kg ha-1), whereas PR 202 showed comparatively lower adaptability and productivity under the prevailing agro-climatic conditions. The combined effect of SRI and Paiyur 2 resulted in enhanced grain and straw yield through improved resource- use efficiency, better root development and superior photosynthetic activity. SRI recorded the highest grain yield (1797 kg ha-1), while Paiyur 2 produced 1668 kg ha-1, resulting in a 10.8–57.8 % yield advantage over other varieties. The study highlights the importance of integrating suitable crop establishment techniques with high-performing varieties to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability of finger millet cultivation thereby contributing to climate- resilient agriculture and nutritional security.

References

  1. 1. Gururaj HS, Patil BC, Mahesh S. Yield and quality attributes of finger millet under SRI and conventional methods with organic nutrient management. Karnataka J Agric Sci. 2023;36(2):145–52.
  2. 2. Bhatta LR, Subedi R, Joshi P, Gurung SB. Effect of crop establishment methods and varieties on tillering habit, growth rate and yield of finger-millet. Adv Res J Multidiscip Discov. 2017;47(3):367-71. https://doi.org/10.19080/ARTOAJ.2017.11.555826
  3. 3. Sarawale PP, Rajemahadik VA, Shendage GB, Kumhar BL, Mote AD. Effect of different establishment methods and varieties on yield, quality and nutrient uptake of kharif finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.). Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2017;6(4):1285-89. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.604.157
  4. 4. Chavan IB, Jagtap DN, Mahadkar UV. Yield and quality of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) influenced due to different establishment techniques, levels and time of application of nitrogen. Adv Agric Res Technol J. 2019;3(2):191-200.
  5. 5. Sri KJ, Sree SP, Srinivasulu K, Rao PM. Growth and yield of finger millet varieties as influenced by different crop establishment techniques in rice fallows. Andhra Agric J. 2024. ttps://doi.org/10.9734/ijpss/2025/v37i25338
  6. 6. Pandey M, Awasthi HR, Subedi R, Joshi K. Crop intensification practices for better finger millet growth. Rev Food Agric. 2023;4(2):71-77. https://doi.org/10.26480/rfna.02.2023.71.77
  7. 7. Das H, Sial P, Dash SR, Dalei BB, Behera TK. Effect of different crop establishment methods and organic sources of nutrients on finger millet in South Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha, India. J Sci Res Rep. 2024;30(5):91-98. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2024/v30i51925
  8. 8. Mukesh G, Sairam M, Maitra S, Gaikwad DJ, Anuradha N, Sahoo U, et al. Performance evaluation of different finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) cultivars for growth, productivity and nutrient quality of grains under hot and subhumid region of Odisha. Int J Exp Res Rev. 2024;39:1-14. https://doi.org/10.52756/ijerr.2024.v39spl.001
  9. 9. Abirami K, Rajathi DS. A data-driven approach to optimize millet intercropping systems using machine learning techniques. In: Proceedings of the 2025 6th International Conference on Inventive Research in Computing Applications (ICIRCA). IEEE; 2025. p. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIRCA65293.2025.11089815
  10. 10. Mapako OS, Maphosa M. Genetic analysis of yield and yield-related traits in adapted finger millet germplasm. J Underutilised Crops Res. 2025;4(1):35. https://doi.org/10.4102/JUCR.v4i1.35
  11. 11. Sakadzo N, Bvekwa G, Makaza K. Influence of establishment methods on yield and yield parameters of finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) in Ward 24, Zaka District. Agric Sci. 2019;1(1):47. https://doi.org/10.30560/as.v1n1p47
  12. 12. Hebbal N, Ramachandrappa BK, Thimmegouda MN. Yield and economics of finger millet with establishment methods under different planting geometry and nutrient source. Indian J Dryland Agric Res Dev. 2018;33(1):54-58. https://doi.org/10.5958/2231-6701.2018.00010.6
  13. 13. Shilpa, Lalitha BS, Nagaraj KH, Murthy KK, Jayadeva HM, Sannagoudar MS, et al. Crop diversification strategies for yield enhancement in finger millet-based cropping systems. Front Agron. 2025;7:1644473. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2025.1644473
  14. 14. Teferi TJ, Eshete GA, Belay BF, Kassie MK, Altaseb YW, Legesse EM. Enhancing finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) productivity through participatory variety selection and promotion in Central Gondar, Ethiopia. Discov Sustain. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-02823-8
  15. 15. Kumar DP, Maitra S, Shankar T, Ganesh P. Effect of crop geometry and age of seedlings on productivity and nutrient uptake of finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.). Int J Agric Environ Biotechnol. 2019;12(3):267-72. https://doi.org/10.30954/0974-1712.08.2019.10
  16. 16. Tarekegne W, Mekbib F, Dessalegn Y. Performance and participatory variety evaluation of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] varieties in West Gojam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. East Afr J Sci. 2019;13(1)
  17. 17. Bisht K, Nehru J, Vishwavidyalaya K, Gudadhe N. Nutritional composition, health benefits, production, processing and marketing of finger millet. Indian J Fertil. 2023;19(10):1036-46.
  18. 18. Goudar G, Manne M, Sathisha GJ, Sharma P, Mokalla TR, Kumar SB, et al. Phenolic, nutritional and molecular interaction study among different millet varieties. Food Chem Adv. 2023;2:100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2022.100150
  19. 19. Rani PP, Subbaiah PV, Mrudhula KA. Evaluation of finger millet varieties under varying levels of irrigation water salinity. Andhra Agric J. 2024;71:217-23. https://doi.org/10.61657/aaj.2024.119
  20. 20. Assegid D, Terbush A, Chala G, Bekela G. Evaluation of recently released finger millet varieties for their adaptability in West Haraghe Zone, Eastern Ethiopia. Am J Biosci. 2024;12(4):127-32. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbio.20241204.14
  21. 21. Mukesh G, Sairam M, Maitra S, Gaikwad DJ, Sagar L, Ray S. Agrometeorological indices, physiological growth parameters and performance of finger millet as influenced by different cultivars under hot and sub humid region of Odisha. Int J Exp Res Rev. 2024;42:148-61. https://doi.org/10.52756/ijerr.2024.v42.013
  22. 22. Chakravarthi B, Sutradhar P, Pathak K, Panging M, MJ K, Gogoi B. Performance of finger millet varieties (Eleusine coracana L.) in different establishment methods. J Agric Ecol Res Int. 2024;25(4):83-97. https://doi.org/10.9734/jaeri/2024/v25i4616
  23. 23. Shubhashree, Lalitha BS, Raveendra HR, Deepak CA, Sahana SR. Assessment of pre-released finger millet genotypes to varied levels of fertilizer application. Pharma Innov J. 2022;11(10):1876-78.
  24. 24. Gurung SB, Khadka RB, Dhami NB. Effects of finger-millet intensification on yield and disease-resistance in central hills of Nepal. 2023.
  25. 25. Boruah A. Evaluation of finger millet genotypes as climate smart crop under the agroclimatic conditions of Jorhat (Doctoral dissertation). Jorhat: Assam Agricultural University; 2023.
  26. 26. Sreenivasulu K, Rao MS, Jyothi PA, Rao SG, Rao AU. Growth, yield attributes and yield as influenced by crop establishment and nutrient management in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.). Andhra Agric J. 2023;70(4):431-36. https://doi.org/10.61657/aaj.2023.64
  27. 27. Singh SP, Kumar P, Shri A, Om H, Singh AK, Sinha S, et al. Effect of irrigation scheduling under different crop establishment methods on yield attributes, yield and economics of wheat. J Sci Res Rep. 2026;32(5):510-18. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2026/v32i54194
  28. 28. Mahajan NC, Singh RK, Baite NA, Singh RK, Singh UP, Upadhyay A. Evaluating crop establishment methods and nitrogen-irrigation strategies for improving rice productivity and soil nutrient status. Indian J Agron. 2025;70(3). https://doi.org/10.59797/ija.v70i3.6098
  29. 29. Nishani SS, Rudra SG, Datta SC, Kaur C, Sen S. Phenolics, antioxidant and pasting properties of various pearl millet and finger millet varieties varying in amylose content. Vegetos. 2014;27(1):36-50. https://doi.org/10.5958/2229-4473.2014.00023.8

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.