Effect of Foliar Application of Nano and Conventional Urea on Nitrogen Uptake and Use Efficiency in Ragi (Eleusine coracana)

A field trial was carried out at Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Bavikere, Shivamogga, India, during Late Kharif 2022 to study the Effect of foliar application of nano and conventional urea on nitrogen uptake and use efficiency in ragi. The treatments consists of absolute control (T1), recommended dose of fertilizer (T2), 50 per cent RDN + two sprays of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 30 & 45 DAT (T3), 75 per cent RDN + one spray of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 30 DAT (T4), 75 per cent RDN + two sprays of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 30 & 45 DAT (T5), 100 per cent RDN + one spray of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 30 DAT (T6), 50 per cent RDN + two sprays of 2 per cent urea fertilizer at 30 & 45 DAT (T7), 75 per cent RDN + one spray of 2 per cent urea fertilizer at 30 DAT (T8), 75 per cent RDN + two sprays of 2 per cent urea fertilizer at 30 & 45 DAT (T9), 100 per cent RDN + one spray of 2 per cent urea fertilizer at 30 DAT (T10), four sprays of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 15, 30, 45 & 60 DAT (T11). The results showed that the application of 100 per cent RDN + one spray of 0.4 per cent nano urea fertilizer at 30 DAT recorded higher total dry matter accumulation (46.75 g hill-1), absolute growth rate (0.64 g day-1), crop growth rate (21.39 g m-2 day-1), grain yield (3812 kg ha-1) and total nitrogen uptake (89.60 kg ha-1) as compared to other treatmnets and it was statistically on par with the T10 and T5. The Treatment T5 recorded higher nitrogen use efficiency (48.41 %) compared to other treatments.