Effect of spacing and seed rate on growth of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.)

An investigation was carried out with six spacing and seed rate treatments in order to study the effect of spacing and seed rate on growth attributes of foxtail millet. The research was conducted during kharif season of 2024 at Farm of Agronomy, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidhyapeeth, Akola. The experiment was planned in Randomized Block Design with six treatments and four replications. The treatments were S1-30 cm x 5 cm with seed rate 6.0 kg per hectare, S2-30 cm x 10 cm with seed rate 3.0 kg per hectare, S3-30 cm x 15 cm with seed rate 2.0 kg per hectare, S4-45 cm x 5 cm with seed rate 4.0 kg per hectare, S5-45 cm x 10 cm with seed rate 2.0 kg per hectare, S6-45 cm x 15 cm with seed rate 1.5 kg per hectare. The soil at experimental site was medium black with clayey texture. Growth attributes were recorded at 25 DAS, 50 DAS, 75 DAS and at harvest. Sowing of foxtail millet at spacing 45 cm x 15 cm with seed rate 1.5 kg per hectare (S6) recorded maximum value of growth attributes viz., plant height, total number of tillers m-2, leaf area and dry matter accumulation per plant. The findings suggest that appropriate adjustment of spacing and seed rate significantly enhances the growth performance of foxtail millet under field conditions.