Performance of Foxtail Millet (Setaria Italica L) under Different Sowing Windows and Fertilizer Levels

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is a climate-resilient cereal crop well adapted to rainfed and resource-limited agricultural environments. Sowing time and fertiliser management are important factors influencing its growth and productivity. However, the combined effects of different sowing windows and fertiliser levels on the performance of the Yashashree variety under the agro-climatic conditions of Indore remain insufficiently documented. The investigation was carried out at the experimental-cum-demonstration field, SVIAG, SVVV, Indore during the kharif season of 2025–26. The soil of the experimental field was medium black clay in texture. It was low in available nitrogen (209.12 kg ha-1), medium in phosphorus (14.56 kg ha-1) and high in potassium (442.52 kg ha-1). The field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with three main-plot and four subplot treatments. The main-plot treatments were S1 (First fortnight of July), S2 (Second fortnight of July) and S3 (First fortnight of August). The subplot treatments were F1 (125 % RDF), F2 (100 % RDF), F3 (75 % RDF) and F4 (50 % RDF), and each treatment combination was replicated three times, with a gross plot size of 4.00 x 3.00 m2. This experiment tested the recommended foxtail millet variety, Yashashree. The highest plant height (106.19 cm) at harvest, number of functional leaves plant-1 (22.54) at 90 DAS, number of tillers hill-1 (13.43), leaf area (9.99 dm2) at 90 DAS, and dry matter (34.92 g), number of effective tillers hill-1 (11.87), earhead length (15.54 cm), earhead weight (7.06 g), earhead grain yield plant-1 (12.90), number of seeds earhead-1 (170.33) and number of seeds plant-1 (1788.08) at harvest, grain yield (17.52 q ha-1), straw yield (34.95 q ha-1), biological yield (52.47 q ha-1), gross monetary returns (₹ 66564.63 ha-1), cost of cultivation (₹ 38150.71 ha-1), net monetary returns (₹ 28413.92 ha-1) and B:C ratio (1.74) were recorded with sowing during the first fortnight of July (S1), with values at par with treatment S2. Test weight and harvest index did not differ significantly among sowing windows. Among fertiliser levels, the highest plant height (106.38 cm) at harvest, number of functional leaves plant-1 (23.17) at 90 DAS, number of tillers hill-1 (13.77), leaf area (10.62 dm2) at 90 DAS, and dry matter (37.21 g) at harvest, number of effective tillers hill-1 (12.25), earhead length (15.73 cm), earhead weight (7.50 g), earhead grain yield plant-1 (13.36), number of seeds earhead-1 (173.33), number of seeds plant-1 (1781.56), harvest index (33.90) at harvest, grain yield (18.71 q ha-1), straw yield (36.17 q ha-1), biological yield (54.88 q ha-1), gross monetary returns (₹ 71088.44 ha-1), cost of cultivation (₹ 39398.34 ha-1), net monetary returns (₹ 31690.10 ha-1) and B:C ratio (1.79) were recorded with the application of 125 % RDF (F1) which was at par with the 100 % RDF treatment (F2). Test weight did not differ significantly among fertiliser levels.