Effects of Integrated Nitrogen Management on Productivity, Profitability and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Little Millet Cultivars ( Panicum sumatrense L.) Under Rainfed Conditions

Despite its importance as a climate-resilient nutri-cereal, little millet has received limited attention with respect to nitrogen management and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) studies. Excessive reliance on inorganic fertilizers often leads to poor nitrogen utilization, whereas integrated application of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources may improve nitrogen uptake and crop productivity. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024 at the Research Farm of Advanced Center for Rainfed Agriculture, Rakh Dhiansar, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu to evaluate the effect of cultivars and nitrogen management practices on growth, yield, nitrogen uptake and NUE of little millet. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement and replicated thrice, comprising three cultivars and six nitrogen treatments. Among cultivars, BL 6 (V2) recorded significantly higher growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield, straw yield, nitrogen uptake and NUE over GPUL 6 (V1) and the local variety (V3). Among nitrogen treatments, integrated application of 10 kg ha−1 N through farmyard manure (FYM) + 30 kg ha−1 N through urea (N6) recorded significantly higher growth, yield attributes, grain yield, straw yield, nitrogen uptake, agronomic efficiency and recovery efficiency than all other treatments except 40 kg ha−1 N through urea (N2), with which it was statistically at par. However, N2 recorded the highest benefit-cost ratio. Simple linear regression revealed positive relationships of grain yield with grains per panicle (R2 = 0.99) and total nitrogen uptake (R2 = 0.93) showing the highest coefficients of determination. The results indicated that integrated application of FYM and urea improved nitrogen uptake and NUE while sustaining productivity of little millet.