VINOD KUMAR*, K. SRIDHAR AND R. NAYAZ
Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute
Southern Regional Research Station, Dharwad-580005 (Karnataka), India
*(e-mail : vinoddhone@gmail.com)
(Received : 18 January 2023; Accepted : 15 June 2023)
SUMMARY
A field experiment was conducted at the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Southern Regional Research Station, Dharwad to find out the effect of planting material and nutrition on seed yield and quality in guinea grass. The design employed was RBD in factorial concept with
three replications. The experiment consisted of two planting materials viz., seeds and root slips and five nutrient levels viz., N1 : RDF (60:30:20 kg of NPK/ha), N2 : 25 % more than RDF, N3 : 50 % more than RDF, N4 : RDF + spraying of DAP 2 % at flowering stage, N5 : RDF + spraying of NAA 50 ppm at flowering stage. Among the planting material used, non-significant difference was observed for all growth and yield parameters, but root slips performed better over the seeds. Irrespective of planting material, nutrition levels recorded significantly. N3 recorded more tiller number (14.77 at maturity), panicle length (32.8 cm), green fodder yield (13.21 q/ha), seed yield (95.24 kg/ha), seed germination (23.49 %) and seedling vigour index (216) compared to other nutrition levels.
Key words: Guinea grass, source, planting material, yield, quality, germination, seedling length