Vol. 11, Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Chhaya Pandey, VK Singh and Ranjeet Kumar

Abstract:
A field experiment was carried out during kharif season of 2021 at at Research Farm, Raj Mohini Devi College of Agriculture and Research Station, Ajirma, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, to find out the various growth, yield characters, yield and optimum crop geometry of niger for getting higher yield and net returns for northern hills zone of Chhattisgarh. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with seven plant densities and replicated three times. The seven plant densities were 15 x 5 cm (13.33 lakh plants ha^-1), 15 x 10 cm (6.67 lakh plants ha^-1), 22.5 x 10 cm (4.44 lakh plants ha^-1), 22.5 x 5 cm (8.88 lakh plants ha^-1), 30 x 5 cm (6.66 lakh plants ha^-1), 30 x 10 cm (3.33 lakh plants ha^-1) and Broadcast method of sowing (14.85 lakh plants ha^-1). The result shows that growth and yield attributes, seed yield, straw and stalk yield and biological yield were influenced significantly by impose of different crop geometry (plant density). Significantly the maximum values of growth and yield attributes were recorded with wider spacing of 30 x 10 cm (3.33 lakh plants ha^-1) and the yields and gross returns (₹ 42345 ha^-1) were higher with narrow spacing of 15 x 5 cm (13.33 lakh plants ha^-1), while net returns (₹ 29244 ha^-1), B: C (2:3) ratio and economic efficiency (308 ₹ ha^-1 day^-1) were higher under broadcast method of sowing (14.85 lakh plants ha^-1). This study suggest that the appropriate crop geometry can significantly increase the yield of the niger crop.