GROWTH RESPONSE OF FINGER MILLET ON PHOSPHOROUS FERTILIZER AND PLANT DENSITY IN KURIA WEST DISTRICT

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is an important nutritional and economic crop that contributes greatly to income and food security of the smallholder farmers in rural areas in sub-Sahara Africa and Asia. The production of this crop has been declining due to reduced area under cultivation and loss in soil fertility. The objective of this study was to establish the growth response of finger millet on different levels of phosphorus fertilizer and plant density. The experiment was setup with Randomized Complete Block Design with treatments being phosphorus levels of Triple Supper Phosphate (TSP) (0, 25, 50 and 75 Kg/ha) and spacing in centimeters, S1 (30X10), S2 (30X15) and S3 (30X20). The experimental field was divided into 3x3 meters and replicated twelve times and three blocks. The experiment was conducted in two seasons; the first season seeding was done on 21st November 2014, which is a short season and the second one done on 23rd June 2015, which is a long rain season. Data was collected on growth indicators such as plant height, seed weight, length of the heads and number of fertile tillers. Results indicated that plant density and phosphorus levels had significant effects on finger millet seed weight, number of fertile tillers, plant height and percentage lodging. It was established that spacing and phosphorus levels affected the growth of finger millet in terms of tillering ability, lodging, height, And Head length. The interaction between spacing and fertilizer levels in season one had a significant effect on finger millet height. The contribution of phosphorus to the size of the head length of finger millet appeared to be higher than that of plant density in both seasons