Impact of Soil Salinity on Growth and Yield of Different Millet Crops

DOI: 10.22161/ijeab.105.16

Abstract:
Millets are a diverse group of small-seeded cereal crops that have been cultivated for thousands of years. Millets are rich in essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals.With the rising challenges of climate change and food security, millets are being promoted globally as nutri-cereals for their adaptability, nutritional value, and role in sustainable agriculture. Excessive accumulation of soluble salts in the root zone adversely affects plant growth and yield. Crops grown under saline conditions often exhibit reduced germination, stunted growth and poor yield. Millets can also tolerate salinity to some extent but are sensitive to high levels of soil salinity. High salt levels can reduce the grain yield. The experiment was laid out in factorial RBD consists of three main treatments (pearl millet, finger millet and foxtail millet) and five sub treatments (2,3,4,5 dS m-1 and control). The salinity of respective pots was developed with addition of salt water prepared by additions of NaCl, NaSO4 and CaSO4 in 2:2:1 ratio. Data on yield attribute (panicle/ear head length) and grain yield were recorded the results revealed that panicle length decreased with increasing salinity. Pearl millet recorded the highest panicle length (21 cm), followed by foxtail millet (18 cm), while finger millet exhibited the lowest mean panicle length (9 cm) . Among the salinity levels, the highest panicle length (19 cm) was observed under control while the lowest panicle length (13 cm) occurred at the highest salinity level 5 dS m-1. A significant reduction in grain yield with increasing salinity. Among the millets, finger millet recorded the highest average grain yield (288 g pot-1) across salinity levels, followed by pearl millet with 213 g pot-1, and foxtail millet with the lowest at 194 g pot-1. Among the salinity levels, the highest yield was observed under control with 257 g pot-1, while the lowest yield occurred at the highest salinity level 5 dS m-1 with of 200 g pot-1 Grain yield decreased progressively with increasing salinity across all three millets, indicating the negative impact of salt stress on reproductive performance.

Keywords:
Millets, nutrients, salinity, panicle length, grain and straw yield.

Article Info:
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Received in revised form: 01 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Sep 2025; Available online: 13 Oct 2025

Cite this Article: