Comparative Efficacy of Foliar Nano and Conventional Urea on Productivity and Profitability of Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]

Nano urea, a recently developed nano-fertilizer, has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional urea due to its higher surface area, controlled nutrient release and improved absorption efficiency leading to higher productivity and profitability of pigeonpea. A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2023 at the ZARS, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru, Karnataka. The experiment was laid out in a RCBD with eleven treatments comprising different levels of RDN combined with foliar application of nano urea (4, 6, 8 and 10 ml L⁻¹) and normal urea (2%) at flowering and pod development stages, along with RDF. Results revealed that application of 100 per cent RDN along with foliar spraying of nano urea at 4 ml L-1 at flowering and pod development stages recorded the higher number of pods per plant (81.1), pod length (8.50 cm), pod weight (84.3 g plant-1), seed weight (60.6 g plant-1), seed yield (1045 kg ha-1) and stalk yield (4102 kg ha-1), which was statistically comparable with foliar application of normal urea (2%) along with RDF. Economic analysis indicated that the higher gross returns (₹ 80,426 ha-1) and net returns (₹ 40,824 ha-1) were obtained with 100 per cent RDN with foliar application of nano urea at 4 ml L-1, while the maximum B:C ratio (2.05) was recorded with RDF + foliar application of normal urea (2%). The study concludes that foliar application of nano urea at 4 ml L-1 along with RDN is an effective and sustainable nutrient management strategy for enhancing productivity and profitability of pigeonpea.