Productivity and water use of rainfed pearlmillet (Pennisetum glaucum) as influenced by summer ploughing and in-situ moisture-conservation practices under semi-arid conditions of north-west India Jat M.L.1, Gautam R.C. Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012 1 Present address: Project Directorate for Cropping Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh 250110
Abstract A 2-year field experiment was conducted during the rainy season of 1997 and 1998 to study the effect of 3 summer ploughing (no summer ploughing, summer ploughing and summer ploughing + FYM + insecticide + herbicide) and 6 moisture-conservation practices (uniform row sowing, paired row planting, ridge-furrow, straw mulch, kaolin and straw mulch + kaolin) on the productivity and water-use efficiency of rainfed pearlmillet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend. Stuntz]. Summer ploughing + FYM + insecticide + herbicide gave highest grain yield (22.70 and 25.09 q/ha in 1997 and 1998 respectively), which was at par with summer ploughing alone but significantly superior to no summer ploughing. Marked variation in water-use efficiency, consumptive use and moisture-extraction pattern by pearlmillet was observed due to summer ploughing during both the years. Straw mulch + kaolin recorded highest grain yield (21.78 and 26.97 q/ha), consumptive use (266.33 and 298.72 mm) and water-use efficiency (9.46 and 9.03 kg grain/ha/mm) in 1997 and 1998, respectively, and the lowest being by uniform row sowing. Straw mulch + kaolin and straw mulch alone were at par with each other but were superior to all other treatments in terms of yield, consumptive use and water-use efficiency. Top Keywords Summer ploughing, Moisture-conservation practices, Water-use efficiency, Moisture-extraction pattern, Consumptive use. Top |