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Effects of conservation agriculture on crop productivity and water-use efficiency under an irrigated pigeonpea–wheat cropping system in the western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2016

T. K. DAS
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
K. K. BANDYOPADHYAY
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
RANJAN BHATTACHARYYA*
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
S. SUDHISHRI
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
A. R. SHARMA
Affiliation:
Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, M.P., India
U. K. BEHERA
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
Y. S. SAHARAWAT
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
P. K. SAHOO
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
H. PATHAK
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
A. K. VYAS
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
L. M. BHAR
Affiliation:
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
H. S. GUPTA
Affiliation:
Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), New Delhi 110 012, India
R. K. GUPTA
Affiliation:
Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), New Delhi 110 012, India
M. L. JAT
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), NASC Complex, New Delhi 110 012, India
*
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: ranjan_vpkas@yahoo.com; ranjanvpkas@gmail.com

Summary

In search of a suitable resource conservation technology under pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the effects of conservation agriculture (CA) on crop productivity and water-use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated during a 3-year study. The treatments were: conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT) with planting on permanent narrow beds (PNB), PNB with residue (PNB + R), ZT with planting on permanent broad beds (PBB) and PBB + R. The PBB + R plots had higher pigeonpea grain yield than the CT plots in all 3 years. However, wheat grain yields under all plots were similar in all years except for PBB + R plots in the second year, which had higher wheat yield than CT plots. The contrast analysis showed that pigeonpea grain yield of CA plots was significantly higher than CT plots in the first year. However, both pigeonpea and wheat grain yields during the last 2 years under CA and CT plots were similar. The PBB + R plots had higher system WUE than the CT plots in the second and third years. Plots under CA had significantly higher WUE and significantly lower water use than CT plots in these years. The PBB + R plots had higher WUE than PNB + R and PNB plots. Also, the PBB plots had higher WUE than PNB in the second and third years, despite similar water use. The interactions of bed width and residue management for all parameters in the second and third years were not significant. Those positive impacts under PBB + R plots over CT plots were perceived to be due to no tillage and significantly higher amount of estimated residue retention. Thus, both PBB and PBB + R technologies would be very useful under a pigeonpea–wheat cropping system in this region.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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