Effect of irrigation scheduling and sowing time on water use and productivity of wheat triticum astivum L under defficit water conditions

Abstract

newline A field experiment entitled and#8213;Effect of irrigation scheduling and sowing time on water use and productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under deficit water conditionsand#8214; was conducted during 2004-05 to investigate the effect of three sowing times (early, timely and late sowing) and four irrigation schedule (I1: Pre sown irrigation; I2: I1 + irrigation at CRI; I3: I2 + irrigation at flowering; I4: I3 + irrigation at dough) on wheat in a silty clay loam soil (acidic Alfisol). Both Irrigation schedule and sowing times significantly affected the soil water potential, root growth, crop water use, yield attributes, yield, water use efficiency and water productivity of wheat. Timely sowing resulted in higher while late sowing resulted in lower root mass density. Significantly lowest root mass density upto 30 cm soil depth was recorded in rainfed crop (I1). Total water use increased significantly with each increase in level of irrigation. Total water use was significantly higher under timely and late sown than early sown crop. Number of total tillers, effective tillers m-2 and grains spike-1, 1000- grain weight increased progressively with increase in irrigation level from one (I1) to four (I4). Higher productivity of wheat crop in respect of grain, straw and biological yield was obtained with timely sown wheat crop followed by early and late sown crop, respectively. Grain yield newlinedecreased by 7.4 15.7 and 22.2 per cent and straw yield by 14.3, 26.4 and 31.4 per cent when irrigations were decreased from four to three, two and one, respectively. Timely sown wheat resulted in significantly highest (3.58 kg grain ha-1 mm-1 water) while late sown resulted in significantly lowest water use efficiency (2.46 kg grain ha-1 mm-1 water). Trend was similar for water productivity also. Water use efficiency (kg grains ha-1mm-1) as well as water productivity (kg grains m-3 water used) was significantly higher in timely sown followed by early and late sown wheat. Timely sown wheat produced 3.58 kg grains ha-1 mm-1 water re