• Authors:
    • Poswal, R. S.
    • Yadav, A.
    • Gupta, R. K.
    • Gill, S. C.
    • Chhokar, R. S.
    • Kumar, V.
    • Sharma, R. K.
    • Kumar, A.
    • Mehta, A.
    • Kleemann, S. G. L.
    • Cummins, J. A.
    • Coventry, D. R.
  • Source: Field Crops Research
  • Volume: 123
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: This article reports on field experiments with 4 different rotations that are commonly used throughout Haryana in NW India (rice-wheat, cotton-wheat, pearl millet-wheat, cluster bean-wheat), where we assess wheat yield and chapatti quality measures with different crop establishment methods and input of micronutrients. In a series of experiments conducted on farmers' fields in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 winter seasons, the addition of micronutrients and sulphur to wheat crops was used alongside the use of a common farmer practice, the use of farmyard manure (FM) and best practice inputs of N-fertilizer (150 kg N ha -1), P-fertilizer (26 kg P ha -1) and K-fertilizer (33 kg K ha -1). The application of FM with the recommended NPK treatment produced 9-13% more grain yield in the rice-wheat rotation when compared with the recommended NPK only treatment. Given that the farm sites used here had low levels of soil P, this may suggest that the recommended rate of 26 kg P ha -1 for the rice-wheat rotation is too low. The addition of FM did not improve any grain quality outcomes at any of the sites. There were no yield responses with S application with any of the rotations but the S input resulted in more wheat protein from all sites (average 8%). The addition of S also gave similar increases in grain hardness and the chapatti score. The inclusion of micronutrients (boron, copper, iron, zinc and manganese) with the recommended NPK treatment did not increase the grain yield at any of the sites when compared with the recommended NPK treatment, and sometimes, but not consistently, gave small responses with protein, grain hardness and chapatti score. In concurrent experiments wheat growth and chapatti quality were compared in zero till and conventionally sown systems, and with and without S fertilizer amendment. Here too there were no grain yield responses to S, and the protein, grain hardness and chapatti score were increased with S addition. Grain yields with zero till and conventional wheat were similar in the rice-wheat system and zero till sowing resulted in small increases in yield at all of the non-rice sites. The grain from the zero till treatments had higher protein (1-3%), grain hardness (3-10%) and chapatti score from all 4 rotations. Zero till has substantial adoption in the rice-wheat districts of Haryana but little farmer awareness and adoption in the areas where the other rotations are used. The data given here show that with zero tillage and an integrated practice of nutrient management farmers in Haryana can maintain grain yields of wheat whilst improving quality outcomes.
  • Authors:
    • Duboc, O.
    • Zehetner, F.
    • Gerzabek, M. H.
  • Source: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The increase in crop production brought by the green revolution in India is now shadowed by new challenges related to soil degradation (e.g., erosion, decline of soil organic matter content, salinization) and scarcity of water resources. The present work particularly discusses the contribution of no-till and organic farming, which are increasingly being adopted in India, to meet the increasing food demand in a sustainable way. Under no-till, erosion is reduced to rates close to those found in natural ecosystems, provided enough mulch is retained at the surface which is usually not the case in India, because of competing uses, for example, fodder, fuel, construction material, and also crop residue burning for land preparation. No-till should therefore not be considered separately from complementary measures, aiming at retaining mulch on the soil surface. Efficient recycling of organic material needs to be implemented concomitantly with diversifying fodder and fuel sources which requires enhancing the multifunctionality of farming systems. These prerequisites make it difficult for farmers to adopt no-till, particularly the poorer ones for whom experimentation with new techniques often involve unbearable financial risks. Organic farming apprehends the farm as an organism, and is thus a good option to improve sustainability as introduced above, by e.g., closing nutrient cycling. However, organic farming typically implies tillage for weed control (no chemical herbicides). "Natural farming," as promoted by Fukuoka (197834. Fukuoka, M. 1978. The one-straw revolution: an introduction to natural farming, Rodale Press. View all references) combines no-till with organic farming. An overview of available literature on Indian experiences with "natural farming," most of it originating from unconventional sources (i.e., reports available on Internet, but no peer reviewed literature) indicates that crop yields can compare well with the highest yields in a particular region. Increased productivity and environmental benefits are also often mentioned. The limited accuracy of these sources makes it necessary to pursue further investigations, and we conclude with propositions for future work in this context. This should start with a rigorous assessment of existing " natural farming" systems regarding their productivity and environmental benefits, in order to demonstrate its potential before starting projects that promote the system for broader adoption.
  • Authors:
    • Dhaliwal, I. S.
    • Hegazy, R. A.
  • Source: Agricultural Engineering International: the CIGR Journal
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The main operational problem in direct drilling of paddy straw residue is the accumulation and wrapping of loose straw within/on the tines and frame of no-till drills and traction problems with the ground wheel. A residue management equipment (RME) is developed to cut and remove paddy straw away from furrow openers of the no-till drill. The equipment consisted of nine parts; each part consisted of two powered wheels, one wheel for cutting the residue and the other wheel for removing them away from no-till drill furrow openers. This equipment was attached with the no-till drill with inverted "T" type furrow opener and the experiments have been conducted to compare the no-till drill with RME and same no-till drill without RME. No-till drill with RME increased the fuel consumption and time required by 29.6% and 13.14%, respectively. Adding RME to the no-till drill decreased the amount of residue clogged by 33% and increased the percentage of cut hill from 14.9 to 63.7%. The average numbers of effective tiller, spike length and plant heights were more for no-till drill with RME. Furthermore, the grain yield was increased by 12.4% for fields with no-drill with RME.
  • Authors:
    • Backiyavathy, M. R.
  • Source: Advances in Plant Sciences
  • Volume: 24
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different organic manures and its sources at different levels (FYM - 20, 25 & 30 t ha -1, vermicompost - 2.5, 5.0 & 7.5 t ha -1, poultry manure - 2.5, 5.0 & 7.5 t ha -1 and pig manure - 2.5, 5.0 & 7.5 t ha -1) on yield and quality of fodder in perennial fodder crops. The field experiment was conducted at New Area Farm, Department of Forage Crops, TNAU, Coimbatore. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design replicated twice with 14 treatments. Perennial fodder crops viz., cumbu napier hybrid grass CO 3, guinea grass CO 2, sorghum COFS 29, lucerne CO 1 and hedge lucerne were studied under this investigation. The results revealed that the organic manure treatments were compared with recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers with respect to each fodder crop. Among different organics, application of FYM @ 30 t ha -1 registered the maximum green fodder, dry fodder and crude protein yields in all perennial fodders. However the maximum green, dry fodder and crude protein yields were recorded in RDF treatment over the rest of the other treatments.
  • Authors:
    • Humphreys, E.
    • Yadvinder-Singh
    • Eberbach, P. L.
    • Katupitiya, A.
    • Kukal, S. S.
    • Balwinder-Singh
  • Source: Field Crops Research
  • Volume: 121
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Intensive cultivation of rice and wheat in north-west India has resulted in air pollution from rice straw burning, soil degradation and declining groundwater resources. The retention of rice residues as a surface mulch could be beneficial for moisture conservation and yield, and for hence water productivity, in addition to reducing air pollution and loss of soil organic matter. Two field experiments were conducted in Punjab, India, to study the effects of rice straw mulch and irrigation scheduling on wheat growth, yield, water use and water productivity during 2006-2008. Mulching increased soil water content and this led to significant improvement in crop growth and yield determining attributes where water was limiting, but this only resulted in significant grain yield increase in two instances. There was no effect of irrigation treatment in the first year because of well-distributed rains. In the second year, yield decreased with decrease and delay in the number of irrigations between crown root initiation and grain filling. With soil matric potential (SMP)-based irrigation scheduling, the irrigation amount was reduced by 75 mm each year with mulch in comparison with no mulch, while maintaining grain yield. Total crop water use (ET) was not significantly affected by mulch in either year, but was significantly affected by irrigation treatment in the second year. Mulch had a positive or neutral effect on grain water productivity with respect to ET (WP ET) and irrigation (WP I ). Maximum WP I occurred in the treatment which received the least irrigation, but this was also the lowest yielding treatment. The current irrigation scheduling guidelines based on cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) resulted in sub-optimal irrigation (loss of yield) in one of the two years, and higher irrigation input and lower WP I of the mulched treatment in comparison with SMP-based irrigation scheduling. The results from this and other studies suggest that farmers in Punjab greatly over-irrigate wheat. Further field and modelling studies are needed to extrapolate the findings to a wider range of seasonal and site conditions, and to develop simple tools and guidelines to assist farmers to better schedule irrigation to wheat.
  • Authors:
    • Srivastava, A. K.
    • Panigrahi, P.
  • Source: Indian Journal of Soil Conservation
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted during 2006-08 to assess the response of deficit irrigation (DI) in 16 year old drip-irrigated Nagpur mandarin ( Citrus reticulata) trees budded on Rough lemon ( Citrus jambhiri L.) root stock at Nagpur, Maharashtra. The DI regimes imposed were at 30, 50, and 70% of Full irrigation (FI) and compared with FI (control). The annual increase in vegetative growth parameters (tree height and canopy volume) of trees under FI was found to be superior over DI treatments. The soil moisture status measured at 30 cm, 45 cm and 60 cm depths showed that the mean monthly soil moisture content was significantly affected at 30 cm depth, with highest magnitude (27.6-30.7%, v/v) under FI. Leaf nutrients (N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) analysis indicates that FI registered the maximum leaf N, K, and Fe, followed by 70% FI. The highest fruit yield (14.10 t ha -1) recorded under FI was at par with DI at 70% FI (13.35 t ha -1). More number and smaller size of fruits were recorded in FI as compared to DI at 70% FI. However, DI at 70% FI produced 36% higher water productivity with superior quality fruits (more fruit weight, higher TSS and lower acidity) over FI.
  • Authors:
    • Srivastava, A. K.
    • Panigrahi, P.
  • Source: Journal of Agricultural Engineering
  • Volume: 48
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted during 2006-2008 to optimize the combined use of irrigation and fertilizers through drip irrigation for bearing Nagpur mandarin ( Citrus reticulate Blanco) plants at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The irrigation at 50% (I 1), 75% (I 2), and 100% (I 3) of daily class-A pan evaporation rate (Ep) along with 25% (F 1), 50% (F 2) and 75% (F 3) of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 600 g N+100 g P 2O 5+200 g K 2O) were applied through drip emitters to 12 year old mandarin plants. For comparison, band placement of fertilizer (BPF) at 100% RDF under basin irrigation (BI) was taken as control. All the irrigation and fertilizer treatments (except I 1F 1) imposed through drip system produced higher plant growth and fruit yield, with better quality fruits over BI with BPF. The highest fruit yield (16.03 t.ha -1) with superior quality fruits (41.8% juice content, 10.2degreesBrix TSS and 0.82% acidity) was recorded under I 2F 3. Leaf nutrients (N, P, K, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) analysis indicated that I 2F 3 registered significantly higher leaf-N (2.15%) and K (1.87%), whereas I 3F 3 produced higher P (0.11%) and Fe (113.99 ppm) as compared with BI with BPF (1.98% N, 0.081% P, 1.64% K, and 93.52 ppm Fe). The study demonstrated that the application of optimum quantity of water and fertilizers (I 2F 3) through drip irrigation saved 50% and 25% of water and fertilizers, respectively, besides producing 60% higher fruit yield with better quality fruits over BI with BPF.
  • Authors:
    • Manmohan, J. R.
    • Singh, J.
    • Kaul, M. K.
    • Bhatnagar, P.
    • Chauhan, P. S.
  • Source: The Indian Forester
  • Volume: 137
  • Issue: 12
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Comparative effects of drip and micro sprinkler systems under kinnow+kinnow and kinnow+poplar silvi-horti system were studied under sub tropical climate. Drip system of irrigation was found promising in maintaining better growth of kinnow plants. Kinnow+Poplar system of plantation was found superior over kinnow+kinnow system of plantation under drip irrigation system. Under this system (kinnow+poplar) of plantation, values of plant height at 70% ETC were 2.55 m, canopy volume 23.51 m 3, rootstock girth 11.13 cm, scion girth 10.76 cm, and leaf area were 16.07 cm 2. Of course, values for all these traits were higher at 100% ETc under kinnow+kinnow system of plantation over kinnow+poplar system of plantation under drip system but these were at par with each other. Irrigation of kinnow orchards at 100% ETc was found better irrespective of the systems of irrigation.
  • Authors:
    • Vashist, K. K.
    • Mahey, R. K.
    • Barkodia, R.
    • Mahal, S. S.
    • Sidhu, A. S.
  • Source: Journal of Cotton Research and Development
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during kharif, 2004. The treatments comprised of four irrigation schedules (Irrigation application at 75, 95, 115 and 135 mm of cumulative pan evaporation) and four dates of irrigation termination (10, 20, 30 September and 10, October). The treatments were replicated four times in randomized block design. Ginning outturn was not affected due to schedule of irrigation upto the last irrigation. Highest oil content (19.34%) was observed under 135 mm CPE, which was significantly higher than 75 and 95 mm CPE but was at par with 115 mm CPE. None of the quality characters were significantly influenced by different irrigation schedules as well as date of termination of last irrigation. Maximum seed cotton yield was recorded at 95 mm (16.23 q/ha) followed by 75 mm (16.22 q/ha) CPE and these two irrigation regimes being at par with one another and they were significantly superior to 115 mm (13.98 q/ha) and 135 mm (12.66 q/ha) CPE. Termination of last irrigation on October, 10 produced highest seed cotton yield (15.64 q/ha) as compared to termination on September, 10 and 20 but at par with September, 30.
  • Authors:
    • Chauhan, S. N.
    • Kumari, P. R. V.
    • Tayade, A. S.
    • Reddy, A. R.
    • Thakare, S. K.
    • Majumdar, G.
    • Raju, A. R.
    • Mahalle, P. S.
    • Katore, J. R.
  • Source: Journal of Cotton Research and Development
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Series of field trials were conducted during 1987-2010 at Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur indicated that in shallow, medium and deep soils, it was estimated to collect 150, 300 and 350 M 3 of runoff water/ha in experimental ponds (200 M 3) at down stream by September end, 56-82 per cent of the pond capacity, was stored. The recycling of this runoff water through supplemental irrigation during 1987-1993, improved additional seed cotton yield by 136, 290 and 387 kg/ha or 20, 28 and 26 per cent over rainfed cotton LRA 5166 in shallow, medium and deep soils respectively. The supplemental irrigations improved WUE by 34, 73 and 97 kg/ha cm respectively in shallow, medium and deep soils. Experimental pond (200 M 3) size presently advocated, were not accepted by the farmers as they were economically non viable at field scale, but these can be helpful in improving the recharge of existing gravitational wells. Two supplemental irrigations at flowering stage along with deficient micronutrients improved seed cotton yields of 25-30 per cent higher in shallow and medium deep soils, respectively during 2002-2007 in NHH 44 non Bt hybrid cotton. It is difficult to provide life saving irrigations from farm ponds in first fortnight of July to seedling droughts. Large farm ponds at community levels can solve this problem of seedling droughts from the recharge of previous year in underground aquifers besides recharging the drinking water wells for summer shortages with 2-3 years of breakeven under multiple uses of water. Terminal droughts of August can overcome by supplemental irrigations from farm ponds of 10 ha catchment with a breakeven of 12 years. Bt hybrid cotton responded for two supplemental irrigations from harvested runoff water at seedling/terminal droughts in July (12-47% runoff) or in mid September (23-80% runoff) @ 750 kg/ha seed cotton yield in vertisols.