Assessment of Planting Method and Deficit Irrigation Impacts on Physio-Morphology, Grain Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L.) on Vertisols of Semi-Arid Tropics.

Hanamant M Halli,Ashraf M M Abdelbacki,Sanganabasappa Angadi,Nissren Tamam,Aravind Kumar,Prabhu Govindasamy,Shaimaa A M Abdelmohsen,David Chella Baskar V,Raghavendra Madar,Hosam O Elansary

doi:10.3390/plants10061094

Abstract

Agriculture in a water-limited environment is critically important for today and for the future. This research evaluates the impact of deficit irrigation in different planting methods on the physio-morphological traits, grain yield and WUE of maize (Zea mays L.). The experiment was carried out in 2015 and 2016, consisting of three planting methods (i.e., BBF, SNF, and DWF) and four irrigation levels (i.e., I10D: irrigation once in ten days, I40: irrigation at 40% DASM, I50: irrigation at 50% DASM, and I60: irrigation at 60% DASM). The results reveal that varying degrees of water stress due to planting methods and irrigation levels greatly influenced the maize physio-morphological traits and yield attributes. The combined effect of DWF + I50 benefited the maize in terms of higher leaf area, RWC, SPAD values, CGR, and LAD, followed by the SNF method at 60 DAS. As a result, DWF + I50 and SNF + I50 had higher 100 grain weight (30.5 to 31.8 g), cob weight (181.4 to 189.6 g cob−1) and grain yield (35.3% to 36.4%) compared to other treatments. However, the reduction in the number of irrigations (24.0%) under SNF + I50 resulted in a 34% water saving. Thus, under a water-limited situation in semi-arid tropics, the practice of the SNF method + I50 could be an alternative way to explore the physio-morphological benefits in maize.

Highlights

Introduction91% of the demand is used for agriculture [1]
The freshwater demand for domestic use is growing at a more rapid rate, and about91% of the demand is used for agriculture [1]
The effects of planting methods and irrigation levels on leaf area, relative water content (RWC), SPAD reading, and canopy temperature were measured at 60 DAS and 90 DAS

Summary

Introduction

91% of the demand is used for agriculture [1]. A study estimated that the yearly total consumptive water use of rice is 221 billion cubic meters (BCM), for wheat, it is 82.7 BCM year−1 and for maize, it is 18.02 BCM year−1 , in India [3]. Underground water is an essential resource for food security, supporting 40% of global irrigation [4]. Groundwater resources are rapidly exhausted in many agricultural areas of the world [5,6]. In northern India, the groundwater depletion is estimated at about 19.2 giga tons year−1 [7]. Groundwater needs to be recharged through the adoption of various water conservation practices in order to meet the projected food security and farm returns

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