Effect of land configurations and Pongamia mulch on soil moisture content and yield of yellow pericarp sorghum during kharif

Abstract

The present work aims to determine the effect of land configurations and Pongamia pinnata mulch on soil moisture content and yield of yellow sorghum during kharif, 2018-19 on sandy clay loam soils of Hyderabad. The experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The treatments included land configurations (Flatbed, Ridge and furrow, Broad bed and furrow, Flatbed + Mulch, Ridge and Furrow + Mulch, Broad bed and furrow + Mulch) and yellow sorghum genotypes (PYPS 101, PYPS 102, PYPS 103 and PYPS 104). Mulch used in this investigation was Pongamia leaf mulch applied @ 6 t ha-1 uniformly at 20 DAS. Soil moisture played a vital role in increasing crop yields in the rainfed regions of the semi-arid tropics. During most crop growth stages, the availability of soil water was increased by Broad bed and furrow + mulch, resulting in increased grain yield by 37 % (1701 kg ha-1) of yellow sorghum over flatbed. Ridge and furrow + mulch were found to be the next best treatment, with a grain yield of 1590 kg ha-1. Mulched treatments of flatbed, ridge and furrow and broad bed and furrow increased the grain yield by 20%, 28% and 37%, respectively, compared to flatbed without mulch. The present study will help in recognizing profitable moisture conservation practices and the role of Pongamia mulch in soil moisture conservation and yield maximization of yellow sorghum.