Effect of sowing time, planting methods and irrigation scheduling on yield response, water and radiation-use efficiencies of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Punjab, India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season (rabi) of 201617 and 201718 at Ludhiana, Punjab, to evaluate the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception, yield response, water and radiation- use efficiencies of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to sowing time, planting methods and irrigation treat- ments. Wheat variety WH 1105 was sown on 2 dates (10 and 30 November) under 2 planting methods (flat planting and bed planting) and 3 irrigation treatments (I , 3 post-sowing irrigations at crown-root initiation (CRI), 1 flag-leaf emergence and soft dough stages; I , I + 4th irrigation during the last week of March; and I , recommended 2 1 3 4 post-sowing irrigations) with 4 replications. Crop sown on 10 November under bed planting with I irrigation 2 treatment had the maximum dry matter accumulation, leaf area index, number of effective tillers, ear length, grains/ ear and 1,000-grain weight as compared to the other treatments. The PAR interception was also higher in 10 No- vember sowing under bed planting in I irrigation treatment, which had direct effect on radiation-use efficiency 2 (RUE) of the crop. Water-use efficiency (WUE) was higher (12.5 and 11.4 kg/ha/mm) under I treatment followed 1 by I treatment (12.3 and 10.6 kg/ha/mm) and the lowest in I , treatment (10.5 and 9.3 kg/ha/mm). The grain yield, 3 2 WUE and RUE were higher by 510, 1015 and 15%, respectively under bed planting compared to flat planting during both the seasons. Significant and positive correlation (r) of grain yield with yield-attributing characters, viz. no. of effective tillers (0.71), grains/ear (0.76), ear length (0.74), 1,000-grain weight (0.65), water (0.76) and RUE (0.69) were observed with pooled analysis.