Maximising water productivity of wheat crop by adopting drip irrigation

Abstract

The research work was carried out at ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal during 2011–14. The data were collected using standard procedure and were analyzed by using Fisher's analysis of variance technique of RBD. Initial interest in the use of drip irrigation for row crops like wheat was motivated by its very low water productivity with traditional methods of irrigation. Maximizing water productivity is one of the most important priorities in developing countries like India, where the ground water levels are at alarming stage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the wheat yield in response to change in drip emitter spacing and compare the water productivity and water saving with conventional irrigated systems. Five irrigation treatments were considered in the present experiment. The treatment details were: T1: Conventional practices, T2: System of wheat intensification, T3: System of wheat intensification with drip emitters spaced at 20 cm, T4: System of wheat intensification with drip emitters spaced at 30 cm and T5: System of wheat intensification with drip emitters spaced at 40 cm. The greatest plantheight, number of tillers per metre square, number of effective tillers, chlorophyll content and root length were recorded under SWI with drip irrigation at 20 cm emitters spacing (T3). Yield and yield contributing parameters were also higher with T3 as compared with conventional practice (T1) viz., number of grains per earhead, average earhead length, average earhead weight, average grain yield, straw yield and harvest index. Among the drip irrigation treatments, however, there was no significant difference of grain yield between T3 and T4 treatments indicating the drippers spaced at 30 cm could be recommended to lower the cost of the drip system in wheat crop.