Abstract
The effect of moisture conservation and nutrient management on growth and yield of rabi sorghum was studied at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Babbur Farm, Hiriyur Karnataka under rainfed conditions on medium black soil during rabi seasons of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. Paired row planting (30-60-30 cm) and opening of furrow in wide rows at 35 Days After Sowing (DAS) proved superior over sowing across the slope and even ridges and furrows with tied ridging in terms of grain yield (1.10 t/ha), stover yield (1.51 t/ha) and 1000 grain weight (24.6 g). Similarly application of 50% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF + Farm Yard Manure (FYM) 2.5 t/ha + Microbial consortia (Trichoderma, Azospirillum and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) recorded significantly higher plant height (121 cm), panicle length (8.7 cm), panicle diameter (7.4 cm), 1000 grain weight (24.3 g), grain yield (0.95 t/ha) and stover yield (1.42 t/ha) over other treatments but on par with the application of 100% RDF + FYM 2.5 t/ha. Paired row planting (30-60-30 cm) and opening of furrow in wide rows at 35 DAS was also superior with maximum output energy of 43350 MJ/ha, rainwater use efficiency of 5.15 Kg/ha/mm and BC ratio of 2.31. Similarly application of 50%RDF + FYM 2.5 t/ha + Microbial consortia recorded higher output energy of 39525 MJ/ha and rainwater use efficiency of 4.48 Kg/ha/mm.
Highlights
Rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is the most important post rainy season cereal crop in peninsular India, grown predominantly under rain fed conditions
The results indicated that maximum output energy of 43,350 MJ/ha was attained under paired row planting and opening of furrow in wide rows at 35DAS
Paired row planting and opening of furrows in wide rows at 35 DAS found to be superior for obtaining maximum grain and stover yield, net returns, B:C ratio
Summary
Rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is the most important post rainy season (rabi) cereal crop in peninsular India, grown predominantly under rain fed conditions. Adequate soil moisture is the key to successful crop production in dry land areas (Ajay Kumar and Rana [1]) It is crucial that farming systems in these regions aim at making the maximum use of incident rainfall by ensuring that wasteful surface runoff is avoided. Use of organic manures and planting methods are effective in increasing the productivity and water use by rabi sorghum under rainfed conditions. Another way of reducing runoff is prolonging the infiltration opportunity time in the soil in wide furrows. Improving the rain water use efficiency would be essential for optimizing the benefit of in-situ water harvesting
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