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The article examines the effect of mulch on maize yield and water productivity under different methods of irrigation. The field experiment tested drip irrigation, furrow irrigation and flood irrigation under mulch and un-mulch conditions and recorded the maximum and minimum plant height, maximum maize grain weight, crop yield, water productivity, maize cob size, cob weight, leaf area index and number of grain per cob.

Background: Soil compaction adversely affects mechanical and water transmission characteristics, thus hampering crop growth and productivity. However, under coarse-textured soils, compaction to a certain extent is beneficial concerning restricting water transmission, increasing water retention and improving productivity. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of compaction and irrigation on soil physical characteristics and productivity of summer moongbean. Methods: A field study was conducted on summer moongbean for two years in loamy sand soil at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. The treatments comprised three compaction levels i.e. no roller pass (C0), one roller pass (C1) and three roller pass (C3) in main plots and in subplots three irrigation regimes (I0.4, I0.6 and I0.8) with three replicates. Observations included soil bulk density and infiltration rate; seed emergence count, growth traits, yield and yield attributes. Result: Soil bulk density of 5-10 cm depth increased from 1.53 at C0 to 1.62 Mg m-3 at C3. However, infiltration rate of water in soil decreased to 38% with an increase in compaction level from C0 to C3. Seed emergence count was deleteriously affected with increasing compaction level but at 15 DAS, it increased by 33 and 42% at C1 and C3 levels under I0.8 regime as compared to I0.4. Plant height was also minimal at C3 irrespective of irrigation regimes. Compaction reduced the root length density in the surface layers but it increased in the sub-surface layers. Grain and straw yield increased by 15 and 13%, respectively in C1 over C3. An increase in irrigation regimes from I0.4 to I0.8, increased the mean straw and grain yield from 5.10 to 6.10 t ha-1 and 1.13 to 1.32 t ha-1 respectively. However, the irrigation water productivity decreased with an increase in irrigation frequency. These result suggest that compaction up to one roller pass with I0.8 irrigation regime can be beneficial for enhancing grain yield of summer moongbean in loamy sand soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop establishment methods and tillage practices significantly influence crop productivity by altering soil physical environment, root distribution and plant growth. The present study includes a combination of tillage practices for both rice and wheat i.e. deep tillage before rice (DTR) as well as wheat (DTW) along with conventional tillage before rice and wheat (CTRW) in main plots. The crop establishment methods i.e. no-tillage with residue (NTR) in wheat and direct seeded rice (DSR) were practiced in sub plots. These treatments were compared with traditional practices i.e. conventional tillage in wheat (CTW) and puddled transplanting in rice (PTR). It was reported that DTR and DTW results in 8% and 12% higher grain yields of rice and wheat, respectively over CTRW. Irrespective of crop establishment methods followed in rice, the NTR in wheat results in 7% higher wheat grain yield than CTW. The reduced soil mechanical resistance under deep tillage resulted in 18% and 22% more root length densities of rice and wheat than CT. Thus, among tillage practices, DTR and DTW and among crop establishment methods PTR and NTR are appropriate practices for sustaining crop productivity of rice-wheat systems in northwest India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of planting methods and irrigation levels on irrigation water productivity and onion (Allium cepa L.) yield, a field experiment was conducted on sandy loam soil at the Research Farm of Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during rabi 2011-12. Three planting methods tested include drip irrigated beds, furrow irrigated beds and flat flood irrigation. In drip irrigated beds and furrow irrigated beds three onion rows were planted on 55 cm wide beds at a spacing of 15 cm from row to row. Three levels of irrigation water were tested i.e. IW/PAN-E ratio of 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 in drip irrigated onions and 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 in both bed furrow and flat flood methods of irrigation. The results of the experiment indicated that in drip irrigated beds by applying same quantity and 50 per cent of water as of flat flood irrigation, the yield was increased by 43 and 25 per cent, respectively. Irrespective of irrigation levels, highest onion yield (32.5 t ha-1) was recorded under drip irrigated beds followed by furrow irrigated beds (28.5 t ha-1) and least under flat flood irrigation method (25.0 t ha-1). The onion yield increases with the increase in irrigation level in all the planting methods. The highest irrigation water productivity was observed under drip irrigated beds (1.26 t ha-1 cm) followed by furrow irrigated beds (0.84 t ha-1 cm) and least under flat flood irrigation (0.48 t ha-1 cm) with equivalent IW/PAN-E ratios. Bigger size onions (40 mm and 50 mm) were observed under drip irrigated beds followed by furrow irrigated beds and smallest size bulbs under flat flood method of irrigation. The results revealed that drip irrigation could successfully be used for onion production with significant water saving and higher production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]