INFLUENCE OF INNOVATIVE SOWING METHODS ON YIELD AND ECONOMICS OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM) IN RICE --WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM.

The farmer's practice of buring the crop residues to clear the land before sowing is seen in various crop zones in Pakistan. In rice-wheat cropping system in Punjab, rice stubble is considered as a big problem for farmers. The crop stubbles damage the implements like cultivator rotavator that is why farmers prefers to burn these stubbles before preparation. The burning of rice stubble ease the field operations for wheat sowing but deteriorate the air and soil quality. To solve this problem of farmers, a research experiment was conducted during 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Agronomic Research Station Farooqabad to evaluate the effect of various sowing techniques on yields parameter and economics of wheat crop under rice wheat cropping system. The experiment was laid down with randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments included viz.T1: sowing with happy seeder (Zero tillage), T2: sowing of wheat without burning of rice stubble (Conventional Technique), T3: sowing of wheat by field preparation with Rotavator (two times), T4: sowing of wheat after burning stubbles of rice crop. The results of all treatments were significantly differed with each other. Maximum plant height (95 cm and 97 cm), numbers of productive tillers/m² (325 tillers/m² and 328 tillers/m2), thousand grain weight (39 g and 42 g), grain yield (3880 and 3700 kg/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (2.36 and 2.25) were recorded from the treatment where wheat crop was sown with happy seeder (zero tillage) during study years 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively than other techniques. It was concluded that farmers mayfetch higher yield and economics in wheat by sowing with happy seeder in rice wheat cropping system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]