Effect of Irrigation Scheduling and Different Sowing Dates on Water Productivity and Economics of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

“Effect of moisture regime under different sowing dates of wheat crop (Triticum aestivum L.)” was investigated at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Ayodhya (U.P.) Agronomy Research Farm in rabi season 2021-22. Twelve main plot treatments included 15th November, 25th November, and 5th December sowing dates, while four sub plot treatments included irrigation at 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 IW/CPE ratios. Split plot design was used for three replications. Under 15th November sowing, all growth, yield, and characteristics rose dramatically. Irrigation at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio increased wheat shoot m-2, plant height (cm), dry matter accumulation (g m-2), yield characteristics, grain and straw yield (q ha-1) considerably. D113 (15 November planting with irrigation at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio) had the best net return and D1I2 (15 November sowing with irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE proportion) the highest B:C ratio (2.54). Wheat yields were highest when sown on November 15. Under 15th November planting, water use efficiency was highest (9.85 kg ha-1mm-1). Irrigation with 1.0 IW/CPE ratio had the maximum water usage efficiency (9.34 kg ha-1 mm-1). The 15 November seeding with irrigation at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio yielded the highest net return (1,17,124.00), making wheat farming profitable. Maximum B:C ratio (2.54) with I1D2 therapy.

Influence of CWSI-Based Irrigation Scheduling on Agronomic Traits (Zea mays L.) and Sustainable Water Use in Maize

This study aimed to optimize irrigation scheduling for maize (Zea mays L.) using the crop water stress index (CWSI) to improve water use efficiency and yield. The study was conducted in the South farm of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2022. A randomized block design was used with seven treatments, including a control T1 no irrigation). Irrigation at all critical stages (T2) and other five irrigation treatments (T3 to T7) based on different CWSI values ranging from 0.2 to 1.0. Infrared thermometry was used to measure canopy temperatures for estimating the CWSI. The results showed that irrigation at 0.2 CWSI (T3) had a significant positive effect on kernel and stover yield when compared with all the other treatments during both the seasons, with the highest kernel yield of 7138.83 Kg ha-1 and 8014.8 Kg ha-1, stover yield of 11134 Kg ha-1 and 12765 Kg ha-1, respectively and lowest kernel yield of 2267 Kg ha-1 and 2325 Kg ha-1, stover yield of 8156 Kg ha-1 and 6491 Kg ha-1, respectively. The other treatments had intermediate values and did not show any consistent pattern. Irrigation at 0.2 CWSI resulted in the highest water use efficiency (WUE) of 14.7 Kg ha-cm-1 and 17.6 Kg ha-cm-1, and irrigation usage of 31.73% and 22.26% during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2022, respectively and the lowest water use efficiency (WUE) of 7.72 Kg ha-cm-1 and 17.6 Kg ha-cm-1 was found in T7 during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2022, respectively. The results suggest that irrigation at 0.2 CWSI could be a promising option for achieving higher kernel and stover yields with minimal water use and maximum WUE and IUE.

Determination of Crop Water Requirement and Crop Coefficient at Different Growth Stages of Tomato by Using Weighing Type Lysimeter in Raichur Region

The water requirement for any cropping system is important consideration for designing and managing irrigation systems. Water requirement of crops varies substantially over the growing season mainly due to variation in crop cover and climatic conditions. For estimating crop water requirement of tomato crop, we have taken field experiment in weighing lysimeter for three seasons rabi - (7th September 2021 to 5th January 2022); Summer - (15th January 2022 to 15th May 2022) and Kharif - (6th June 2022 to 4th October 2022). The crop water requirement helps us to develop the crop coefficients for various growth stages (initial, development, mid and late season) for particular climatic conditions. Further, with exact crop coefficients derived from weighing type lysimeter will be helpful for determining water requirement. The results showed that the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for initial, development, mid-season and late-season being 22.76, 110.71, 173.47 and 68.71 mm, respectively. With respect to crop coefficient (Kc), it is estimated to be 0.38, 0.64, 1.12 and 0.66 for initial, development, mid-season and late season stages, respectively during rabi season. The crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for initial, development, mid-season and late-season being 26.53, 164.76, 235.56 and 121.51 mm, respectively. With respect to crop coefficient (Kc), it is estimated to be 0.56, 0.87, 1.22 and 0.78 for initial, development, mid-season and late season stages, respectively during summer season. The crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for initial, development, mid-season and late-season being 32.31, 131.38, 173.51 and 60.13 mm, respectively. With respect to Kc, it is estimated to be 0.36, 0.77, 1.13 and 0.74 for initial, development, mid-season and late season stages respectively during kharif season. The measured Kc values were significantly different from the FAO-56 reported values. Therefore, local calibration of crop coefficients is an essential for efficient irrigation water management and precise water applications.

Effect of Irrigation Scheduling and Foliar Organic Nutrition on Growth and Yield of Summer Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

A field experiment was conducted during summer season of 2022 at Crop Research Farm (CRF). Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (UP) on soil with sandy loam in texture with Organic carbon 0.48%, Available Nitrogen 278.93 Kg/ha, Available Phosphorus 19.03 Kg/ha, Available Potassium 238.1 Kg/ha, Soil Ph 7.4, EC 0.47 ds/m to investigate the effect ofrrigation scheduling and foliar organic nutrition on growth and yield of Zaid Groundnut. The treatments consist of three irrigation schedulings viz., I1: 3 irrigations (25,45,70 DAS), I2: 2 irrigations (25,45 DAS), I3: 2 irrigations (25,70 DAS) and three foliar organic nutrition F1 – Panchagavya at 3%, F2 – Jeevamrutha at 3%, F3 – Panchamrutha at 3% whose effect is observed on Groundnut (var. Kadiri-6). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with ten treatments replicated thrice. The treatment with application of 3 irrigations (25,45,70 DAS) + panchagavya-3% recorded significantly higher plant height (60.07cm) and plant dry weight (39.62 g), number of pods per plant (20.33), number of kernels per pod (2.47), seed index (39.84 g), pod yield (2.85 t/ha) and haulm yield (4.4 t/ha) compared to other treatment combinations. It is concluded that 3 irrigations (25,45,70 DAS) and panchagavya-3% accomplished better growth parameters, yield attributes and higher pod yield in groundnut crop

Reference evapotranspiration estimated from air temperature using the MARS regression technique / Evapotranspiração de referência estimada a partir da temperatura do ar usando a técnica de regressão MARS

The reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is an important component for determining the water requirements of the crops. In order to estimate this variable accurately, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) proposed the Penman-Monteith equation, however, this demands a large number of meteorological data, which restricts its use. In this context, this study compares the performance of the Penman-Monteith equation using only measured air temperature (PMT) and the Hargreaves-Samani (HS) equation with the performance of the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) technique for the daily ETo estimation with only air temperature data. For the study, daily meteorological data from 2002 to 2016 were used. The data were collected from weather stations located in Florianópolis- SC, Manaus-AM and Petrolina-PE, being these selected in order to capture different climatic conditions. MARS models were developed for each weather station and the PMT e HS equations were locally calibrated. The performances of the original and calibrated equations and MARS models were evaluated based on the statistical indices root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean bias error and coefficient of determination. The ETo estimated by the Penman-Monteith method with full data was used as reference for the development of the MARS models, calibration of the equations and for the performance evaluation of the models under study. The calibration of the HS and PMT equations promoted better performances in relation to the original equations, improving the methods accuracy. The MARS technique presented good performance, outperforming the original and calibrated PMT and HS equations, with lower error values and higher coefficient of determination, and can be considered as an alternative to empirical methods.

A evapotranspiração de referência (ETo) é um componente importante para determinar o requerimento de água das culturas. Para estimar esta variável com acurácia, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) propôs a equação de Penman-Monteith, no entanto, esta demanda um grande número de dados meteorológicos, o que restringe seu uso. Neste contexto, este estudo compara o desempenho da equação de Penman-Monteith usando apenas temperatura do ar medida (PMT) e a equação Hargreaves-Samani (HS) com o desempenho da técnica multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) para a estimativa da ETo diária com apenas dados de temperatura do ar. Para o estudo, foram utilizados dados meteorológicos diários de 2002 a 2016. Os dados foram coletados de estações meteorológicas localizadas em Florianópolis-SC, Manaus-AM e Petrolina-PE, sendo estas selecionadas a fim de capturar diferentes condições climáticas. Modelos MARS foram desenvolvidos para cada estação meteorológica e as equações de PMT e HS foram calibradas localmente. Os desempenhos das equações originais e calibradas e modelos MARS foram avaliados com base nos indicadores estatísticos raiz do erro quadrático médio, erro absoluto médio, viés médio e coeficiente de determinação. A ETo estimada pelo método de Penman-Monteith com dados completos foi utilizada como referência para o desenvolvimento dos modelos MARS, calibração das equações e para a avaliação da performance dos modelos em estudo. A calibração das equações HS e PMT promoveu melhores desempenhos em relação às equações originais, melhorando a acurácia dos métodos. A técnica MARS apresentou bom desempenho, superando as equações de PMT e HS originais e calibradas, com menores valores de erro e maiores coeficientes de determinação, e pode ser considerada como uma alternativa aos métodos empíricos.

Crescimento, produção de óleo essencial e trocas gasosas em orégano influenciados por diferentes lâminas de irrigação / Growth, essential oil production and gas exchange in oregano affected by different irrigation depth

O orégano é uma planta aromática da família Lamiaceae muito comum na região do mediterrâneo. Ele é rico em óleo essencial e muito usado como tempero na preparação de alimentos. Conhecer o comportamento da espécie em relação às características climáticas da região de plantio é essencial para o sucesso do cultivo. Assim, um experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de analisar o efeito de cinco lâminas de irrigação em condições de campo, na produção de óleo essencial e nas trocas gasosas da planta de orégano. As lâminas calculadas com base na ECA (Evaporação do Tanque Classe A) foram 0 (sem reposição de água); 25; 50; 75 e 100 por cento ECA. O experimento foi instalado em Presidente Prudente, em São Paulo (SP), no período de fevereiro a maio de 2006. Observou-se uma relação linear positiva com o incremento das lâminas de irrigação para as variáveis matéria fresca da parte aérea, matéria seca da parte aérea e da raiz; relação raiz/parte aérea, teor e rendimento do óleo essencial. O uso da lâmina de 100 por cento ECA apresentou os melhores resultados de crescimento das plantas de orégano e de produção de óleo essencial. As diferentes lâminas de irrigação não afetaram as trocas gasosas da planta.

The oregano is an aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family, very common in the Mediterranean region, rich in essential oil and very used as spice in food preparation. Knowledge about the species behavior with respect to the region climatic characteristics of planting is essential to the cultivation success. Thus, one experiment was carried out to analyze the effect of five different depth irrigations under field conditions in the production of essential oil and gas exchange in the oregano plant. The water depths were estimated based on the CPE (Class A pan evaporation): 0 (without water replacement); 25; 50; 75 and 100 percent CPE. The experiment was carried out in Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil, from February to May 2006. A linear positive relation was observed to depths irrigations increment in the fresh matter for aerial plant parts, dry matter for aerial and root zone plant parts; the root/aerial ratio; content and yield of essential oil. The use of 100 percent ECA showed the best oregano growth and essential oil production. The different depths irrigation did not affect the plant gas exchange.