Water stress effect on wheat at different mechanical seeding systems

Abstract

Judicial water use, as well as improving water use efficiency in agriculture is new challenge. Conservation tillage, as well as mechanical seeding system, offers various benefits over intensive tillage system. Considering this, the study was conducted to find out the water requirements and appropriate deficit irrigation schedule of wheat on different seeding system. This study consisted of following irrigation treatments, like I1 = Irrigation at CRI stage, I2 = Irrigation at CRI and vegetative stages, I3 = Irrigation at CRI and grain filling stages and I4 = Irrigation at CRI, vegetative and grain filling stages on four mechanical seeding methods, like T1 = Bed planting, T2 = PTOS, T3 = Strip tillage, and T4 = Zero tillage and laid out in a split plot design with three replications. From the result based on the grain yield and water productivity, bed planting (T1) and three levels of irrigation (I4) was found as the best combination for wheat cultivation. Besides, at water scarcity area bed planting (T1), with two irrigation I2 (CRI and vegetative) was the suitable reduce irrigation scheduling for wheat cultivation. In different seeding methods, bed planting was increased yield about 10.58%, followed by PTOS and yield was identical in PTOS and ST. Comparatively, lowest yield was observed in zero. In irrigation treatment, three irrigations (I4) was observed, the best scheduling for wheat on all seeding system and yield was increased 11.98% in I4, followed by I2 and lowest yield was found in I1. The result also revealed that the soil moisture contribution was decreased with increased applied water, as well as number of irrigation.