Changes in Soil Physical Properties and Soybean Productivity under Preparatory Tillage Systems in Virgin Vertisols of Central India

Preparatory tillage, undoubtedly, is one of the most crucial practices that alter soil physical attributes and also affect crop growth and yield. In this sense, this experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of various preparatory tillage systems on soil physical properties and soybean productivity thereby find out a suitable tillage combination for vertisol of Vidarbha region of central India. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with eight tillage treatments and three replicates. Experimental results revealed that soil physical properties and productivity of soybean differed significantly under different preparatory tillage system and zero tillage. Further data revealed that conventional tillage treatment T8 (1ploughing + 2 tyne harrow + blade harrow) and T7 (1 Ploughing + 1 Tyne Harrow + 1 Rotavator) significantly improved the soil physical properties (infiltration rate, bulk density, porosity, soil moisture content) and grain yield (2378 and 2268 kg ha-1, respectively). Moreover zero tillage treatment T1 and shallow tillage treatments (1Blade Harrow + 1Rotavator and 1Tyne Harrow + 1 Rotavator) did not show any significant improvement in soil physical properties and grain yield of soybean

Agro meteorological indices influenced by different sowing dates, irrigation and fertilizer levels under late sown Indian mustard in western Haryana, India

A field experiments was carried out during 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Agronomy Research Farm, CCS HAU, Hisar. To compute the temperature based agrometeorological indices for Indian mustard sown under different growing environments along with Split plot design. Two sowing environments imposed through different sowing dates (2nd week of November and 4th week of November) and two irrigation levels (One irrigation at flowering stage and No post-sown irrigation) in main plots and four fertilizer levels (87.5%, 100%, 112.5% and 125% RDF) in subplots and replicated thrice. Crop sown during 2nd week of November had significantly higher agrometeorological indices (GDD, HTU, Tphoto, Tnycto and TIDR) values over 4th week of November sowing. Among irrigation levels, one irrigation performed better with respect to agrometeorological indices. Among fertilizer levels, application of 125% RDF exhibited significantly higher agrometeorological indices followed by 112.5%, 100% and 87.5% RDF. The seed yield and biological yield were highly significantly co-related with the accumulated GDD ( 0.95**), HTU (0.83**) Tphoto (0.96**), Tnycto ( 0.95**) and TIDR ( 0.97**) clearly suggesting thereby the significant effect of these indices on the mustard crop. These indices can therefore very well used as indicators of crop performance, once these relationships are quantified and tested

Performance of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) as Influenced by Different Planting Techniques and Nutrient Management Practices in Arid Western Rajasthan

The productivity of arid region is much lower and resource degradation is much faster comparatively other ecosystem due to aberrant climatic conditions and anthropogenic activities. Lower production in arid region is due to lower nutrient and water holding capacity of soil, erratic rainfall pattern and inappropriate crop management practices. Therefore, present study was conducted with six planting techniques and four nutrient management practices in split plot design and replicated thrice, to find outsuitable planting techniques and nutrient management practices and their influence on growth, productivity of pearl millet in arid western Rajasthan.Results of the study showed that pit planting technique treatment PT6 noted taller plant over rest of the treatments during 2018 and 2019. Among various planting techniques, pit technique realized significantly higher relative growth rate(RGR) as compared ridge planting (PT2 and PT3) and direct seed sowing (PT1) also. However, pit planting technique PT4 recorded highest RGR of 1.87 & 1.77 g g-1 day-1during 20 days after sowing/transplanting (DAS/DAT) to 40 DAS/DAT and 2.26 & 2.23 g g-1 day-1during 40 DAS/DAT to at harvest during 2018 and 2019, respectively, which registered significantly edge over rest all treatments of sowing/transplanting. Though ridge planting techniques PT2 and PT3, computed significantly highest crop growth rate (CGR) as compared to rest all planting treatments yet formerly both treatment remained statistically at par with each other.  Pearl millet planted by pit planting technique PT6 recorded highest grain yield during both the years. Moreover, growth parameters and grain yield also increased with increasing dose of nutrients fromnutrient management practice NMP1 to nutrient management practiceNMP3 over control (NMP0). Highest plant height, crop growth rate (g m-1 day-1) and relative growth rate (g g-1 day-1) at different intervals and grain yieldwere recorded maximum in nutrient management practice NMP3, while minimum values of all above parameters were observed in no fertilization control (NMP0) treatment during individual years of 2018 and 2019