Water Productivity of Barley Cultivars in Relation to Row Spacing and Moisture Regimes Planted on Raised Beds

WATER PRODUCTIVITY OF BARLEY CULTIVARS IN RELATION TO ROW SPACING AND MOISTURE REGIMES PLANTED ON RAISED BEDS

NAVEEN KUMAR*, SURESH KUMAR1 SATYENDER SINGH2 AND R.K. ARYA1

Department of Agronomy,

CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India

*(E-mail: nknaveenroyal@gmail.com)

 (Received:20 May, 2013, Accepted:23September, 2013)

SUMMARY

A field experiment was conducted during rabi 2011-2012 at Research Farm, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana (India) in a semi-arid climate to study the Water productivity of barley cultivars in relation to row spacing and moisture regimes planted on raised beds. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications keeping three cultivars viz., BH 393, BH 902 and BH 885 and two rows spacing viz, 2 rows per bed and 3 rows per bed (70 cm wide with 40 cm top and 30 cm furrow) in main plots and three moisture regimes (irrigation at IW/CPE 0.3, 0.4 & 0.5) in sub plots. The results revealed that maximum soil moisture depletion, ground water contribution and total water use were recorded in BH 902, followed by BH 393 and BH 885. Productivity of irrigation and total water use was highest under BH 902, followed by BH 393 and BH 885. Among two row spacing, Soil moisture depletion, ground water contribution and total water use were recorded higher in 3 rows per bed than 2 rows per bed. Comparatively higher irrigation and total water productivity were achieved in barley planted on raised beds with 3 rows per bed than 2 rows per bed.  Among three moisture regimes, the soil moisture depletion and ground water contribution at 60 DAS to maturity, decreased with increase in moisture regime from irrigation at IW/CPE 0.3, to irrigation at IW/CPE 0.4 or 0.5. But total water use was increased with increase in moisture regime, being similar with irrigation at IW/CPE 0.4 and 0.5. The irrigation water productivity decreased with increasing moisture regime. However, productivity of total water use increased with increase in moisture regimes.

Key words: Spacing, moisture regimes, raised bed planting, productivity and barley

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