Response of wheat crop to water-logged conditions under different land configurations and nutrient management

By 2050, the global population is expected to increase from 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion, and wheat will remain crucial for ensuring food security worldwide. It supplies food for more than 4.5 billion individuals in 94 countries and constitutes 40% of the primary diet for the global population. It also has 20% protein and 21% calories. An important concern for wheat cultivation is waterlogging stress, which may escalate in occurrence and intensity due to climate change. The raised bed planting pattern was created to reduce the negative impact of waterlogging stress on wheat productivity. The study was conducted during the rabi seasons of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 to assess the impact of various nutrient management practices on the growth, yield, and yield characteristics of wheat using flat and raised bed planting methods at the crop research farm in Punjab. The study found that wheat cultivated using a raised bed system with recommended nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium showed significantly improved plant height (105.28 cm), number of effective tillers per plant (25.08), spike length (11.67 cm), number of grains per spike (72.50), grain yield (6.97 t/ha), and straw yield (9.39 t/ha) compared to traditional planting techniques. Furthermore, these investigations need to be repeated at various locations with various agro-climatic circumstances.