AGRO-MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE WHEAT PRODUCTION UNDER SCARCE WATER CONDITION OF ARID CLIMATE

Irrigation water is vital and most limiting input in arid agriculture. This study evaluates the late sown wheat crop under various agro-management practices for enhancing the crop productivity in water scarce area. Results exhibited that better leaf water relations expressed in terms of an improvement in the leaf water potential, leaf osmotic potential, stomatal conductance and relative water content of flag leaf as well as higher rates of transpiration and net CO2 assimilation were recorded with the planting technique of seed spreading augmented with furrows. This planting technique also expressed higher number of productive tillers, 1000-grain weight and grain yield whereas lower soil penetration resistance as compared to other planting treatments. The highest water use efficiency (WUE) was achieved with the irrigation regime of 80% (evapotranspiration) ETo while in case of planting techniques, seed spreading augmented with furrows expressed the maximum values of WUE. The highest grain yield was recorded with flat sowing subjected to the irrigation equivalent to 100% reference evapotranspiration (100% ETo) which was almost similar with seed spreading augmented with furrows at 80% ETo. Under deficit irrigation regimes (80 and 60% ETo), seed spreading augmented with furrows performed better than the other two planting techniques.