Effect of tillage practices and green manure crops on productivity of rabi sorghum under rainfed cropping system.

摘要

A field experiment was undertaken to investigate the effect of tillage practices and green manure crops on increasing the water holding capacity of soil and productivity of rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) under rainfed situation in Rahuri, Maharashtra, India, during 200708. The treatments comprised 3 tillage practices, i.e. shallow ploughing (P1), mouldboard ploughing (P2) and disc ploughing (P3), and 4 green manuaring crops, i.e. control (GM0), sunhemp (GM1), glyricidia (GM2) and dhaincha [Sesbania sp.] (GM3). P3 significantly increased the grain yield (23.66 q/ha), followed by P2 (22.48 q/ha) and P1 (21.05 q/ha). Similar results were recorded on growth and yield-contributing characters such as days to 50% flowering (80.06 days), 1000-seed weight (34.36 g/plant) and moisture use efficiency (10.75 kg ha-1 mm-1). Incorporation of GM2 registered significantly the highest grain (24.76 q/ha) and fodder (38.86 q/ha) yields, followed by GM3, GM1 and GM0. Similar results were reported on growth and yield-contributing characters such as plant height (187 cm/plant), days to 50% flowering (79.58) and 1000-grain weight (34.50). The moisture use efficiency was also highest under GM2. P3 and GM3 recorded higher grain yield (26.79 q/ha) than the rest of the interaction.