IMPACT OF SOWING METHODS, MULCH LEVELS AND IRRIGATION SCHEDULES ON WATER USE AND GRAIN QUALITY IN BARLEY(HORDEUM VULGARE L.)

摘要

A field experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during winter season of 2013-14 and 2014-15 to study the effect of sowing methods, mulch levels and irrigation schedules on water use and grain quality in barley. The experiment comprised of combination of two sowing methods i.e bed sowing and conventional flat sowing and three mulch levels viz. no mulch, paddy stra_w mulch @ 31 ha'1 and paddy stra_w mulch @ 61 ha"' in main plots and three irrigation schedules viz. irrigation water / cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio of 0.6,0.8 and 1.0 in sub-plots was conducted in split-plot design with three replications. Bed sowing method registered saving in irrigation water applied (1.7 and 0.8 cm) and less consumptive use of water (1.22 and 0.72 cm) over flat sowing method. Maximum water use efficiency and apparent water productivity was observed under bed sowing method, mulch application at the rate of 61 ha"' and irrigation schedule of IW/ CPE ratio of 0.6. The quality parameters viz., hectolitre weight, grain hardness, protein content, gluten content, sedimentation value and starch content were not significantly influenced by sowing methods and mulch levels. However, different irrigation schedules significantly affected the hectolitre weight and protein content.