Response of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) to different sowing times and tillage systems.

摘要

An experiment was carried out during rabi season of 2007-08 to study the effect of different sowing dates and tillage methods on productivity of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). Sowing dates for lentil were 15 October, 30 October, 14 November and 30 November. Methods of tillage were no tillage (crop sown directly without ploughing), minimum tillage (crop sown after one ploughing followed by planking) and conventional tillage (crop sown after three ploughings followed by planking). October 30 sowing date has significant effect on growth and yield parameters and gave more yield. Sowing on 30 October was found to increase growth and yield parameters as dry matter production (6.89, 17.72, 33.81%), plant height (2.13, 6.75, 11.86%), branches/plant (6.20, 25.46, 64%), pods/plant (11.10, 26.68, 95.06%), grains/plant (4.10, 10.14, 19.68%), 1000-grain weight (2.42, 1.25, 8.03%) and yield (14.09, 44.10, 189.73%) over 15 October, 14 November and 30 November, respectively. Tillage also had significant influence on growth and yield parameters. Conventional tillage has significantly increased dry matter production (6.70 and 13.63%), plant height (1.55 and 4.79%), branches/plant (3.77 and 6.54%), pods/plant (8.16 and 17.29%), grains/pod (3.57 and 5.07%), 1000-grain weight (1.76 and 5.24%) and yield (8.09 and 30.65%) over minimum tillage and no tillage, respectively. Higher N, P, K and protein yield was recorded with 30 October sowing and conventional tillage and these also fetched higher net return.