Improving Water use Efficiency Through Various Planting Techniques in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Improving Water use Efficiency Through Various Planting Techniques in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Saba Iqbal, Asmat Ullah*, Muhammad Luqman, Hafiz Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Kashif Munir and Nawal Zafar
ABSTRACT
Water scarcity across the globe greatly emphasizing agriculture sector to adapt such practices that have more water use efficiency in the context of seasonal variability and climate change. Hence it is crucial to explore useful techniques in crop production that utilize less water without compromising yield, sacrificing income of the farming community and evidencing sustainability in production systems. Thus, a two years field study (during 2017-18 and 2018-19) was conducted at research area of Agronomic Research Station Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan to compare the existing traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) planting techniques (broadcast and drill) with the water efficient planting techniques (ridge and bed planting) to evaluate their water use efficiency and their economic feasibility. Results of this study revealed that sowing of wheat on ridges and beds gave higher productive tillers (384 ha-1 and 401 ha-1, respectively), grains per spike (47 and 47, respectively), 1000-grains weight (43 and 44 g, respectively) and ultimately higher grain yield (4492 kg ha-1 and 4761 kg ha-1, respectively) than broadcast and drill planting techniques (conventional techniques). Likewise, it was figured out that minimum water was required in wheat planted at ridge (47266 m3 ha-1) and bed (40772 m3 ha-1) techniques than with broadcast (65347 m3 ha-1) and drill sown (57498 m3 ha-1) wheat. Similarly, higher water use efficiency was recorded in ridge (0.10 kg/m3) and bed (0.13 kg/m3) sown wheat followed by the drill (0.08 kg/m3) and broadcast (0.05 kg/m3) methods. Moreover cost benefit ratio of ridge (1:1.15) and bed (1:1.25) planting techniques was higher than drill (1:0.93) and broadcast (1:0.44) techniques. In conclusion, it is recommended that wheat may be planted on ridges and raised bed to have more yield, high water use efficiency and sound financial return to farming community.
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