Effect on soil physical properties, water use and productivity of winter maize (Zea mays L.) under varying irrigation regime and organic mulch in tarai region
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Date
2020-02
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
A field study was conducted in the rabi seasons of 2016-17and 2017-18 at the N. E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar to study the effect of irrigation and organic mulching practices on soil physical properties, water use and productivity of winter maize (Zea mays L.) in tarai region. The experiment comprised of three irrigation treatments viz., I1; 20 %, I2; 30 % and I3; 40 % depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) in the main plots, while the four organic mulch treatments viz., M1; no mulch, M2; green gram straw mulch, M3; maize straw mulch and M4; lantana straw mulch applied at 5 t ha-1 in the sub-plots tested in split plot design with 3 replications. Irrigation was provided according to depletion of available soil moisture from the field capacity level. All the irrigation regimes and mulch practices significantly affected the growth, yield attributing characters, yield and soil properties. Compared with un mulched plot, mulching significantly improved growth, yield contributing characters and yield for all levels of irrigation in the both years. The growth, yield of maize and soil physical properties viz., bulk density, water holding capacity and mean weight diameter increased with the increasing frequency of irrigation water in all mulched plots. During two year experiment, irrigation applied at 20% DASM (I1) showed 3.5-10.3, 5.2-35.3, 1.1-17.4, 2.2-15.1, 20.3-78.6, 11.1-18.7 and 1.3-9.2% higher plant height, total uptake of N, P, K, Zn, dehydrogenase activity and grain yield whereas 4.4-10.1, 1.9-13.4, 7.6-18.3, 3.5-37.0, 2.8-9.2, 5.5-21.9, and 6.0-15.5% higher water use efficiency, leaf diffusive resistance, available N, P, K and hydraulic conductivity, respectively, were observed with irrigation given at 40% DASM. Among different mulch practices, green gram straw mulch applied at 5 t ha-1 recorded significantly highest value of grain yield of maize and soil properties over other mulch practices. As compared with no mulch, grain yield was increased by 889, 1004, 863 kg ha-1 by saving 26.2, 9.7 and 24.1% water under green gram straw mulch along with irrigation at 20, 30 and 40% DASM, respectively. Application of irrigation at 40% DASM with green gram straw mulch 5 t ha-1 in general, showed best result which improved soil health and quality by adding organic carbon to the soil, maintained favourable soil temperature and moisture storage in root zone for longer period of time by reducing water loss through evapo-transpiration and drainage. Therefore, this combination would be applicable to improve soil properties and grain yield of rabi maize and can be recommended for further study of winter maize in tarai region of Uttarakhand and other sites with similar soils and climate.