Browsing by Author "Anchal Dass"

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Co-Implementation of Tillage, Precision Nitrogen, and Water Management Enhances Water Productivity, Economic Returns, and Energy-Use Efficiency of Direct-Seeded Rice
(MDPI, 2022) Vijay Pratap; Anchal Dass; Shiva Dhar; Subhash Babu; Vinod Kumar Singh; Raj Singh; Prameela Krishnan; Susama Sudhishri; Arti Bhatia; Sarvendra Kumar; Anil Kumar Choudhary; Renu Singh; Pramod Kumar; Susheel Kumar Sarkar; Sunil Kumar Verma; Kavita Kumari; Aye Aye San
The sustainability of conventional rice (Oryza sativa L.) production systems is often questioned due to the over-mining of groundwater and environmental degradation. This has led to the development of cost-effective, resource-efficient, and environmentally clean rice production systems by optimizing water and nitrogen (N) use. Hence, a 2-year field study (2019 and 2020) was conducted at the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to assess the effect of precision N and water management strategies on growth, land, and water productivity, as well as energy-use efficiency in scented direct-seeded rice (DSR). Two crop establishment methods, conventional-till DSR (CT-DSR) and zero-till DSR (ZT-DSR) along with three irrigation scenarios (assured irrigation (irrigation after 72 h of the drying of surface water), irrigation at 20% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM), and 40% DASM+Si (80 kg ha−1)) were assigned to the main plots; three N management options, a 100% recommended dose of N (RDN): 150 kg ha−1; Nutrient Expert® (NE®)+leaf color chart (LCC) and NE®+soil plant analysis development (SPAD) meter-based N management were allocated to sub-plots in a three-time replicated split-plot design. The CT-DSR produced 1.4, 11.8, and 89.4, and 2.4, 18.8, and 152.8% more grain yields, net returns, and net energy in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over ZT-DSR. However, ZT-DSR recorded 8.3 and 10.7% higher water productivity (WP) than CT-DSR. Assured irrigation resulted in 10.6, 16.1 16.9, and 8.1 and 12.3, 21.8 20.6, and 6.7% higher grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over irrigation at 20% DASM. Further, NE®+SPAD meter-based N management saved 27.1% N and recorded 9.6, 18.3, 16.8, and 8.3, and 8.8, 21.7, 19.9, and 10.7% greater grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP over RDN in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Thus, the study suggested that the NE®+SPAD-based N application is beneficial over RDN for productivity, resource-use efficiency, and N-saving (~32 kg ha−1) both in CA-based and conventionally cultivated DSR. This study also suggests irrigating DSR after 72 h of the drying of surface water; however, under obviously limited water supplies, irrigation can be delayed until 20% DASM, thus saving two irrigations, which can be diverted to additional DSR areas. © 2022 by the authors.
Crop Productivity, Grain Quality, Water Use Efficiency, and Soil Enzyme Activity as Influenced by Silicon and Phosphorus Application in Aerobic Rice (Oryza sativa)
(Bellwether Publishing, Ltd., 2020) Dinesh Jinger; Shiva Dhar; Anchal Dass; V.K. Sharma; Livleen Shukla; Manoj Parihar; Kiran Rana; Gaurendra Gupta; H.S. Jatav
The experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of silicon (Si) and phosphorus (P) application on crop productivity, grain quality, water-use efficiency (WUE), and soil enzyme activity in aerobic rice (AR) at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Four levels each of Si (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha–1) and P (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1) were tested in a factorial randomized block design (FRBD) replicated thrice. The growth, yield and quality of AR were enhanced with increasing Si and P application rates and a similar trend was observed for WUE and soil enzyme activity. The highest grain yield of AR was recorded with 120 kg Si and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1 followed by 80 kg Si and 60 kg P2O5 ha–1 and the lowest in control. The grain, straw yield and water productivity increased by 10–40%, 5–30%, and 10.2–39%, respectively in different treatments over control. Though, all studied parameters showed increment with increasing dose of Si and P; however 60 kg P2O5 and 80 kg Si ha–1 were statistically superior to their other respective doses. In conclusion, supplementation of Si and P fertilizers substantially increased the AR productivity in Trans-Gangetic plains of India (Figure 1). © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Double zero tillage and foliar phosphorus fertilization coupled with microbial inoculants enhance maize productivity and quality in a maize–wheat rotation
(Nature Research, 2022) M.N. Harish; Anil K. Choudhary; Sandeep Kumar; Anchal Dass; V.K. Singh; V.K. Sharma; T. Varatharajan; M.K. Dhillon; Seema Sangwan; V.K. Dua; S.D. Nitesh; M. Bhavya; S. Sangwan; Shiv Prasad; Adarsh Kumar; S.K. Rajpoot; Gaurendra Gupta; Prakash Verma; Anil Kumar; S. George
Maize is an important industrial crop where yield and quality enhancement both assume greater importance. Clean production technologies like conservation agriculture and integrated nutrient management hold the key to enhance productivity and quality besides improving soil health and environment. Hence, maize productivity and quality were assessed under a maize–wheat cropping system (MWCS) using four crop-establishment and tillage management practices [FBCT–FBCT (Flat bed–conventional tillage both in maize and wheat); RBCT–RBZT (Raised bed–CT in maize and raised bed–zero tillage in wheat); FBZT–FBZT (FBZT both in maize and wheat); PRBZT–PRBZT (Permanent raised bed–ZT both in maize and wheat], and five P-fertilization practices [P100 (100% soil applied-P); P50 + 2FSP (50% soil applied-P + 2 foliar-sprays of P through 2% DAP both in maize and wheat); P50 + PSB + AM-fungi; P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP; and P0(100% NK with no-P)] in split-plot design replicated-thrice. Double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT system significantly enhanced the maize grain, starch, protein and oil yield by 13.1–19% over conventional FBCT–FBCT. P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP, integrating soil applied-P, microbial-inoculants and foliar-P, had significantly higher grain, starch, protein and oil yield by 12.5–17.2% over P100 besides saving 34.7% fertilizer-P both in maize and on cropping-system basis. P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP again had significantly higher starch, lysine and tryptophan content by 4.6–10.4% over P100 due to sustained and synchronized P-bioavailability. Higher amylose content (24.1%) was observed in grains under P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP, a beneficial trait due to its lower glycemic-index highly required for diabetic patients, where current COVID-19 pandemic further necessitated the use of such dietary ingredients. Double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT reported greater MUFA (oleic acid, 37.1%), MUFA: PUFA ratio and P/S index with 6.9% higher P/S index in corn-oil (an oil quality parameter highly required for heart-health) over RBCT-RBCT. MUFA, MUFA: PUFA ratio and P/S index were also higher under P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP; avowing the obvious role of foliar-P and microbial-inoculants in influencing maize fatty acid composition. Overall, double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT with crop residue retention at 6 t/ha per year along with P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP while saving 34.7% fertilizer-P in MWCS, may prove beneficial in enhancing maize productivity and quality so as to reinforce the food and nutritional security besides boosting food, corn-oil and starch industry in south-Asia and collateral arid agro-ecologies across the globe. © 2022, The Author(s).
Effect of sowing and weed control methods on nutrient uptake and soil fertility in direct-seeded rice (Oryia sativa)
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 2021) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass; Deepak Kumar Yadav; A.J. Madane; Rakesh Maurva; Peeyush Kumar Jaysawal
A 2-year field experiment consisting of 3-planting methods and 5-weed control options was conducted in a three- time rcplicatcd split-plot design at Varanasi during kharif 20\ 6-17 to assess the nutrient uptake by direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) and available nutrient status of soil under different methods of establishing crop and managing weeds.Zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) + residue + Sesbania brown manuring (SBM) recorded lower density and dry-weight of weeds, higher organic carbon (OC), available N, P and K in soil and enhanced N, P and K uptake by 8.9,6.7,7.8% and 23.7,24.5 and 10.2% in grain and straw, respectively, over conventionally-tilled direct-seeded rice (CT-DSR) + SBM.Among weed control options, the use of pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)Jb chlorimuron + metsulftiron (4 + 4 g/ha, 25 DAS) + 1 HW (45 DAS) resulted in lower density and weeds, higher OC, available N, P and K in soil and improved N, P and K uptake in grain and straw by 23.6, 20.9 and 33.0 and 26.7, 25.5 and 26.6%, respectively over weedy check.However, higher EC andpH and lower nutrient (N, P and K) and protein content in grain and straw were found under weed-free condition.Overall, ZT-DSR + residue + SBM and application of pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)y& chlorimuron + metsulfuron (4 + 4 g/ha, 25 DAS) + 1 HW (45 DAS) proved better with respect to reduction in weed biomass, OC, available soil nutrients (N, P and K) and their uptake in DSR. © 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.
Microbes-mediated integrated nutrient management for improved rhizo-modulation, pigeonpea productivity, and soil bio-fertility in a semi-arid agro-ecology
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Gaurendra Gupta; Shiva Dhar; Adarsh Kumar; Anil K. Choudhary; Anchal Dass; V.K. Sharma; Livleen Shukla; P.K. Upadhyay; Anup Das; Dinesh Jinger; Sudhir Kumar Rajpoot; Manjanagouda S. Sannagoudar; Amit Kumar; Ingudam Bhupenchandra; Vishal Tyagi; Ekta Joshi; Kamlesh Kumar; Padmanabh Dwivedi; Mahendra Vikram Singh Rajawat
Excessive dependence on chemical fertilizers and ignorance to organic and microbial inputs under intensive cropping systems are the basic components of contemporary agriculture, which evolves several sustainability issues, such as degraded soil health and sub-optimal crop productivity. This scenario urges for integrated nutrient management approaches, such as microbes-mediated integrated plant nutrition for curtailing the high doses as chemical fertilizers. Rationally, experiment has been conducted in pigeonpea at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, with the aim of identifying the appropriate nutrient management technique involving microbial and organic nutrient sources for improved rhizo-modulation, crop productivity, and soil bio-fertility. The randomized block-designed experiment consisted nine treatments viz. Control, Recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), RDF+ Microbial inoculants (MI), Vermicompost (VC), Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Leaf Compost (LC), VC + MI, FYM + MI, and LC + MI. Rhizobium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., and Frateuria aurantia were used as seed-inoculating microbes. The results indicated the significant response of integration following the trend VC + MI > FYM + MI > LC + MI > RDF + MI for various plant shoot-root growth attributes and soil microbial and enzymatic properties. FYM + MI significantly improved the water-stable aggregates (22%), mean weight diameter (1.13 mm), and geometric mean diameter (0.93 mm), soil organic carbon (SOC), SOC stock, and SOC sequestration. The chemical properties viz. available N, P, and K were significantly improved with VC + MI. The study summarizes that FYM + MI could result in better soil physico-chemical and biological properties and shoot-root development; however; VC + MI could improve available nutrients in the soil and may enhance the growth of pigeonpea more effectively. The outcomes of the study are postulated as a viable and alternative solution for excessive chemical fertilizer-based nutrient management and would also promote the microbial consortia and organic manures-based agro-industries. This would add to the goal of sustainable agricultural development by producing quality crop produce, maintaining agro-biodiversity and making the soils fertile and healthy that would be a “gift to the society.” Copyright © 2022 Gupta, Dhar, Kumar, Choudhary, Dass, Sharma, Shukla, Upadhyay, Das, Jinger, Rajpoot, Sannagoudar, Kumar, Bhupenchandra, Tyagi, Joshi, Kumar, Dwivedi and Rajawat.
Post-emergence herbicides for effective weed management, enhanced wheat productivity, profitability and quality in north-western Himalayas: A ‘participatory-mode’ technology development and dissemination
(MDPI AG, 2021) Anil K. Choudhary; D.S. Yadav; Pankaj Sood; Shakuntla Rahi; Kalpana Arya; S.K. Thakur; Ramesh Lal; Subhash Kumar; Jagdev Sharma; Anchal Dass; Subhash Babu; R.S. Bana; D.S. Rana; Adarsh Kumar; Sudhir K. Rajpoot; Gaurendra Gupta; Anil Kumar; M.N. Harish; A.U. Noorzai; G.A. Rajanna; Mohammad Halim Khan; V.K. Dua; Raj Singh
‘Participatory-mode’ adaptive research was conducted in wheat in north-western Himalayas (NWH) during 2008–2014 to develop an improved chemical weed management (ICWM) technology. First of all, two years ‘on-farm experimentation’ was performed in a randomized block design at 10 locations in NWH using seven treatments (Clodinafop @ 60 g a.i./ha (Clod); Clod followed by 2,4-D (Na-salt) @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha (Clod-fb-D); Isoproturon 75 WP @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha (Iso); Iso + D; Sulfosulfuron 75% WG @ 25 g a.i./ha + Metsulfuron 5% WG @ 2 g a.i./ha (Sulf + Met); weed-free-check; and un-weeded-check). In this study, the post-emergence application of Sulf + Met reported the lowest weed-index and NPK depletion by weeds with higher weed control efficiency (86.4%), weed control index (81.1%) and herbicide efficiency index (2.62) over other herbicides. Sulf + Met exhibited significantly higher wheat productivity (3.57 t/ha), protein yield, net-returns and water-productivity, which was followed by Iso + D and Clod-fb-D, all of which remained statistically at par with each other. An impact assessment of intensive technology-transfer programme (2008–2014) revealed a higher technology adoption rate (71–98%) of ICWM leading to higher wheat productivity (~22%) and net income gains (2.8–26.4%) in NWH. Overall, Sulf + Met proved highly effective against mixed weed flora in wheat to boost wheat productivity, profitability, quality and water productivity in addition to a higher technology adoption rate and NIGs to transform rural livelihoods in NWH. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Precision nitrogen and water management in double zero -till wheat: effects on photosynthetic parameters, productivity, nutrient-use efficiency and N2O emission
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Vijay Sai Pratap; Anchal Dass; Prameela Krishnan; Susama Sudhishri; Anil Kumar Choudhary; Arti Bhatia; Dinesh Jinger; Sunil Kumar Verma; Arjun K. Singh; Aye Aye San; Kadagonda Nithinkumar; K. S. Sachin; Kavita Kumari; Rahul Sadhukhan; S. Dasaratha Kumar; Venkatesh Paramesha; Teekam Singh; Ramanjit Kaur; Shiv Poojan Yadav
Context: Conventional tillage (CT), excessive irrigation, and indiscriminate nitrogen (N) use in wheat farming degrade soil and water resources in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), threatening the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system. Objectives: A two-year study (2019–21) in north-west IGP was conducted to assess the integration of zero-tillage (ZT) with precision water and N management for sustainability, nutrient efficiency, and environmental performance. Methods: The study tested two crop establishment methods (ZT-wheat and double ZT-wheat) and three irrigation regimes–25%, 50%, and 75% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM), with silicon applied at 75% DASM–alongside three N strategies: 100% recommended N dose (RDN), NutrientExpert® (NE®) + Leaf Color Chart (LCC), and NE® + SPAD-based N management, using a split-plot design. Results and Conclusion: Double ZT-wheat performed better over conventional ZT, showed superior growth (higher dry matter accumulation, leaf area index, and photosynthetic rate), 3.5% greater interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and 6.7–9.9% increases in grain/straw yields, and resource-use efficiency. Irrigation at 25% DASM increased photosynthetic activity, intercepted 18.3% more PAR, and yielded 9.23% higher grain over 50% DASM, though delaying irrigation to 50% DASM conserved water without significant yield loss. NE® + SPAD-based N management saved 40 kg N ha–1 while enhancing productivity and efficiency, and combining ZT with 75% DASM + silicon and NE® + LCC significantly reduced N2O emissions, thus suggested for implementation in the wheat growing regions. Significance: The current study findings promote precision N-water strategies, and double ZT to enhance productivity, resource conservation, and environmental sustainability in the IGP’s wheat systems addressing important sustainable development goals concerning agriculture. © © 2025 Pratap, Dass, Krishnan, Sudhishri, Choudhary, Bhatia, Jinger, Verma, Singh, San, Nithinkumar, Sachin, Kumari, Sadhukhan, Kumar, Paramesha, Singh, Kaur and Yadav.
Productivity and profitability of direct-seeded rice under varying establishment methods and weed management practices
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 2021) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass; Deepak Kumar Yadav; Peeyush Kumar Jaysawal; A.J. Madane
A field experiment was conducted at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (2016-17) to evaluate the effect of crop establishment and weed management practices on productivity, economics and resource-use efficiency of direct-seeded rice (DSR).The treatments included three crop establishment methods, viz.Zero-tillage-DSR+Sestarma co-culture (ZT-DSR+SCC), ZT-DSR+residue+&?staw'tf co-culture (ZT-DSR+R+SCC) and Conventional till-DSR+Sestarma co- culture (CT-DSR+SCC) assigned to main-plots and five weed management practices, viz.WMPj- pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)y& bispyribac-sodium (25 g/ha) 20 days after sowing (DAS), WMP2-pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)Jb pyrazosulfuron (30 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 hand weeding (HW) 45 DAS, WMP3- pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) Jb chlorimuron+metsulftiron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 H W 45 DAS, WMP4- Weed-free and WMP5- Weedy check assigned to sub-plots.The experiment was laid-out in a three-time replicated split-plot design.Results showed that, ZT-DSR+R+SCC recorded higher growth parameters, such as dry matter accumulation (DMA), leaf area index (LAI), yield attributes and enhanced grain yield, net return and water productivity by 16.9,61.9 and 20% and 11.0,69.7 and 10.3% during 2016 and 2017, respectively over CT-DSR+SCC.Among weed management practices, pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) Jb chlorimuron+metsulfuron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 HW 45 DAS recorded higher DMA, LAI, yield attributes and finally enhanced grain yield, net returns and water productivity by 31.9,39.2 and 33.3% and 35.7,36.6 and 37.5% during 2016 and 2017, respectively over weedy check.Hence, ZT-DSR+R+SCC along with pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)_/Z? chlorimuron+metsulfuron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 HW 45 DAS could be adopted for higher yield, net returns and resource-use efficiency of DSR. © 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.
Soybean crop intensification for sustainable aboveground-underground plant–soil interactions
(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Ramesh Kumar Singh; Pravin Kumar Upadhyay; Shiva Dhar; G.A. Rajanna; Vinod Kumar Singh; Rakesh Kumar; Rajiv Kumar Singh; Subhash Babu; Sanjay Singh Rathore; Kapila Shekhawat; Anchal Dass; Amit Kumar; Gaurendra Gupta; Gaurav Shukla; Sudhir Rajpoot; Ved Prakash; Bipin Kumar; Vinod Kumar Sharma; Sharmistha Barthakur
The major challenge of growing soybean, other than unfavorable weather and small farm size, is the non-availability of quality inputs at the right time. Furthermore, in soybean growing regions, crop productivity and soil environment have deteriorated due to the use of traditional varieties and conventional methods of production. Soybean crop intensification or system of crop intensification in soybean (SCI) is an agricultural production system that boosts soybean yields, improves the soil environment, and maximizes the efficiency of input utilization, although the contribution of SCI to crop productivity is not well understood as different genotypes of soybean exhibit different physiological responses. Therefore, a field study was conducted in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 using three crop establishment methods (SCI at a 45 cm × 45 cm row spacing, SCI at 30 cm × 30 cm, and a conventional method at 45 cm × 10 cm) assisted in vertical strips with four genotypes (Pusa 9,712, PS 1347, DS 12–13, and DS 12–5) using a strip-plot design with three replications. Compared with standard methods of cultivation, the adoption of SCI at 45 cm × 45 cm resulted in a significantly higher stomatal conductance (0.211 mol H2O m−2 s−1), transpiration rate (7.8 mmol H2O m−2 s−1), and net photosynthetic rate (398 mol CO2 m−2 s−1). The implementation of an SCI at 30 cm × 30 cm had significantly greater intercepted photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) (1,249 mol m−2 s−1) than the conventional method system, increasing crop yield from 9.6 to 13.3% and biomass yield from 8.2 to 10.7%. In addition, under an SCI at 30 cm × 30 cm, there were more nodules, significantly larger root volume and surface density, and increased NPK uptake compared with the other methods. Significantly greater soil dehydrogenase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, acetylene-reducing assay, total polysaccharides, microbial biomass carbon, and soil chlorophyll were found with SCI at 45 cm × 45 cm (13.63 g TPF g−1 soil hr.−1, 93.2 g p-nitro phenol g−1 soil hr.−1, 25.5 n moles ethylene g−1 soil hr.−1, 443.7 mg kg−1 soil, 216.5 mg kg−1 soil, and 0.43 mg g−1 soil, respectively). Therefore, the adoption of an SCI at 30 cm × 30 cm and/or 45 cm × 45 cm could provide the best environment for microbial activities and overall soil health, as well as the sustainable productivity of soybean aboveground. Copyright © 2023 Singh, Dhar, Upadhyay, Rajanna, Singh, Kumar, Singh, Babu, Rathore, Shekhawat, Dass, Kumar, Gupta, Shukla, Rajpoot, Prakash, Kumar, Sharma and Barthakur.
System of wheat intensification (SWI): Effects on lodging resistance, photosynthetic efficiency, soil biomes, and water productivity
(Public Library of Science, 2024) Ramesh Kumar Singh; Pravin Kumar Upadhyay; Shiva Dhar; G.A. Rajanna; Vinod Kumar Singh; Rakesh Kumar; Rajiv Kumar Singh; Kapila Shekhawat; Sanjay Singh Rathore; Anchal Dass; Amit Kumar; Gaurendra Gupta; Sudhir Rajpoot; Ved Prakash; Sayantika Sarkar; Navin Kumar Sharma; Satyam Rawat; Satendra Singh
Intense cultivation with narrow row spacing in wheat, a common practice in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia, renders the crop more susceptible to lodging during physiological maturity. This susceptibility, compounded by the use of traditional crop cultivars, has led to a substantial decline in overall crop productivity. In response to these challenges, a two-year field study on the system of wheat intensification (SWI) was conducted. The study involved three different cultivation methods in horizontal plots and four wheat genotypes in vertical plots, organized in a strip plot design. Our results exhibited that adoption of SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm resulted in significantly higher intercellular CO2 concentration (5.9-6.3%), transpiration rate (13.2-15.8%), stomatal conductance (55-59%), net photosynthetic rate (126- 160%), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception (1.6-25.2%) over the existing conventional method (plant geometry 22.5 cm × continuous plant to plant spacing) of wheat cultivation. The lodging resistance capacity of both the lower and upper 3rd nodes was significantly higher in the SWI compared to other cultivation methods. Among different genotypes, HD 2967 demonstrated the highest recorded value for lodging resistance capacity, followed by HD 2851, HD 3086, and HD 2894. In addition, adoption of the SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm enhanced crop grain yield by 36.9-41.6%, and biological yield by 27.5-29.8%. Significantly higher soil dehydrogenase activity (12.06 μg TPF g-1 soil hr-1), arylsulfatase activity (82.8 μg p-nitro phenol g-1 soil hr-1), alkaline phosphatase activity (3.11 n moles ethylene g-1 soil hr-1), total polysaccharides, soil microbial biomass carbon, and soil chlorophyll content were also noted under SWI over conventional method of the production. Further, increased root volumes, surface root density and higher NPK uptake were recorded under SWI at 20×20 cm in comparison to rest of the treatments. Among the tested wheat genotypes, HD-2967 and HD-3086 had demonstrated notable increases in grain and biological yields, as well as improvements in the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and chlorophyll content. Therefore, adoption of SWI at 20 cm ×20 cm (square planting) with cultivars HD 2967 might be the best strategy for enhancing crop productivity and resource-use efficiency under the similar wheat growing conditions of India and similar agro-ecotypes of the globe. © 2024 Singh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Weed growth, nutrient removal and yield of direct-seeded rice as influenced by establishment methods and chemical-cum-mechanical weed management practices
(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass
Direct seeding of rice (Oryza sativa L.) has since long been viewed as a potential alternative to unsustainable water-intensive transplanted rice (TPR) world-over, but heavy infestation of a variety of weed species limits the large-scale adoption of direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation. Hence, a 2-year field investigation was carried-out in a spilt-plot design, at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, during rainy seasons of 2016 and 2017 to assess the influence of various crop establishment methods (CEMs) and weed management options (WMs) on diverse weed-flora, nutrient removal by weeds, weed-control efficiency (WCE) and yield of DSR (cv. Rajendra Kasturi). The results revealed that zero-till DSR + residue + Sesbania brown manure (ZTDSR + R + SBM) was most effective in containing crop-weed competition, lowered density of Echinochloa colona (L.) Link, Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Eclipta alba (L.) Hassak., Caesulia axillaris Roxb., Cyperus rotundus L., Cyperus iria L., Fimbristylis miliacea (L.) Vahl. by 63.4% and enhanced grain yield by 22.8%. Further, applying pendimethalin at 1000 g ai ha−1 as PRE. and later post-emergence (POST) spray of chlorimuron + metsulfuron at 4 g ai ha−1 each 20 days after sowing (DAS) supplemented with 1 hand-weeding (HW) 45 DAS was found to be a better weed management option as this treatment recorded the lowest density and nutrient depletion by above mentioned weeds and higher WCE, thereby improving rice yield by 3–19.5% over other studied WMs. Also, the combination of this weed management option with ZTDSR + R + SBM suppressed weeds to a greater extent, restricting weeds to deplete nutrients (N, P and K) from the soil and finally fetched the highest DSR yield. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd