Nitrogen Management in Wheat Under Zero-Tillage Conditions

Abstract

The present investigation entitled, "Nitrogen management in wheat under zero-tillage conditions" was conducted at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Modipuram, Meerut during rabi Season of 2003-04. The experiment was laid in Randomized Black Design (RBD) with three replications. The experiment consisted of twelve treatments involving three tillage I sowing options i.e. normal zero tillage, paired zero tillage, conventional tillage; two nitrogen application schedule i.e. 80% as basal, 20% at earhead stage and 50% as basal, 25% each at first and second irrigation and with or without residues. Objectives of the study were : (i) to study the effect of zero-tillage system on growth and yield : (ii) to fmd out the optimum time of nitrogen application for the zero tillage system; (iii) to work out the economics of zero tillage system. Most of the wheat in India is cultivated in rice-wheat system having about 12mha of land area contributing around 25 percent of total food grain production in the country. It is the major cropping system for food security in the region and provides livelihood and income to millions of farmers and workers (Hobbs et al., 2003). However, this cropping system has become more fragile and system productivity is showing the signs of fatigue. To meet the food needs of the ever increasing population it is very important that productivity of this cropping system musy \be sustained. Inadequate nutrition (especially nitrogen), late sowing, poor crop establishment, sub optimal water m~nagement, lodging and weed, are some common factors behind yield stagnation. Zero-till sowing of wheat has come up as a solution to late sowing, increasing cost of cultivation and severe weed problem. Plant growth parameter like emergence count, number of tillers, dry matter accumulation and yield attributes like earhead length, number of grains, effective tillers, number of spikelets and nitrogen uptake were maximum under normal zero tillage with 50% nitrogen as basal, 25% each at first and second irrigation alongwith retention of residue. Thus, it may be concluded that this treatment proved to be optimum for exploiting the whole production potential of wheat.