Impact of Land Configurations and Irrigation Scheduling on Performance, Productivity and Profitability of chickpea Based Cropping System in Karnataka, India

Abstract:

Background: Land configuration technique is the most potential resource conservation technology and gaining more popularity in different agro ecosystems. Broadbed and furrow (BBF) sowing especially in case of black soils provide the opportunity to establish good crop stand with less irrigation water. Providing irrigation through flood irrigation in flatbed sowing in black soils badly affects the chickpea productivity due to water stagnation.

Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the post rainy season of 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 at ZARS, Kalaburagi, UAS, Raichur (Karnataka) to study the impact of land configurations and irrigation scheduling on productivity of chickpea based cropping system. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four main plot treatments and three sub plot treatments. The main plot treatments were four land configurations as (L₁) Flatbed sowing (FB), (L₂) ridges and furrow, (L₃) Broadbed and furrow (BBF) and (L₄) BBF + 1 row of safflower in the furrows. Sub plot treatments were three irrigation schedules i.e., (I₁) Irrigation at branching, (I₂) Irrigation at pod development stage and (I₃) Irrigation at branching and pod development stage.

Result: The pooled data indicated that, BBF + one row of safflower in the furrow registered significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield (1847 kgha^-1), gross returns (₹73880ha^-1), net returns (₹50013ha^-1) and B: C ratio (3.09) when compared to flatbed and ridges and furrows method. Scheduling of irrigation at branching and pod development stages recorded significantly superior grain yield (1519 kgha^-1), gross returns (₹60760ha^-1), net returns (₹37035ha^-1) and B: C ratio (2.55) as compared to scheduling of irrigation either at branching or pod development stages.