Chickpea is the most important and remunerative rabi pulse crop of India grown both under conserved soil moisture and irrigated situations. In India, it is grown in an area of 9.67 Mha, producing 10.09 MT with the average productivity of 1043 kgha^-1. In Karnataka state, it occupies 12.65 lakh ha area, producing 7.83 lakh tonnes with 619 kg ha^-1 productivity [1].  The productivity of chickpea in the state has fallen due to various constraints such as biotic and abiotic factors as compared to national productivity. Out of several factors responsible for lower productivity of chickpea in the state, poor land preparation and water management are considered as most important and plays greater role in uplifting the chickpea productivity. Different and configuration methods like ridges and furrows and broadbed and furrows play important role in increasing the productivity. [2-4] reported 25% increased yields in cereals, pulses and vegetables with 31% saving in irrigation water. Many workers across the country also reported the yield advantage of chickpea in different land configuration methods under protective irrigated condition. BBF sowing is gaining more popularity especially in case of black soils. Providing irrigation through flood irrigation in flat bed sowing in black soils badly affects the chickpea productivity due to water stagnation. If the chickpea is sown on BBF method, less irrigation water is required to crop under water stress conditions and improves the plant growth and yield attributing characters due to higher soil moisture, higher salt leaching and reduction in evaporation from the surface of the soil [5-9]. The present investigation was carried out to know the impact of different land configurations and irrigation scheduling on productivity of chickpea based cropping systems in Karnataka state.  

Materials and Methods

The Field experiment was conducted during rabi seasons of 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Kalaburagi, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India. The main objective of the investigation was to know the impact of different land configurations and irrigation scheduling on productivity of chickpea based cropping systems in Karnataka state. The soil (pH 8.80) of the experimental field was clay loam in texture, low in organic carbon (0.50%), low in available nitrogen (180 kg ha^-1), medium in available phosphorus (25 kg ha^-1) and high in available potassium (350 kg ha^-1). The experiment was laidout in split plot design with three replications. The main plot consisted of four land configuration methods viz., L₁: Flatbed sowing, L₂: Ridge and furrow, L₃: Broadbed and furrow and L₄: Broadbed and furrow + one row of safflower in the furrows and three irrigation schedules viz., I₁: Irrigation at branching, I₂: Irrigation at pod development and I₃: Irrigation at branching and pod development as subplot treatments. The chickpea variety JG-11 (90-100 days) was sown at 30 x 10 cm during first week of October and harvested during second week of January during all the three years of experimentation. The recommended fertilizer dose (25:50:0 kg/ha as N: P₂O₅ and K₂O) was applied at the time of sowing through urea and single super phosphate. Gap filling and thinning operations were carried out wherever necessary to maintain required plant population. Treatment imposition was done as per standard methods. Weeds were controlled by applying pendimethalin @ 3.33 ml per litre of water as pre emergent spray followed by one hand weeding at 35-40 DAS. Regarding agronomic characters, ten competitive plants were randomly selected from each plot and observations were recorded for growth and yield attributes. Whereas, seed yield obtained from the net plot area was recorded and expressed in kg ha^-1. Economics was calculated on the basis of market price of chickpea and cost of cultivation. The data were statistically analyzed as per the procedure given by Gomez and Gomez (1984) for split plot design.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Effect of land configurations on growth and yield attributes of chickpea

Growth and yield parameters of chickpea like plant height, number of branches plant^-1, pods plant^-1, seed yield plant^-1 and 100 seed weight differed significantly due to different land configurations (Table 1, 2 and 3). The pooled data of three years indicated that, sowing of chickpea on broadbed and furrows with one row of safflower in the furrow recorded significantly higher plant height (35.7 cm), number of branches (6.90 plant^-1), pods plant^-1 (37.53), total dry matter production (21.70 g plant^-1), seed yield plant^-1 (10.37 g) and 100 seed weight (22.16 g) when compared to flat bed and ridge and furrow method. It might be due to better porosity and availability of soil moisture for crop growth throughout the growing season which in turn helped in better growth and yield attributing characters of chickpea. [10] reported similar results in pigeon pea under BBF. [11-12] reported significantly higher growth and yield attributing characters in Maize under broadbed and furrows as compared to flat bed system. Under broadbed and furrow system, management of irrigation water is simpler and more efficient. On an average about 30% less irrigation water was required compared to flat bed method and improved crop yields by more than 20%.

Effect of irrigation scheduling on growth and yield attributes of chickpea

Scheduling of irrigation water both at branching and pod development stage markedly improved the plant height (33.2 cm), number of branches (6.13 plant^-1), pods plant^-1 (33.98), total dry matter production (20.23 g plant^-1), seed yield plant^-1 (9.53 g) and 100 seed weight (21.36 g) when compared to providing irrigation either at branching or pod development stages. Similarly, [13-15] reported significantly higher chickpea yield when irrigation was scheduled both at branching and pod development stages.

Effect of land configurations on grain yield of chickpea

In the present investigation, significant differences were observed in grain yield of chickpea due to different land configurations.  Among the land configurations, BBF + one row of safflower in the furrow recorded significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield (1847 kg ha^-1) with yield superiority of 55.86% as compared to flatbed method of sowing (1185 kg ^-1). This might be due to better porosity and availability of soil moisture which helped in better growth and development of the crop as well as one extra row of safflower in the furrow which helped to fetch more prices and resulted in higher chickpea equivalent yield. The beneficial effect of BBF method on chickpea productivity might be due to loose and friable seed bed provided to the root zone of the chickpea crop throughout the growth period. Thereby the favourable micro environment i.e. soil water-air equilibrium might have created better crop growth and yield. [16-17] reported higher yield advantage in cowpea under BBF method of planting. The present results also corroborate with the findings of [18-19].

Effect of irrigation scheduling on grain yield of chickpea

Scheduling of irrigation both at branching and pod development recorded significantly higher seed yield of 1519 kg ha^-1. The increase in the seed yield was 19.98 and 8.88 per cent more than scheduling irrigation at branching and at pod development alone, respectively. The higher yield obtained under irrigation scheduling at branching and pod development stage was mainly due to better availability of soil moisture at branching as well as pod development, which enhanced the availability of nutrients resulting in higher yield attributes and ultimately higher seed yield. Similar results are also reported by [20-22] in chickpea.

Effect of land configurations on economics of chickpea

Gross returns, net returns and benefit cost ratio differed significantly due to different land configurations. Significantly higher gross returns (₹73880 ha^-1), net returns (₹50013 ha^-1) and B: C ratio (3.09) was registered in BBF with one row of safflower in the furrow as compared to flatbed sowing and ridges and furrow method. Similarly [23-26] also reported significantly higher net returns and B: C ratio under BBF system as compared to flatbed in chickpea.

Effect of irrigation scheduling on economics of chickpea

Scheduling of irrigation at both branching and pod development stages recorded significantly superior net returns (₹ 37035 ha^-1) and B: C ratio (2.55) as compared to irrigation either at branching or pod development stages.

Conclusion

It was concluded from the 3 years study that sowing of chickpea in BBF method + one row of safflower in the furrows and scheduling irrigation at both branching and pod development stages of the chickpea crop would be better option for getting higher chickpea equivalent yield, net returns and B: C ratio.

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