Influence of irrigation and mulching practices on water use, yield components and yield of finger millet (Eleusine coracana)

A field experiment was conducted at Annamalai University experimental farm, Annamalainagar, to study the effect of irrigation and mulching practices on yield of finger millet or ragi [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] cv. ‘CO 13’ during 1998 and 1999. The depth of water was fixed as 50 mm at each irrigation (IW). The IW: CPE ratio of 0.9 consumed more water through irrigation, followed by 0.6 IW: CPE ratio. Scheduling irrigation at an IW: CPE ratio of 0.9 along with sugarcane trash mulching at 10 cm thickness gave higher grain yield and it was at par with 0.6 IW: CPE along with sugarcane trash mulch at 10 cm thickness. The consumptive use of water was highest with 0.9 IW: CPE ratio, followed by 0.6 ratio. The water-use efficiency increased with the decrease in number of irrigations.