Tillage and irrigation management in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)–fodder sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cropping system under semi-arid conditions of India

A field experiment was conducted at Jhansi during the winter season (rabi) of 2009–10 to rainy season (kharif) of 2012 to study the impact of tillage practices and irrigation management on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and their carry-over effects on succeeding fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench]. Reduced tillage recorded 1.74 t/ha grain yield of chickpea and was on a par with conventional tillage. However, reduced tillage (57.7%) and zero tillage (57.4%) recorded significantly higher harvest index than conventional tillage (55.2%). Similarly, application of 2 irrigations to chickpea recorded higher grain yield (1.90 t/ha) and system productivity in terms of chickpea-equivalent yield (4.00 t/ha) but application of only 1 irrigation recorded higher irrigation water-use efficiency (295 kg grain/ha-cm). Significantly higher plant height, plant population, grains per pod, 100-seed weight, weeds count and weed dry matter were also recorded in irrigated plots than unirrigated control. Higher system productivity in terms of chickpea-equivalent yield (CEY) was recorded under reduced tillage (3.85 t/ha) and conventional tillage (3.90 t/ha) than zero tillage. Reduced tillage and 2 irrigations in chickpea recorded higher net returns i.e. 33.1 × 10³ and 34.6 × 10³/ha and benefit: cost ratio i.e. 0.85 and 0.87, from whole system. After 3 years, the bulk density of 15–30 cm soil depths was lower in zero tillage (1.34 Mg/m³) than conventional (1.40 Mg/m³) and reduced tillage (1.37 Mg/m³). Similarly, significantly higher values of total organic carbon (10.31 g/kg), electrical conductivity (0.20 dS/m), available N (260.1 kg/ha) and available K (197.7 kg/ha) were recorded under zero tillage. Application of 2 irrigations recorded lower electrical conductivity (0.152 dS/m) and available N (237.0 kg/ha) and higher available K (189.8 kg/ha) status.