Integrated moisture stress management in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

A field experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) season of 2010–11 and 2011–12 at Hisar, Haryana, to study integrated moisture stress management in wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol.]. The treatments consisted of 4 moisture regimes in main plots, viz. irrigation at crown-root initiation (CRI) + 100 mm cumulative pan evaporation (CPE), CRI + 150 mm CPE, CRI + 200 mm CPE and CRI only, and 6 moisture-stress management practices in sub plots, viz. no moisture stress-management, seed hardening (SH) by CaCl₂, SH + KCl spray, SH + mycorrhizae application + KCl spray, SH + mycorrhizae + KCl spray + kaolin spray and Pusa hydrogel application. Significantly the highest plant height, numbers of tillers, leaf-area index, leaf-area duration, dry-matter accumulation and crop growth rate were recorded with irrigation at CRI + 100 mm CPE over irrigation at CRI only. Similarly significantly highest grain yield, straw yield, harvest index, spikes/m², spike length, spikelets/spike, grains/spike, grain weight/spike, test weight and net returns were recorded with CRI + 100 mm CPE over irrigation at CRI only. The treatment SH + mycorrhizae + KCl spray + kaolin spray recorded significantly highest plant height, numbers of tillers, leaf-area index, leaf-area duration, dry-matter accumulation, crop-growth rate, spikes/m², spike length, spikelets/spike, grains/spike, grain weight/spike and test weight over irrigation at CRI only. Significantly the highest grain and straw yields, as well as net returns were recorded in SH + mycorrhizae + KCl spray + kaolin spray over irrigation at CRI only.