Indian Journal of Agronomy

  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 4

Effect of moisture conservation practices on productivity, profitability and moisture-use pattern of rainfed linseed (Linum usitatissimum)

  • Author:
  • J.P. Tetarwal1,, Baldev Ram1, B.S. Meena1, Pratap Singh2
  • Total Page Count: 5
  • DOI:
  • Page Number: 589 to 593

1Assistant Professor (Agronomy), Agricultural Research Station, Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan, 324 001

Agricultural Research Station, Agriculture University, Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan, 324 001

2Professor, (Agronomy) and Zonal Director Research, Agricultural Research Station, Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan, 324 001

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) seasons of 2009–10 to 2011–12 at Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan, to find out the best moisture-conservation practices as abiotic stress management in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) for higher productivity under rainfed conditions. Straw mulch @ 10 t/ha significantly increased the growth, yield attributes, seed yield (1, 037 kg/ha), oil yield (403.3 kg/ha), net returns (18, 930/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (1.22) over rest of the moisture-conservation practices and was statistically on a par with spreading of FYM 10 t/ha as mulch. The maximum production and economic efficiency, consumptive use (215 mm), moisture-use rate (1.58 mm/day) and water-use efficiency (4.82 kg/ha-mm) were recorded with straw mulch 10 t/ha, indicating 56.2, 79.3, 28.0, 27.4 and 22.0% increase over no mulch respectively. The maximum soil moisture depletion (46.2%) was registered from top soil layer (0–15 cm) in no-mulch, while the least (42.5%) with straw mulch 10 t/ha. However, the reverse trend was observed in deeper soil layer from 16–30 and 31–45 cm, and the maximum depletion of soil moisture was recorded under straw mulch 10 t/ha (33.0 and 24.6%) followed by spreading FYM 10 t/ha as mulch (32.8 and 24.5%) and least with no-mulch (30.8 and 23.0%) respectively.

Keywords

Linseed, Moisture conservation, Moisture-extraction pattern, Net returns, Oil content, Production efficiency, Water-use efficiency, Yield