Wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity, profitability, irrigation water-use efficiency and energetics under different irrigation levels and sowing methods

A field experiment was carried out during the winter (rabi) seasons of 2009–10 and 2010–11 at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, on a loamy sand soil to assess the impact of irrigation levels and crop-establishment methods on crop productivity, irrigation water-use efficiency (WUE), net monetary returns and energetics of wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol.]. Irrigation at an irrigation water: cumulative pan evaporation (IW: CPE) of 1.0 resulted in the maximum mean wheat grain yield (3.89 t/ha), while, critical stage-wise irrigation treatment was superior to 0.75 and 1.00 IW: CPE for mean straw yield. An IW: CPE of 1.0 ratio fetched the maximum mean gross returns ( 46, 513), net returns ( 24, 964) and benefit: cost ratio (1.17). Crop irrigated at critical growth stages, in spite of consuming the maximum input energy, recorded the maximum output energy, net energy gain and energy-use efficiency (EUE). Crop raised under zero-till condition exhibited the highest mean grain (3.86 t/ha) and straw (6.67 t/ha) yields, while these were found to be the lowest in conventional tillage treatment. It also generated 5, 742 and 3, 797 higher net returns and also gave 51.6 and 36.9% higher benefit: cost ratio over the conventional tillage and raised bed treatments respectively. The minimum energy for raising wheat crop was spent in zero-tillage and the maximum in conventional tillage. Former treatment also recorded 25.7 and 18.1% higher EUE than conventional and raised bed treatments respectively. Irrigation water-use efficiency was found to be the highest with an IW: CPE of 0.75 and raised bed treatments.