Response of sunflower yield to planting methods and irrigation schedules

The field experiment was conducted at Students ’Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during spring 2010. The crop was sown on January 29, 2010 and harvested on May 14, 2010. The soil was loamy sand with 0.3 and 15 bar values of 33.20 and 9.59 cm respectively, in a soil profile of 0–150 cm depth. The soil was moderately alkaline in reaction, low in organic carbon and available N, medium in available P and K. The field experiment comprised 15 treatment combinations viz., five main plot treatments [Planting methods including flat sowing (Flat), sowing at the top of ridge laid down in East-West direction (TR), sowing on the southern slope of ridge laid down in East-West direction (SR), sowing at the centre of raised bed laid down in East-West direction (CB) and sowing on the southern slope of raised bed laid down in East-West direction (SB)] and three sub plot treatments (Irrigation at IW/CPE ratio 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2). The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four replications. The seed yield recorded with SR and SB methods was 21.6 q/ha and 21.3 q/ha, respectively, which were statistically at par with each other, but significantly higher than the seed yield observed under TR, CB and Flat methods. Among irrigation schedules, IW/CPE ratio of 1.2 produced maximum seed yield which was statistically at par with IW/CPE ratio of 1.0 and significantly higher than IW/CPE ratio of 0.8.