Crop, water productivity and economics in chickpea as influenced by application of hydrogel and foliar nutrition

A field experiment was carried out during two consecutive winter seasons of 2018–19 and 2019–20 to enhance crop and water productivity in chickpea RSG 973 through hydrogel and foliar nutrition under deficit soil moisture conditions. Ten treatments combinations consisting of two hydrogel levels (control versus hydrogel at 5 kg/ha applied at last plough or sowing in rows) in main plots and five foliar nutrition levels (water spray i.e., control, urea 2%, thiourea 500 ppm, salicyclic acid 100 ppm and NPK at 0.5% (with complex fertilizer having N: P: K 19: 19: 19 kg/ha) applied at flowering and pod development stages) in sub plots were carried out in trice replicated split plot. Results revealed that application of hydrogel @5 kg/ha significantly increased growth, yield attributes and yield of chickpea during both the year. The mean increases in grain yield and water productivity due to application of hydrogel were 17.54 per cent and 0.24 kg/m³ respectively over control. Similarly, foliar nutrition significantly influence pods/per plant, 100-seed weight, grain, straw, biological yield, harvest index and water productivity during both year of experimentation. Further, foliar application of salicylic acid @ 100 ppm recorded significantly higher pods/plants (63.87, 67.40), 100-seed weight (15.67, 15.85 g), grain yield (15.48, 16.27 qha⁻¹) and water productivity being at par with NPK 19: 19: 19 @0.5 per cent, thiourea @ 500ppm but significantly superior over water spray and urea@ 2 per cent.