Tillage and nutrient-management effects on productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in foothills region of Uttarakhand

A study was carried out during 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, Pantnagar, representing the foothills (Tarai) region of Uttarakhand, India, to study the effect of tillage and nutrient management on growth productivity, profitability and resource use efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experimental site was silty clay loam having soil pH 7.21, organic carbon 0.68% and 242.42, 22.56 and 240.32 kg/ ha available N, P2O5 and K2O respectively. The results indicated that the wheat planted on permanent raised bed system (PRBS) and furrow-irrigated raised bud system (FIRBS) had higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll content but subsoiling (SS) gave higher leaf-area index (LAI) followed by minimum tillage (MT) and PRBS. Similarly, significantly higher crop-growth rate (CGR), relative growth rate (RGR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) were recorded under PRBS and FIRBS but leaf-area rtio (LAR) was higher under SS followed by conven tional tillage (CT). The yield attributes like effective tillers and grains/ear were significantly higher under PRBS and FIRBS. These resulted in ~9.5 and 16% higher grain yield of wheat than CT and MT respectively. The harvest in dex (HI), partial factor productivity (PFP) and nutrient harvest index (NHI) were significantly higher under FIRBS and PRBS tillage systems. Among the nutrient management, recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) had greater plant height, dry-matter accumulation, chlorophyll content, LAI, CGR, LAR, effective tillers, grains/ear. The grain yield of wheat was 11.7 and 48.6% higher than SSNM and 50% RDF respectively. The HI, PFP and NHI were found significantly higher at 50% RDF followed by site-specific nutrient management (SSNM). Thus, wheat planted either on PRBS or FIRBS with application of recommended dose of fertilizers 150 kg N+26.4 kg P + 33.3 kg K/ha may be used for higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency of wheat in tarai region of Uttrakhand and also be replicated in similar agro-ecology of India