Effect of irrigation regime, Pusa hydrogel and vermicompost on growth, productivity and soil-nutrient status in late-sown wheat (Triticum aestivum)

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2015–16 and 2016–17 at Crop Research Centre of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India to study the effect of Pusa hydrogel and vermicompost on crop productivity and soil nutrient status in late-sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Three irrigation levels, viz., I₁ [at crown-root initiation (CRI) stage], I₂ (at CRI, booting and milking) and I₃ (at CRI, late tillering, late jointing, flowering and milking stage), and 4 moisture-conservation practices, viz. application of Pusa hydrogel @ 5 kg/ha, vermicompost @ 1 t/ha, Pusa hydrogel @ 5 kg/ha + vermicompost @ 1 t/ha and no application, were tested in split-plot design, with 3 replications. Results revealed that, the growth parameters, viz. of plant height (106.6 and 103.8 cm), tillers/m, dry-matter accumulation (184.5 and 195.0 g/m), leaf-area index (3.15 and 3.23) and harvest index, of wheat were significantly higher under 5 irrigation levels than 3 and 1, being the lowest under 1 irrigation during 2015–16 and 2016–17, respectively. The wheat received 5 irrigations outyielded wheat received 3 and 1 irrigations during the first and second years by 7.6, 68.8% and 8.1 and 69.4% respectively. Similarly, wheat grown with 3 and 5 irrigations recorded 5.98 and 5.84 q/ha and 28.88 and 26.65 q/ha higher straw yield during 2015–16 and 2016–17 respectively. The highest available nitrogen (229.9 and 232.2 kg/ha) and potassium (177.2 and 179.1 kg/ha) were recorded with 5 irrigations, followed by 3 irrigations during the first and second years, respectively. The combined application of Pusa hydrogel @ 5 kg + vermicompost @ 1 t/ha over no application at harvesting resulted in 33.2 and 31.0% more dry-matter production/m and 34.6 and 38.4% higher grain yield/ha, besides 231.0 and 233.3 kg N, 14.6 and 15.1 kg P and 175.5 and 177.8 kg K/ha with 0.494 and 0.512% organic carbon after harvesting during 2015–16 and 2016–17, respectively.