Drip Irrigation Scheduling for Higher Growth, Productivity and Input Use Efficiency of Direct Seeded Basmati Rice in Indo-Gangetic Plains for Climate Resilient

Abstract

The Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) is an environmentally susceptible, communally momentous and economically tactical sphere of India where landscape, ground water and soil fertility are threatened by climate change. An increasing water scarcity for rice in the irrigated IGP is urging farmers to espouse water saving technologies such micro irrigation. Rice growing with drip irrigation may substantially reduce irrigation water requirement of rice. In order to make assessment of drip irrigation in rice, a field experiment was carried out at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand in 2017. Rice was established by Direct Seeding in conventional and drip irrigation treatments. The treatments were laid with drip irrigation at 50, 75 and 100% CPE on each 2 and 4 days interval. Two conventional irrigation practices (i.e. absolute control and farmers’ practice) were also included in the study. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. Compared with farmers practice, (transplanted and flooded) drip irrigation at 100% CPE on two days interval produced taller shoots and higher yield attributes of rice crop. Rice grown in drip irrigation was found more grain yield than farmers’ practice. Among drip irrigation, 100% CPE on 2 days gap (T5) recorded 45% higher grain yield (5800 kg ha-1) than farmers practice. Similarly, T5 treatment was higher content and uptake of nutrient. However, treatments T3 (50% CPE on 2 days gap) followed by T7 (75% CPE on 4 days interval) had higher water use efficiency. Result, further revealed that fertilizer use efficiency of T5 treatment was found to be higher (23.2 kg grain per kg fertilizer applied). Hence, rice is scheduled with drip irrigation at a tune of 100% CPE on 2 days interval can benefit over sustaining the direct seeded basmati rice productivity. However, there is a demand to examine these benefits of drip irrigation in rice in relation to the viability of adoption by farmers.