Effect of Irrigation Scheduling, Hydrogel Application and Foliar Micronutrients on Growth Parameters of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the integrated effects of irrigation scheduling, soil moisture conservation, and micronutrient management on barley growth and development. The trial was conducted at the Students’ Instructional Farm of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, during two consecutive rabi seasons (2023 and 2024). A split-split plot experimental design was adopted with irrigation scheduling as the main factor (I₁- At active tillering and I₂- At flag leaf and milking stages), hydrogel levels as the sub-factor (H₁- Control, H₂- Pusa hydrogel @2.5 kg / ha and H₃- Pusa hydrogel @ 5.0 kg / ha), and foliar micronutrients as the sub-sub-factor (M1- 100 % RDF, M2- 100 % RDF + 0.5 % Zn (foliar application at maximum vegetative stage and pre-flowering), M3- 100 % RDF + 0.25 % Cu (foliar application at maximum vegetative stage and pre-flowering) and M4-100 % RDF + 0.25% Mn (foliar application at maximum vegetative stage and pre-flowering). The results demonstrated that the combination at flag leaf and milking stages (I₂), the highest Pusa hydrogel @ 5.0 kg / ha (H₃), and 100 % RDF + 0.5 % Zn (foliar application at maximum vegetative stage and pre-flowering) (M₂) consistently produced the most superior results across all growth parameters. This integrated treatment significantly increased plant height (91.90 cm at harvest), leaf area index (2.21 at harvest), fresh weight (24.09 g plant⁻¹ at harvest), dry weight (24.09 g plant⁻¹ at harvest), and tiller density (436.71 tillers m⁻²) compared to all other treatment combinations. The findings establish that strategic water management combined with hydrogel-based moisture conservation and targeted zinc nutrition creates optimal conditions for robust barley plant development under limited-irrigation conditions.