Abstract:
The aims of correct irrigation scheduling are to produce the optimum yield and to apply water efficiently. An experiment was conducted during 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 at research farm of Genda Singh Sugarcane Breeding and Research Institute, Seorahi, Uttar Pradesh under AICRP on sugarcane. The experiment consist of four combination of planting methods and mulching practices i.e. (P
1) conventional flat planting 75 cm row spacing with organic mulch @6 t/ha, (P
2) conventional flat planting 75 cm row spacing without mulch, (P
3) paired row trench planting 120:30 cm row spacing with organic mulch @ 6 t/ha and (P
4) paired row trench planting 120:30 cm row spacing without mulch and three irrigation schedule (IW/CPE) with irrigation water depth 7.5 cm i.e. I
1- 0.60, I
2- 0.80 and I
3- 1.00 were tested in strip plot design with three replications. Recommended dose of N:P:K ratio was 180:80:60 kg per hectare and applied before onset of monsoon. The experimental field was medium in organic carbon, medium in available phosphorus and low in potash with pH 8.15. Sugarcane variety CoSe 11453 was planted in spring season. The experimental findings on the basis of pooled data of three years showed that paired row trench planting 120:30 cm row spacing with organic mulch @ 6 t/ha recorded significantly higher germination per cent (56.18), shoot population (166.20 thousand ha
-1), NMC (124.46 thousand ha
-1) and cane yield (106.59 t/hectare) over remaining treatments of planting methods except paired row trench planting 120:30 cm row spacing without mulch treatment. Lowest cane yield (72.85 t ha
-1) was obtained in conventional flat planting 75 cm row spacing without mulch. Irrigation scheduling IW/CPE 1.0 ratio recorded significantly higher germination (53.10 per cent), shoot population (164.89 thousand ha
-1), NMC (116.76 thousand ha
-1) and cane yield (101.85 t ha
-1) over remaining irrigation scheduling. Sucrose per cent was not affected significantly due to different treatments of irrigation schedules and planting methods. Water productivity was recorded maximum in paired row 120:30 cm spacing trench planting with organic mulch @6t/ha (7.04 q/ha-cm) and 6.47 q/ha-cm in IW/CPE ratio 1.0 irrigation schedule.