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Tillage practices affect soil moisture conservation and productivity of arugula (Eruca sativa L.) in hill torrent affected areas of Punjab

Faheem Nawaz, Khuram Mubeen, Rao M. Ikram, Muhammad U. Jamshaid, Mudassir Aziz, Fahid Ehsan, Abdul Khaliq, Sohail Irshad

Abstract


The use of the right tillage technique can help promote higher earnings, crop productivity, soil improvement, and the most effective use of available water resources. The field experiment was conducted in the Vidor Hill torrent command area of Dera Ghazi Khan Punjab, Pakistan during the winter of 2021-22. In this experiment, tillage treatments including cultivator and rotavator were assessed as follows i.e. T1= 2-times cultivator (farmer practice), T2=3-times cultivator, T3=2-times cultivator + rotavator, T4= cultivator + rotavator.  The trial was laid out under RCBD and treatments in the experiment were repeated thrice. Soil moisture % and yield parameters including number of siliquae plant-1, 1000 seed weight (g), biological yield (kg ha-1), seed yield (kg ha-1) and harvest index (%) were estimated as per standard procedures. The means were tested for significance using HSD Tuckey’s test at a 5 % probability level. Results showed that the highest soil moisture conservation, number of siliquae per plant (106.41), number of seeds per siliquae (21.39), seed yield (570 kg ha-1) and harvest index (32.92%) were noticed from the farmer practice i.e. 2 times cultivator. Whereas, statistically comparative results were also observed from the treatment such as 2 times cultivator combined with rotavator at Vidor hill torrent command area of Dera Ghazi Khan Punjab, Pakistan. Under 2 times cultivator (Farmer Practice), the benefit-cost ratio (1.41) was highest as compared to the benefit-cost ratio (1.28) observed from 2 times cultivator accompanied with a rotavator. Among newly tested tillage treatments 2 times cultivator followed by rotavator showed promising results in hill torrents-based arugula production. Hence under the prevailing agro normals, farmers of hill torrent-based production systems may use 2 times cultivator for land preparation for better arugula productivity in hill torrent-based crop production systems.

Keywords


Arugula; Cultivator; Rotavator; Soil moisture; Spate irrigation; Vidor hill torrent; Yield

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DOI: 10.33687/ijae.011.03.4954

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