Potash fertilization for enhancing the productivity of pearlmillet-safflower sequence under dryland condition

Abstract

Indian Rainfed and Dryland agriculture is predominantly dependant on monsoon rainfall accounts for 72% in India of the net cultivated area in India and plays an important role in country’s economy. Generally farmers takes only one crop, either sorghum or safflower on medium deep black soils in scarcity zone of Maharashtra. However, taking double or sequence cropping may be one of the alternative for doubling the farmers income. Keeping such aspects in view the present investigation on potash fertilizer management in dryland field crops viz. pearlmillet- safflower sequence is undertaken, with objectives i.e. i) To Maintain higher potassium status in soil and ii) To study the effects of potassium levels on yield and moisture use efficiency and monetary returns of sequence crops. The field experiments with different potash fertilizer levels for pearlmillet-safflower was undertaken at AICRPDLA, Solapur for three years (2015-2016 to 2017-18) with three replications in randomized block design for kharif crop and split plot design for rabi crop. In the sequence cropping of pearlmillet – safflower showed significantly higher yield and MUE of kharif pearlmillet with application of 50 kg K2O ha-1, rabi safflower and Rabi safflower with 20 kg K2O ha-1 respectively. The non-exchangeable K increased with increase in potassium application to both crops, which could be maintained the exchangeable and water soluble K in soil solution, which might be contributed to significantly higher uptake of K and moisture use efficiency by both the crops as compared to farmers practice.