Effect of irrigation scheduling and zinc fertilization on growth and soil chemical properties under irrigated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivation

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of irrigation scheduling and zinc fertilization on growth and yield of wheat. The experiment was conducted at agricultural farm of Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India during 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, respectively. The treatments consisted of four irrigation scheduling intervals (I1 - CRI + Late Tillering + Flowering, I2- CRI + Late Jointing + Milking, I3- CRI + Flowering + Dough and I3- CRI + Milking + Dough) and five zinc fertilization doses at different stages of crop growth. The results indicated that irrigation scheduling and zinc fertilization significantly influenced plant height, crop growth rate (CGR), ear length and test weight. There was no significant variation in pH, EC, organic carbon and zinc with the irrigation scheduling interval. Application of zinc had significant increase in zinc content in soil. However, there was non-significant effect of irrigation scheduling and zinc fertilization on relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR). On the basis of findings of two years experimentation, irrigation scheduling at CRI + Late Jointing+ Milking and zinc fertilization @ 10 kg Zn ha-1 as basal + 0.25% ZnSO4 foliar spray at Z 45 + 0.25% spray at Z 71 stages of wheat is recommended for wheat growth.