Effect of Sowing Dates and Irrigation Schedules on Yield Attributing Characters and Yield of Rabi Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)
Alakuntla Likhitha *
Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad -500030, India.
Swarna Ronanki
Department of Agronomy, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana-500030, India.
G. Sreenivas
ICAR- Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana-500030, India.
A. Madhavi
RARS, Jagtial, Telangana-505529, India.
M. Yakadri
Department of SSAC, AICRP on STCR, Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500030, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A field experiment was carried out during winter (rabi) season 2022-23 on sandy loam soils at the experimental farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The investigation aimed to evaluate the effect of sowing dates and irrigation schedules on growth, yield and WUE of rabi sorghum. The experiment was laid in a split plot design with twelve treatments replicated thrice. The main plot treatments include irrigation schedules i.e., life-saving irrigation (I1), irrigation at 50%DASM (I2), irrigation at critical growth stages (tillering, booting, anthesis, grain filling) (I3) and different sowing periods as subplot treatments i.e., sowing on 15th September (D1), 30th September (D2), 15th October (D3) and 30th October (D4). The results revealed that the effect of D2 sowing on 30th September recorded highest growth and yield and among irrigation schedules I3 recorded the highest growth and yield.
Keywords: Sowing dates, irrigation schedules, yield attributes, yield, rabi sorghum