Evaluation of Soil and Moisture Conservation Practices on Productivity of Cropping Systems in Model Watershed Dharwad

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at Singanahalli village of model watershed newlineDharwad in Northern transition zone of Karnataka on clay soil to evaluate the soil and newlinemoisture conservation practices on productivity of cropping systems under rainfed conditions newlineduring 2010-11 and 2011-12. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three soil newlineand moisture conservation measures as main plots and four cropping systems as sub plots in newlinesequence. Broad bed and furrow (BBF) method recorded significantly higher moisture content newlinein top 60 cm soil profile at all the growth stages of the crop resulting in significantly higher newlinemaize equivalent yield (MEY) (9,544 kg ha-1) compared to conservation furrow (CF, 7,961 kg newlineha-1) and farmers practice (FP, 6,073 kg ha-1). BBF also recorded significantly higher gross newlinereturns (Rs. 95,670 ha-1), net returns (Rs. 61,086 ha-1), B:C ratio (2.77), production efficiency newline(41.53 kg ha-1 day-1), economic efficiency (Rs. 267.83 ha-1 day-1) and water use efficiency newline(10.14 kg ha-1 mm). Among the different soil and moisture conservation practices, FP newlinerecorded significantly higher total N (701 kg ha-1), available N, P2O5, K2O (280, 22.0 and 296 newlinekg ha-1, respectively) and available S, Zn and B (7.2, 3.33 and 1.31 ppm, respectively) newlinecompared to BBF followed by CF. newlineAmong the cropping systems, groundnut-wheat recorded significantly higher MEY newline(9,404 kg ha-1), production efficiency (44.78 kg ha-1 day-1), economic efficiency (Rs. 263.42 newlineha-1 day-1), benefit cost ratio (2.50) and water use efficiency (9.96 kg ha-1 mm) compared to newlineother cropping systems. However, maize-chickpea and groundnut-wheat cropping systems newlinerecorded significantly higher net returns (Rs. 53,458 and Rs. 55,319 ha-1, respectively) newlinecompared to rest of the cropping systems and were on par. newlineThe interaction of BBF with groundnut-wheat cropping system recorded significantly newlinehigher MEY (11,564 kg ha-1), net returns (Rs. 74,952 ha-1), B:C ratio (3.14), production newlineefficiency (55.07 kg ha-1 day-1), economic efficiency (Rs. 356.91 ha-1 da