Comparative Analysis of Drilling and Dibbling Techniques for Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties for Yield and Yield Components in Semi-Arid Conditions

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out during the 2017–2018 Rabi seasons at the research farm of the Wheat Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra, to evaluate the impact of drilling and dibbling, as well as planting techniques, on yield components and, ultimately, on the yield of the wheat varieties under investigation. This is because drilling and dibbling, as opposed to the conventional way of sowing, assure a uniform distribution of seeds at the right depth, which improves germination, maximizes plant spacing, and ultimately increases agricultural yields. The Factorial Randomized Block design (FRBD) experiment was triple-replicated and employed ten treatments. Varieties V1 (AKAW 4210-6) and V2 (AKAW 4627) were the initial factors.  While S1 (drilling at 20 cm @ 100 kg ha-1), S2 (drilling at 20 cm @ 50 kg ha-1), S3 (dibbling at 15 x 15 cm), S4 (dibbling at 15 x 20 cm), and S5 (dibbling at 20 x 20 cm) were the five distinct sowing procedures utilized in the treatments. Among the sowing methods, S5 (dibbling at 20 x 20 cm) resulted in significantly higher yield components, including spike numbe plant-1, spike length, grains per spike, and grain yield per hectare. S3 (dibbling at 15 x 15 cm) and S4 (dibbling at 15 x 20 cm) were the next two methods. When compared to the drilling method of planting, the dibbling method of sowing at a spacing of 15 x 15 cm may have contributed to an improvement in grains production (41.10 qh-1), since it greatly boosted the yield-forming components in the experiment.