Influence of Conservation Tillage Practices and Irrigation Levels on Nutrient Dynamics and Uptake in Wheat

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a crucial cereal crop cultivated globally owing to its adaptability to diverse climatic and edaphic conditions. The present study was conducted to assess the performance of wheat under different tillage practices and irrigation regimes to enhance productivity and water use efficiency.  A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different tillage practices (conventional tillage, zero tillage, and the raised bed method) and irrigation regimes (rainfed, irrigation at 25%, 40%, and 50% depletion of available soil moisture) on nutrient content and uptake in wheat. The study revealed non-significant differences in nitrogen and phosphorus contents (%) in both grain and straw across tillage practices and irrigation regimes. However, the raised bed method of sowing recorded the highest nitrogen and phosphorus content in the grain and straw. Significant differences in the potassium content (%) in grains were observed, with the ride-bed method being superior to conventional tillage. The irrigation regime at 25% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) resulted in a significantly higher protein content (%) than irrigation at 50% DASM and rainfed conditions. The highest total uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (kg ha-1) was observed under the irrigation regime at 25% DASM, which was significantly superior to the other regimes. Among tillage practices, zero tillage recorded the highest total uptake of nutrients, comparable to conventional tillage, and significantly superior to the raised bed method. These findings suggest that appropriate tillage practices and irrigation scheduling can optimise nutrient content and uptake in wheat, ultimately contributing to enhanced productivity and water use efficiency. The data further revealed that both tillage practices and different irrigation regimes recorded non-significant differences in phosphorus content (%) in the grain and straw. Overall, we concluded that there were non-significant differences in nitrogen and phosphorus content (%) in grain and straw across tillage practices and irrigation regimes, with the raised bed method recording the highest values.