Evaluating the Role of Seed Size and Enhancements in Improving Wheat Productivity Under Different Rice Wheat Systems

Abstract

Rice-wheat cropping system is the most exhaustive cereals production system and hasseveral issues asdelayed wheatsowing, residue management and uniformstand establishment. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop low input, zero tillage wheat sowing technology for residues management in rice-wheat cropping system with better seedling emergence through two independent field experiments. In the first experiment, the potential role of seed size and seed enhancements in improving wheat productivity planted by conventional and conservation methods was evaluated. In the second experiment, influence of seed size in improving the productivity of wheat in conventional and conservation rice system was evaluated. Rice was either raised in conventional anaerobic (puddled + flooding) ordirect seeded aerobic system (DSR), and after rice harvest, wheat was planted following conventional method, Happy seeder and Turbo seeder using wheat cultivars with bold, medium and smallsized seeds used in experiment was tested. Both experiments werelaid out in randomized complete block design with split-split plot arrangement.Wheat sowing methods andrice production systems werekept in main plots in both studies respectively, while seed size (first experiment)and wheat sowing method (second experiment) was randomized in sub-plots;seed priming techniques and different seed size was placed in sub–sub plots in first and second study respectively. In the first experiment, wheat planted with conservation tillage using Happy seeder improved thegrain yield and yield related traits. Seed priming significantly improved the stand establishment. Bold seed had better stand establishment, yield related traits and grain yield of wheat than smaller and medium grains. Crop sown with Happy seeder using hydroprimed seedscompleted maturity earlier through rapid Phenologicaldevelopments. In second experiment,rice production systems did not improve all recorded traits; however,better establishment stand was observed in wheat sown afterconventional rice culture while poor seedling emergence was recorded for the wheat sown after DSR. Among different sowing methods of wheat, the happy seeded planted wheat had better performance. Different seed size influenced allagronomic traits; however,the cultivar with medium sized seeds (FSD-2008) gave higher yield than bold and small seededvarieties.The economic analysis showed that maximum net income and benefit cost ratio werewhen bold seeded (AS-2011) wheat cultivar was planted using happy seeder following DSAR. In conclusion, zero tillage wheat and aerobic rice culture were best resource conservation technologies, whichimproved the performance and productivity of rice-wheat cropping system