2024, Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part G

author(s)
Mihir B Modh and Vinod B Mor

abstract
The experimental study for the research entitled "Assessing the Performance of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties to Diverse Sowing Dates’’ was carried out at Agronomy Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, A.A.U., Anand, Gujarat, India during rabi 2021-22. The design was split plot with three replications. The treatment comprised of five sowing times: S₁: 20^th November; S₂: 30^th November; S₃: 10^th December; S₄: 20^th December and S₅: 30^th December and the sub-plot consisted of three different wheat varieties: V₁: GW 451, V₂: GW 496 and V₃: GW 499. Soil of experimental plot was loamy sand in texture. For this experiment, a fertilizer dose of 120:60:00 NPK kg/ha was advised. The study aimed to investigate the effects of sowing time and varieties on the growth, yield attributes, yield and economics of wheat. The study assessed plant population, growth parameters: plant height (cm) and dry matter accumulation (g), yield attributes: total and effective tillers, spike length (cm), grains/spike, test weight (g), grain and straw yield (kg/ha), harvest index (%) and per day productivity (kg/ha/day). Sowing on 20^th November resulted in higher plant height, total tillers, effective tillers, spike length, grains per spike and test weight compared to delayed sowing. It also led to higher grain and straw yield, harvest index and per day productivity. Among the varieties, GW 451 had the highest tillers, GW 496 had the longest spike and grains per spike, and GW 499 had the highest test weight. GW 451 also had the highest grain yield, followed by GW 499. Sowing on 20^th November with GW 451 produced the highest returns and benefit-cost ratio. These results suggest that sowing on 20^th November and selecting GW 451 can increase yield and net return in wheat cultivation, providing valuable insights for farmers and researchers.