Productivity and quality of summer green gram (Vigna radiata L.) as influenced by different land configurations under South Gujarat condition

The field investigation was carried out at College Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari to study the effect of land configuration on summer green gram (Vigna radiata L.) under South Gujarat condition during the summer seasons of the year 2022 and 2023. The experiment was laid out in spilt plot design with twenty four treatment combinations comprising of three methods of land configurations viz., raised bed (L₁), flat bed (L₂) and ridge & furrow (L₃); while four levels of irrigation viz., irrigation at 30 and 45 DAS (I1), irrigation at 30, 45, and 60 DAS (I₂), irrigation at 30 and 60 DAS (I₃) and irrigation at 45, and 60 DAS (I₄) in main plot and two treatments of bio compost viz., without bio compost (B₀) and with bio compost @ 5 t/ha application (B₁) in sub plot with four replications. The soil of experimental field was clayey in texture, low in organic carbon and available N, medium in available P₂O₅ and high in available K₂O. The soil was found slightly alkaline with normal electric conductivity. Results of the field experiments during both the years revealed that the land configuration treatments noted non-significant effect on plant population at initially (20 DAS), but at harvest raised bed sowing recorded higher plant population of green gram than flatbed sowing method. Significantly higher values were found with raised bed sowing method under different growth attributes viz., plant height at 40, 60 DAS and at harvest, number of branches per plant at harvest, number of root nodules at 40 and 60 DAS, dry matter accumulation at 40, 60 DAS and at harvest and crop growth rate during 40-60 DAS and 60 DAS-harvest over flatbed sowing method. Days to 50% flowering and days to maturity were noted significantly lower with raised bed sowing treatment over other treatments. Whereas, yield attributes and yields like, numbers of pods per plant, grain weight per plant, grain and stover yields of green gram were significantly higher in raised bed over flat bed. Significantly higher protein yield, consumptive use of water and N, P and K uptake were recorded when green gram sown on raised bed over other sowing methods. However, field water use efficiency was recorded the maximum under ridges and furrow sowing followed by raised bed sowing treatment. However, length of pod, number of grains per pod, 100 grain weight, harvest index, protein content, nutrient content, pH, EC and OC in the soil and status of available nutrients i.e., N, P and K in soil were found non-significant under different land configuration treatments.