2024, Vol. 7, Special Issue 11

author(s)
Kiran Jitarwal, VJ Patel and AP Patel

abstract
A field experiment was conducted during summer season of the year 2023 to study the influence of irrigation and hydrogel on transplanted summer Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] on loamy sand soil at Agronomy Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India. Nine treatment combinations comprising three levels of irrigation schedules based on IW/CPE ratio viz., I₁ (0.6 IW/CPE ratio), I₂ (0.8 IW/CPE ratio) and I₃ (1.0 IW/CPE ratio) as main plot treatment as well as three levels of hydrogel viz., H₁ (No hydrogel), H₂ (2.5 kg/ha hydrogel) and H₃ (5.0 kg/ha hydrogel) were relegated in sub plot treatment and tested under split plot design with four replications. The results indicated that irrigation at 1.0 IW/CPE along with application of 5.0 kg/ha hydrogel recorded significantly higher number of effective tillers, grain yield, stover yield, maximum net returns and benefit cost ratio but it was at par with treatment irrigation at I₂ (0.8 IW/CPE ratio) along with application of 5.0 kg/ha hydrogelunder middle Gujarat agro-climatic conditions.