Effect of Tillage Practices on Crop Yield and Soil Properties in a Pearl Millet - Wheat Cropping System in South - West Haryana

Abstract

An experiment consisting of six establishment methods in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L, PM.) - wheat (Triticum aestivum L., W) cropping sequences with different combinations of conventional tillage (CT), zero-tillage (ZT) and minimum tillage (MT) was conducted during 2015 to 2019 at the Regional Research Station, Bawal, Haryana. After five years, zero tillage (ZT) techniques showed positive impact on crop yield, plant nutrient availability, and soil organic carbon. The minimum tillage pearl millet-zero tillage wheat (MTPM-ZTW) treatment achieved the highest grain yield in pearl millet, reaching 2507 kg ha-1, closely flowed by the zero tillage pearl millet-ZTW (ZTPM-ZTW) treatment, which recorded a grain yield of 2444 kg ha-1. In terms of stover yield, the MTPM-ZTW treatment yielded the highest amount at 5515 kg ha-1, while the ZTPM-ZTW treatment produced 5350 kg ha-1 of stover. All tillage practices reflect similar yields after five years cropping cycle although the lowest grain and stover yield was recorded under conventional tillage pearl millet-conventional tillage wheat (CTPM-CTW) (2184 and 4805 kg ha-1) treatment. Further, the maximum grain and straw yield of wheat was recorded in ZTPM-ZTW treatment (5048 and 8020 kg ha-1) followed by MTPM-ZTW (4787 and 7503 kg ha-1) and lowest grain and straw yield was in CTPM-CTW treatment (4347 and 6753 kg ha-1). The CA-based methods, after five years of ZTPM-ZTW, can significantly improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, ultimately enhancing the productive capacity of the soil under millet-wheat cropping systems. The benefit-cost ratio of the cropping system was higher in the MTPM-ZTW with a calculated value of 1.64 followed by ZTPM-ZTW of 1.58 than CTPM-CTW had a lower BCR of 1.25.