Efficient use of conserved water through agronomic management

i) Selection of crops

For dry areas short duration, quick growing, deep rooted, drought tolerant, photo-insensitive, thermo-insensitive, high photosynthetic efficiency, high harvest index, less water requiring crop should be selected. Example: sorghum, bajara, cotton, groundnut, cluster bean, gram, barley castor, saff-flower, mustard, linseed etc.

ii) Selection of cropping season

Crop should be grown in the season when most favorable balance between evapo-transpiration (ET) demand and soil moisture supply presents. Generally, only one crop is grown in a year in dry areas. Generally, crop is grown in rainy season and land is kept fallow during winter where rainfall distribution in rainy season is uncertain land is fallow during rainy season and crop is grown in winter season. If the rainfall is relatively high in rainy season and winter rain is also received and proper soil moisture conservation practices is done, two short duration crops can also be grown within a year. If heavy textured soil, there may be greater storage of soil moisture for winter planting. If soil profile store 15 cm available soil moisture wheat crop can be grown.

iii) Intercropping

Intercropping should be widely adopted. It gives better utilization of moisture and fertility apart from insurance. Example: Bajara + cluster bean, Bajara + Mung, castor + mung, Castor + cowpea, cotton + groundnut. Gram + linseed etc.

iv) Land preparation

Two or three harrowing is done followed by planking during winter season. During rainy season after onset of rain, one deep ploughing is done to increase the infiltration. Two harrowing is done before sowing. Immediately after ploughing planking is done in dry areas.

vi) Sowing time

Decision of sowing time is difficult in dry farming. Rainy season crops are sown after the onset of rain. Winter planting is dependent on rainy season residual moisture. So it should be done as early as possible. If upper layer of soil is lack moisture, land preparation should be done after deep ploughing. So that lower moisture will come up. If deep ploughing is done, depth of sowing is very important. Upper layer of soil becomes lack of moisture, so seed should be placed deeper to the moist zone. But if moist zone is very deep, emergence of seedling is difficult. So make deep furrow and put the seed and covers by soil quantity as in normal planting or only by 2-3 cm soil. Planking is very desirable to come in the contact of seed with soil.

vii) Row direction

Crop row should be sown north-south direction. It is assumed that the sun light and moisture are fully utilized in north-south direction than east-west row direction. Crop sown in north-south direction have been given more yield than sown in east-west direction in various experiments.

viii) Fertilizer dose

It is reduced from 25-50% than applied in irrigated areas. Fertilizer should be placed in moist zone by ferti-seed drill. If it is not available, fertilizer should be applied behind the plough in the furrow during the last ploughing. Two third (2/3rd) to three fourth (3/4rth) nitrogen is applied at sowing and remaining N (as 3% urea solution) after 30-40 days of sowing as foliar spray has been found better to get high fertilizer use efficiency.

ix) Intercultural operation and weed control Intercultural operation should be done properly otherwise weeds will take moisture loss from the field.