Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges & Opportunities
during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
T4a-03O-1012
Response of Sorghum to Different Levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus under Conserved
Soil Moisture in Ghed AREA of Gujarat
V. D. Vora * , R. B. Thanki, P. D. Vekariya, S. C. Kaneriya and D. S. Hirpara
Main Dry Farming Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Gujarat, 360 023 India
*vdvora@jau.in
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolar) is the fifth most important world cereal following wheat, maize,
rice, and barley, used for food, fodder, production of alcoholic beverages and bio fuels and is
the dietary staple for more than 500 million people in 30 countries with an area of 40 million
ha (Avilkumar et al., 2016). Sorghum, because of its drought resistance, is the crop of choice
for dry regions and areas with unreliable rainfall. Sorghum is the third most widely grown
crop in India after rice and wheat. However, it is the most important crop of the semi-arid
tropics (SAT) in India and constitutes the staple food for a large proportion of the population.
The sorghum is grown throughout India under rainfed conditions on an area of 3.84 million
ha with annual production of 3.76 million tonnes and average productivity 979 kg/ha.
Cultivation of sorghum on conserved moisture in Ghed area of Gujarat is a common practice.
Sorghum is a highly nutrient exhaustive crop, therefore, to achieve sustainable higher
productivity, maintenance of native soil fertility and health is necessary. Keeping in view,
this experiment was planned to study the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on
yield of sorghum under conserved soil moisture in Ghed area of Gujarat.
Methodolody
A field experiment was conducted during the Semi-rabi season of 2016 to 2019 at Dry
Farming Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Ratia (Porbandar). The soil was
medium in available nitrogen (258 kg/ha), medium in available phosphorus (45.27 kg/ha) and
high in available potassium (710.0 kg/ha). The experiment was laid out in a factorial
randomized block design taking 12 treatments combinations of 4 levels of nitrogen (0, 20, 40
and 60 kg/ha) and 3 levels of phosphorus (0, 20 and 40 kg/ha) with 3 replications. The
nitrogen was applied in two splits viz., 50 % as basal through ammonium sulphate and 50 %
as top dressing at 45-50 DAS through urea by drilling in soil up to 10 cm depth, while
phosphorus was applied as basal through single super phosphate as per treatments. The Gross
and net plot size was 5.0 m X 2.7 m and 4.0 m X 1.8 m, respectively. Sorghum Gundari
(Local) was sown at distance of 45 cm x 10 cm on 25 October 2016, 7 October 2017, 20
September 2018 and 9 November 2019 under conserved soil moisture. The total rainfall
received during the crop season (June to November) was 306, 270, 149 and 545 mm in 12,
14, 8 and 18 rainy days in the year of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Data on
growth, yield performance and economic of sorghum was pooled over 4 years.
Resource conservation and rainfed agriculture
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