Effect of management of a Himalayan Alfisol on water conservation for rainfed crops

Field experiments were conducted during 1989 and 1990 to study the effect of various soil management practices on water conservation during the two prime planting periods in the lower Himalayan region. Treatments studied were: zero tillage with weed control (ZT+W), zero tillage (ZT), fine tilth (FT), coarse tilth (CT), zero tillage with surface-applied lantana (Lantana camara L.) mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (ZT+M), fine tilth with surface-applied lantana mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FT+M), fine tilth with surface-applied farmyard manure mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FT+FYM) and fine tilth with FYM incorporated at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FYM). The soils were Typic Hapludalfs with pH 5.8, organic carbon 6.6 g kg⁻¹ and cation exchange capacity 12 cmol (P⁺) (100 g)⁻¹. The lantana mulch application to fine tilth (FT+M) or zero tillage (ZT+M) maintained higher seed-zone water content and profile water storage as compared with all the other treatments. Highest water depletion was observed under ZT+W treatment. Seed germination is likely to occur only under FT+M and ZT+M during the two prime planting periods, if field capacity water content is considered to be limiting for seed germination. However, for the other treatments rainfall would invariably be required to increase the surface water content, to allow germination and early seedling establishment.