ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on suitable minimum tillage + crop residue and supplementary irrigation options for increasing dryland productivity in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the field experiments were conducted at Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Kumulur, Tamil Nadu, India during 2013–2015. Supplementary irrigation was given using rain-gun sprinklers from harvested rainwater in the farm pond. The test crop was black gram var. VBN-(BG)–6. The harvested rainwater in the farm pond was 1350 m3 and 920 m3 with a rainfall of 336 mm and 320 mm during 2013–14 and 2014–15, respectively. The results revealed that water used in control without irrigation, one, two, and three supplementary irrigation treatments was 269, 299, 319 and 339 mm during 2013–14; and 256, 276, 296, and 316 mm during 2014–15, respectively. Minimum tillage + crop residue @ 5 t ha–1 with three supplementary irrigations through rain-gun sprinklers registered higher black gram grain yield (986 kg ha–1 during 2013–14 and 911 kg ha–1 during 2014–15) and was comparable with the combined effect of minimum tillage + crop residue @ 5 t ha–1 with two supplementary irrigation through rain-gun sprinklers during both years of study. Therefore, this recommendation is extended for sustaining productivity in drylands of Tamil Nadu.