Influence of Irrigation and Nitrogen levels on Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Semi-Arid condition of Rajasthan

Abstract:

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025–26 at the Department of Agriculture, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, to evaluate the effect of irrigation scheduling and nitrogen levels on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design with four irrigation schedules, viz., I₁: five irrigations (CRI + tillering + jointing + flowering + grain filling), I₂: four irrigations (CRI + tillering + flowering + grain filling), I₃: three irrigations (CRI + flowering + grain filling) and I₄: IW/CPE ratio 0.8, along with three nitrogen levels, viz., N₁: 100 kg N ha⁻¹, N₂: 120 kg N ha⁻¹ and N₃: 140 kg N ha⁻¹. The results revealed that growth and yield attributes of wheat were significantly influenced by irrigation and nitrogen levels. Among irrigation treatments, I₁ recorded the highest plant height (109.42 cm), number of tillers (91.48 m⁻¹ row length), leaf area index (5.01) and dry matter accumulation (372.65 g row length⁻¹). Similarly, among nitrogen levels, N₃ recorded the maximum plant height (104.60 cm), tillers (92.52 m⁻¹ row length), leaf area index (4.86) and dry matter accumulation (365.57 g row length⁻¹). Yield parameters were also significantly enhanced by higher irrigation frequency and nitrogen application. Treatment I₁ produced the highest grain yield (46.65 q ha⁻¹) and straw yield (89.44 q ha⁻¹), whereas N₃ recorded the maximum grain yield (47.21 q ha⁻¹) and straw yield (86.82 q ha⁻¹). Harvest index remained statistically unaffected by both irrigation and nitrogen levels. Based on the findings, application of five irrigations at CRI, tillering, jointing, flowering and grain filling stages along with 140 kg N ha⁻¹ is recommended for achieving higher growth, productivity and profitability of wheat under semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan.