Impact of Advanced Planting System and Targeted Yield-Based Precision Nitrogen Management on Productivity of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Indo – Gangetic Plains

Abstract

A two-year field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2024-25 and 2025-26 at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, F.S. University, Shikohabad, Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, to assess the impact of efficient planting methods and precision nitrogen management on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Five tillage and crop establishment methods (TCEM) – Zero Tillage Wheat (ZTW), Conventional Tillage Wheat (CTW), Reduced Tillage (RT), Reduced Tillage with residue retention (RTW), and Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed (FIRB) – were allocated to main plots. Five precision nitrogen management (PNM) practices – Control, Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF), SPAD meter-based, Leaf Color Chart (LCC)-based, and Targeted Yield (TY) approach – were assigned to sub-plots. Wheat variety DBW-17 was sown in both years. Both planting method and nitrogen management significantly influenced plant height, tiller density, and yield attributes in both years. Among TCEM, FIRB recorded the highest plant height at harvest of 73.6 and 74.2 cm, maximum tillers m⁻² at harvest of 367.9 and 368.7, grain yield of 53.1 and 53.9 q ha⁻¹, straw yield of 64.3 and 65.1 q ha⁻¹, and biological yield of 116.9 and 117.7 q ha⁻¹ during 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively. ZTW was statistically at par with FIRB for most parameters. RTW consistently produced the lowest values for plant height, tiller count, and all yield components. Among PNM treatments, the Targeted Yield approach recorded the highest plant height at harvest of 80.8 and 81.4 cm, maximum tillers m⁻² at harvest of 368.5 and 369.3, grain yield of 52.3 and 53.0 q ha⁻¹, straw yield of 59.9 and 60.7 q ha⁻¹, and biological yield of 111.6 and 112.4 q ha⁻¹ in the two years. SPAD-based N management was the next best treatment, while the control recorded the lowest values for all growth and yield parameters. Harvest index was also highest under FIRB and TY treatments. The study concludes that integration of FIRB or ZTW planting systems with Targeted Yield-based precision nitrogen management significantly enhances wheat growth, tiller production, and grain yield. Adoption of these resource-conserving practices can improve productivity and nitrogen use efficiency, offering a sustainable approach for wheat cultivation in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

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