RESPONSE OF BARLEY TO SOWING DATE AND IRRIGATION FREQUENCY

Abstract

In Bangladesh, barley is cultivated mostly on marginal land with low input supply. There is a scope to improve the yield of barley providing better agronomic practices. The study was conducted in Crop Botany Research Field and Laboratory, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University during the period of November. 2005 to March. 2006. Dinajpur to investigate the growth and vield of barley in relation to sowing date and irrigation frequency. Four sowing dates (viz. November 1, 15, 30 and December 15) and four levels of irrigations (viz. no irrigation. one, two and three irrigations at different days after sowing) were included as experimental treatments. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. From the study it was observed to attain most of phenological stages of barley required maximum days on November 1 sowing. The duration of seedling emergence and crown root initiation required the lowest days while tillering. booting. heading and maturity required the highest days on November | sowing crops. Present study also revealed that differences in sowing time significantly influenced TDM. LAI. LAD. CGR. RGR. NAR. and GGR. Irrigation frequency also influenced the above growth parameters significantly. The results also reveled that early November sowing with three irrigations gave the highest values of all the growth parameters. Relative leaf water content (RLWC) and chlorophyll content was significantly influenced due to variation in sowing time. Plant sowing in November | gave the highest values of RLWC and chlorophyll content. Irrigation frequency also significantly influenced the RLWC and chlorophyll content. Reverse with RLWC and chlorophyll content. proline accumulation was increased with decreasing levels of irrigation. Crops growing in delay sowing accumulated higher proline than early sowing. Significantly higher plant height. fertile tiller. spike length. fertile spikelets. 1000-grain weight. yield (2.89 t/ha) and HI was found in the plants sown in November | and the lowest vield (2.33 t/ha) was obtained in the crop sown in December 15 while infertile tillers and infertile spikelets showed a reverse result with delay in sowing time. The irrigation levels also significantly influenced vield and yield attributes. The highest vield (3.31 t/ha) was obtain from the plant growing with three irrigations while the lowest vield (1.85 t/ha) was found from no irrigation. The interaction between sowing date and irrigation frequency showed a significant variation among the growth. yield and yield attributes of barley. It is indicated that November | sowing with three irrigations showed the best performance in respect of growth, yield attributes and yield of barley.