Abstract

                                Field trial conducted ‘at the Central farm, Department of Agronomy,Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,Madurai’ during ‘Kharif’ 2019-2020 to study the irrigation scheduling andintercrop practices on yield attributes, yield, water use efficiency andeconomics of aerobic rice. The field experiment was laid out in strip plotdesign with three replications. The results concluded that schedulingirrigation at (Irrigation water/Cumulative Pan Evaporation) IW/CPE ratio 0.8up to panicle initiation thereafter 1.2 showed higher yield attributes viz,panicle number (12.3), panicle length (24.4 cm), filled grains panicle-1 (176),grain yield (5373 kg ha-1), straw yield (7829 kg ha-1), net income (82062 ₹ha-1) and B: C ratio (2.25). However, the highest water use efficiency (80.4kg m-3) was recorded in the treatment with IW/CPE ratio 1.0 up to maturity.Lower yield attributes, yield, water use efficiency, net income, and B: C ratiowas noted with IW/CPE ratio 0.8 up to panicle initiation thereafter IW/CPE1.0. Whereas, intercrop practices, rice alone noted higher yield attributesviz., panicle number (12.6), panicle length (24.1 cm), filled grains panicle-1(191), grain yield (5467 kg ha-1), straw yield (8002 kg ha-1) and WUE (86.6kg m-3). Rice + green gram (2:1 ratio) intercropping system registered loweryield attributes, yield and water use efficiency. However, the economics ofthe intercropping system was found higher in rice + black gram (2:1 ratio)with net income of ₹ 92404 ha-1 and B: C ratio (2.43).

Key words : Aerobic Rice; Irrigation Scheduling; Intercrop; Water Use Efficiency; Economics