Effect of Irrigation Regimes and Mulching on the Crop Physiology and Yield of Rabi Maize (Zea mays)

Agriculture is a vital sector of India’s economy and plays a significant role in providing food security, employment, and contributing to the country’s overall development. Maize is a crucial crop within the agriculture sector in India. Maize cultivation contributes to crop diversification in Indian agriculture. It serves as an alternative crop option for farmers, reducing dependence on traditional crops like rice and wheat. Diversification helps in maintaining soil health through crop rotation. A field experiment was conducted at the Farm of College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Godhra, Gujarat during the year 2018-19, to study the influence of drip irrigation regimes with mulching on the physiological development and yield of the rabi maize (Zea mays L.) in the sandy loam soil of the region of Middle Gujarat. The field experiment design was a split-split plot with 36 treatment combinations with 3 replications including three irrigation regimes (1.0IW/CPE, 0.8IW/CPE and 0.6IW/CPE), four mulch conditions (control, paddy straw, black plastic and reflective silver plastic mulch), and three stages (tasselling, silking and dough stage). The result revealed that as the consumption of water increased, growth parameters, grain yield, and its attributes increased significantly at each higher level of irrigation regimes up to 1.0 IW/CPE with reflective silver plastic mulch under all the stages but 0.8 IW/CPE with black plastic mulch result was comparable to 1.0 IW/CPE with reflective silver plastic mulch. The reflective nature of silver mulch scatters light, ensuring better light distribution throughout the plant canopy. This can enhance photosynthesis and promote more uniform plant growth. Black plastic mulch absorbs and retains heat from sunlight, raising soil temperatures. This is advantageous in cooler climates or during the early growing season, as it promotes earlier germination, faster growth, and improved crop productivity.