Effects of sowing date and organic mulch on growth, yield, quality and water-use efficiency of spring-sown sweet corn

Abstract

The major challenges in spring seasons are temperature and moisture stress. Low temperature in early sowing adversely affect germination and initial growth while under late sowing high temperature during reproductive stage reduces yield. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar during spring season 2017 to study the effect of different time of sowing and rice straw mulch application on growth dynamics, yield and water use of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata). The experiment consisted of twelve treatments; having four sowing dates (8th, 18th, 28th February and 10th March) in main plots and three mulch application (no mulch, mulch application after 2nd and 3rd irrigation) in sub plots was laid out in split plot design. Crop sown on 8th February being at par with 18th February resulted in significantly more growth, husked cob yield (15.9 t/ha) and total soluble solids (15.59 brix). The increase in yield in 8th February sowing was 23.6 and 14.1 per cent over 28th February and 10th March sowing, respectively. Irrigation water use efficiency remained at par among all sowing dates but water productivity was significantly highest in first sowing date and was significantly lower in last sowing date. Mulch application after 2nd irrigation being at par with after 3rd irrigation resulted into better growth and had significantly more husked cob yield (15.5 t/ha) to a tune of 17.4 and 15.9 per cent respectively, over no mulch. Irrigation water use efficiency and water productivity were more in mulch application than without mulch but total soluble solids remained non-significant.