Irrigation and conservation agricultural practices improve crop yield, water productivity and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Vertisols of central India

The identification of suitable conservation agricultural (CA) practices plays a significant role in global food security. A 3-year (2018-2020) field experiment was conducted in Vertisols of the semi-arid tropics of central India to investigate the effects of CA practices and irrigation methods on the yield, water productivity (WP) and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). A split-split plot design was used with three treatments, namely, two irrigation methods (sprinkler and furrow), three residue loads (30%, 60% and 100%) and three planting methods (broad-bed shaper-cum-planter [BBSP], zero-till planter and seed-cum-fertilizer drill) with three replications each. Sprinkler irrigation significantly improved chickpea seed yield by 2% and 5% in the second (1566 kg ha(-1)) and third years (1555 kg ha(-1)) compared to furrow irrigation. During the three experimental years, the WP of chickpeas under sprinkler irrigation was significantly higher (p < 0.05) by 31%, 34% and 35% compared to that under furrow irrigation. Irrigation (6027 MJ ha(-1)), fertilization (1805 MJ ha(-1)) and planting (1615 MJ ha(-1)) accounted for 63%-68% of the total energy input in chickpea production. Under CA practices, it is recommended that higher returns be achieved using BBSP and a 100% residue load with sprinkler irrigation.