An experiment was conducted during rabi 2004-05 in Dharwad, Karnataka, India, to determine the effects of irrigation schedules, mulching and antitranspirant application on the consumptive water use, water use efficiency and moisture depletion pattern of wheat crop. There were 15 treatment combinations consisting of 5 main plots of irrigation schedules (one irrigation at crown root initiation (CRI), 2 irrigations at CRI+flowering stage, 3 irrigations at CRI+late jointing+milk stage, 4 irrigations at CRI+tillering+late jointing+milk stage, and 5 irrigations at CRI+tillering+late jointing+flowering+milk stage) and 3 subplots, i.e. control, mulch (finger millet straw at 6 t/ha) and antitranspirant (kaolin at 6%, w/v). The maximum grain yield of wheat and consumptive use of water were in 5 irrigations. However, the maximum water use efficiency was obtained in one irrigation. Kaolin decreased the consumptive use of water and increased the water use efficiency of wheat to a greater extent over mulch and control treatment.

antitranspirants, crop growth stage, crop yield, fingermillet, irrigation scheduling, kaolin, millets, mulching, plant waterrelations, straw, water use efficiency, wheat, India, Karnataka,Eleusine coracana, Eleusine indica, Triticum, Triticum aestivum,Eleusine, Poaceae, Cyperales, monocotyledons, angiosperms,Spermatophyta, plants, eukaryotes, South Asia, Asia, DevelopingCountries, Commonwealth of Nations, India, Triticum, Mysore, Field Crops(FF005) (New March 2000), Plant Water Relations (FF062), PlantProduction (FF100), Soil Water Management (Irrigation and Drainage)(JJ800) (Revised June 2002) [formerly Soil Water Management], SoilManagement (JJ900)

• Journal Article

• Cropping Systems
• Irrigation Management