Agronomic Performance of Rainfed Barley Genotypes under Different Tillage Systems in Highland Areas of Dryland Conditions

Abstract

Conservation agriculture (CA) is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers due to advantages such as lower production costs and less destruction of soil structures compared to the conventional tillage. The cultivars introduced for the conventional systems may not be suitable under CA environments, and newly adapted cultivars need to be developed. Accordingly, four separate field experiments were conducted over two cropping seasons (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) to study the agronomic performance of seven barley genotypes under three tillage systems: conventional tillage (full tillage with residue removed), reduced tillage (chisel plowing with residue retained) and CA system (no tillage with residue retained on soil surface). The genotypes were grown under rainfed conditions in two different agro-ecological regions (Kamyaran and Hosseinabad locations) in the west of Iran. Significant genotypic differences were observed for grain yield and yield components except 1000-kernel weight. The results of this study showed that rainfed barley genotypes under a CA system produced yields equal to, or better (0.7%) than, the conventional tillage; while reduced tillage system decreased their performance by 4.9%. Regarding genotype × tillage interaction, the barley genotypes Catalhuyuk 2001 and Bulbule positively interacted with conventional tillage and showed higher performance than other genotypes, whereas genotypes Çumra 2001, Ansar and Abidar expressed highest performance under CA system. Consequently, genotypes Bulbule, Catalhuyuk 2001 and Gumharriyet 50 outperformed the domestic performance and the amount of grain yield and showed the highest adaptation to the tested environments. The results of the present study could be useful to improve the efficiency of a CA system in rainfed cultivation of barley and open new windows for the cereal production in arid and semi-arid regions with food security concerns.

Evaluation of the Productive Potential of a World Collection of Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) for the Initiation of Breeding Programs for Adaptation to Conservation Agriculture

“…This is in agreement with the results reported on barley, wheat, chickpea, and lentil [41,42]. However, other research found the association between genotype and tillage system insignificant [43]. Thus, the existing interaction in our case can be explained by the high diversity that our plant material presents.…”

“…For the checks in this case, significant differences were observed for the number of grains, the number of primary and secondary branches, the plant height, and the relative water content, with a slight superiority in conventional seeding. Results showing superiority in conventional seeding were reported by Roohi et al [43], and this would explain that these genotypes have a strong adaptation to conventional seeding through these traits.…”

Improving Yield Components and Desirable Eating Quality of Two Wheat Genotypes Using Si and NanoSi Particles under Heat Stress

“…Moreover, phytate has been reported as an antinutrient factor [ 16 ], antioxidant [ 17 ] and anticarcinogenic [ 18 ]. The protection of wheat plants from heat-induced oxidative damage during the reproductive phase has also been correlated with some antioxidants, such as flavonoids and phenols [ 19 , 20 ]. Wheat straw can be used as feedstock and for energy production, which could open new markets for improving the rural agriculture-based economy [ 21 ].…”

Comparative Analysis of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Chemical Fertilizers on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Rainfed Wheat

“…In the world, especially in developing countries, the cultivatable land for cereals and legumes has declined significantly. This and climate change and the enhanced demands of an increasing population for food and feed all threaten food security, national security, and human survival [2][3][4]. Application of chemical fertilizers is the most common agricultural practice to improve soil nutrients and subsequently increase crop yield.…”