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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Water deficit is one of the principal abiotic stresses which adversely affect the crop growth and yield. Drought induces the metabolic functions such as reduced synthesis of photosynthetic pigments, the decline in the chlorophyll stability and alternations in physiological parameters. A field study was carried out to study the effect of the application of superabsorbent polymer alone and also with pongamia leaf mulching on yield and physiological parameters of maize under rainfed conditions at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Babbur Farm, Hiriyur, Karnataka during Kharif 2017. The superabsorbent polymer as Pusa hydrogel or commercial hydrogel at 2.5 and 5.0 kg ha-1 and pongamia leaf mulch at 4.0 t ha-1alone and their combinations were the treatments. The results of this study showed that Chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’, total chlorophyll content and chlorophyll stability index of maize were higher with soil application of commercial hydrogel @ 5.0 kg ha-1+ mulching with pongamia green leaf @ 4.0 t ha-1 at 30, 60 and 90 DAS. Similarly higher maize kernel yield was also recorded with the application of commercial hydrogel @ 5.0 kg ha-1+ mulching with pongamia green leaf @ 4.0 t ha-1. There exists a positive correlation between maize kernel yield with chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’, total chlorophyll content and chlorophyll stability index.