Soil moisture retention and rainfed wheat yield variations by the addition of gypsum and green manure

In rainfed tract, the success of agriculture depends on conservation and efficient use of soil moisture and nutrients availability that directly linked with the presence of moisture in soil. The moisture can be conserved through several means including green manures and gypsum addition. The experiment was conducted to investigate the integrated effect of green manures and gypsum for moisture conservation and their impact on wheat production under rainfed conditions. The experiment was planned at six sites with five treatments including gypsum at 1 t ha-1, green manure (Guar 40 days old) and gypsum+green manuring were compared with control (untreated) and farmer practice (traditional). Results showed a significant increase (up to 38 to 76%) in wheat grain yield with the application of gypsum and green manure while soil moisture contents were enhanced up to 34 to 65% compared to control. It was also noticed that the treatments altered the soil properties (pH, Electrical conductivity (Ece), Organic Matter, Available Phosphorous and Extractable Potash) positively by improving soil water relationship over the control. Key words: Gypsum, green manure, moisture contents, soil properties, conservation, wheat yield.