Abstract
In this study, the performance of three different statured wheat cultivars viz. Faisalabad-2008 (standard height and low tillering, SHLT), Td-1 (low height and high tillering, LHHT) and Galaxy-2013 (standard height and high tillering, SHHT) was evaluated under five different crop establishment methods including broadcasting, line sowing, no-till sowing, bed planting and ridge sowing. The experiment was conducted at the Post-graduate Agricultural Research Station, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan for two consecutive growing seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18 in randomized complete block design with a split plot arrangement having three replications. The lowest time to 50% emergence (9.34 days), mean emergence time (10.18 days), highest productive tillers (316.9 m(-2)) and grain yield (4.11 t ha(-1)) were recorded in bed planted wheat. The grain yield of bed-planted wheat was 5-15% higher than other sowing methods. Among wheat cultivars, the highest net assimilation rate (4.75 g m(-2) day(-1)), grain weight (38.65 g), grain yield (4.1 t ha(-1)) and mineral uptake (120.7 kg ha(-1) nitrogen, 16.31 kg ha(-1) phosphorus and 139.2 kg ha(-1) potassium) were recorded in the cultivar Galaxy 2013 (SHHT). The interaction of cultivars and sowing indicated the cultivar Galaxy 2013 (SHHT) planted on beds produced the highest grain yield (4.55 t ha(-1)) and had the highest water productivity (1.99 kg m(-3)) whereas the lowest grain yield (3.10 t ha(-1))from cultivar Td-1 (LHHT) planted on the ridges. The highest net benefits and benefit-cost ratio were noted from all sowing methods with the cultivar Galaxy 2013 (SHHT) except in the ridge sowing where cultivar FSD-2008 (SHLT) remained better for net benefits (418.6 $ ha(-1)) and benefit-cost ratio (1.50) than other statured wheat cultivars. The findings of this study indicated that optimization of plant stature to different tillage seedbeds may present a new opportunity for increasing their productivity.