A Study on Tree-Crop Interactions of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and Eucaluptus tereticornis planted in Nelder Wheel Design under Shallow Water Table Conditions

Abstract

Plantation of trees in Nelder wheel design provides varied microclimatic conditions especially in terms of solar radiation penetration for understory crop in agroforestry system. Agricultural production requires very specific soil, water and atmospheric conditions. The area under suitable soil and water condition has already been increased through intensive research, extension and management programmes but the atmospheric conditions on field basis could not be modified easily. Agroforestry may prove to be an effective tool to improve the microclimatic conditions on field basis. The present investigation attempts to study the effect of modified microclimate of wheat as an understory crop grown below 8 year old Eucaluptus tereticornis planted in a Nelder wheel design, planted in fifteen spokes of trees numbered serially starting from north direction as 00 . Wheat cv. PBW-226 was sown on 21st November, 1996 as an under story crop. Studies have been made on the three fluctuating microclimatic conditions created due to orientation of tree rows of the trees at four important phonological stage of the crop i.e. tillering, flag leaf emergence, flowering and maturing stage of the crop along with the control (sole crop).Yield and yield attributing characters were also recorded and compared with control (sole crop). Radiation climate in the three microclimatic zones viz T1 (312O -72O ), T2 (72O -192O ) and T3 (192O -312O ) in the Nelder wheel attributed to the trees row orientation were studied at four important stages of the wheat crop along with control. Correlation coefficients and regression equations between net radiation in control and different treatments below trees were also developed.