Effect of Moisture Conservation Practices on Productivity, Profitability and Water Use Efficiency in Rainfed Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) under Mid Hill Conditions of Himachal Pradesh

A field experiment was conducted at Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSK HPKV), Palampur to find out the best moisture-conservation practices in linseed grown under rainfed conditions. The experiment consisting of seven treatments related to moisture conservation was conducted in Randomized Block Design with three replications. Results of the study revealed that applying farmyard manure (FYM) at 10 t/ha, either by spreading or incorporating, and using straw mulching at the same rate significantly enhanced plant height, yield attributes, seed yield, economic returns (in term of higher gross, net returns, B C ratio), production and economic efficiency in linseed. These treatments increased seed yield by 47.4 to 55.4% compared to no mulching. The higher production and economic efficiencies achieved by said respective treatments ranged from 6.03 to 6.32 kg/ha/day and 76.12 to 74.61 Rs./ha/day, respectively. Additionally, these treatments increased oil yield by 56.8, 53.4 and 49.1%, respectively, over no mulching, however, the increase in the oil content was not significant. Incorporation of FYM 10 t/ha was proved to be best for recording higher consumptive use and WUE over rest of the treatments.