<div>Background: The food grain and non-food grain crops occupy 48 and 68% area respectively under rain fed condition. Due to uneven rainfall, the rainfed crop suffers for want of adequate soil moisture at critical growth stages. Under such situation, protective irrigation ensures adequate soil moisture which results higher production. Crops like tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram are predominantly grown during kharif as rain fed crops. Relieving the soil moisture stress during the critical crop growth stages with more efficient irrigation system assumes importance in rain fed farming.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: An experiment was conducted for three years during kharif 2008, 2009 and 2010 at the College Farm, Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agril. University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad&nbsp;on a sandy loam soil to study the yield advantage of protective sprinkler irrigation to kharif grown rain fed tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram crops. The trial was conducted in strip plot design with protective sprinkler irrigations as main plots and rainfed kharif crops as sub-plots and replicated thrice. The three main treatments comprised of - one protective sprinkler irrigation at flower/peg/tassel initiation, two protective sprinkler irrigations at flower and fruiting, tassel and grain filling, peg formation and pod filling and flowering and pod filling stages and rain fed (control). The sub treatments consisted of four crops- tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram.&nbsp; 
 
Result: There was an increase in yield with one and two protective sprinkler irrigations by 16.7 and 27.9; 17.7 and 44 5; 26.4 and 34.5 and 21.1 and 28.9% over their corresponding rain fed crops of tomato, groundnut, maize and red gram, respectively. There was an increase of 20.4 and 31.6% in Maize Equivalent Yield (MEY) with one and two protective irrigations as compared to rain fed crop. The water productivity was lower in all the crops grown under rain fed conditions (0.77 kg MEY m-3) as compared to that of one and two protective irrigations.</div>

<div>Influence of Protective Sprinkler Irrigation on Yield and Water Productivity of Kharif Grown Rain Fed Crops</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Within West Africa (WA), poverty, population growth rate and food insecurity are high and most agriculture is conducted at an un-mechanised level, reliant on rain-fed conditions. As with elsewhere around the world, there is a clear fingerprint of climate change on WA, with increasing temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns. As the century progresses and climate change intensifies, so too will the impact on rain-fed horticulture. This creates an urgent need to understand and synthesis the responses of horticultural crops to climate change and identify adaptation options. This review provides an overview of climate change across WA and the impacts on key horticultural crop groups (vegetables, plantations, fruits and root and tubers) and identifies regions within WA where these crops may be more or less vulnerable to changing conditions. Adaptation actions and strategies- ranging from education, introduction of new cultivars and development of effective cropping systems, to transference of skills from other regions and expansion of farmer-government-NGO collaborations are discussed.</div>

What is the Future of Rain-fed Horticultural Crops Production in a Changing West African Climate? : A Review

<div>A field experiment was conducted to evaluate cropping and management techniques for chilli plants under rain-fed conditions. Cropping included a standard farmers style bed (designated as CL1.1), a specially modified bed (CL1.2) and a standard farmers bed (no flower removal) as the control (CL1.3). Management included 1st bottom three flower removal in CL1.1 (designated as ML1.1) and CL1.2 (ML1.2). The result showed that chilli cultivated in CL1.2 outperformed both CL1.1 and CL1.3 in all tested aspects including growth, yield, soil moisture content and soil properties. CL2.3 performed the lowest in all parameters. ML2.2 exhibited ML1.1 in plant-height, leaf-length, leaf-breadth, fruit-girth, fruit number per plant, OC%, pH and NPK. ML2.1 performed the maximum in stem diameter, leaf number, fruit weight, girth-apex, fruit-length with pedicel and fruit-length. Considering the combination effect of cropping and management levels, CL1.2*ML2.2 outperformed CL1.3*ML0 in all traits. These results indicated the characteristics of the specially modified plot and 1st bottom three flower removal in a modified plot was the recommended combination under rain fed farming.</div>

<div>Effect of Cropping and Management Techniques on Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) &nbsp;Production under Rain-Fed Farming</div>

<div>Background: Rainwater harvesting is commonly practiced in areas, where the rainfall is insufficient for crop growing. Due to the intermittent nature of run-off events, it is necessary to store the maximum possible amount of rainwater during the rainy season so that it may be used as irrigation to enhance the crop productivity and farm income under soybean based cropping system. 
 
Methods: A study was carried out during 2018-2019 in Indore district of Malwa region. Rainwater harvesting tanks at on station (42&times;21&times;2.4m) and on farm (15&times;11&times;4m) were constructed for irrigation water availability. Provision of water harvesting tank increased the irrigation water availability (1781m3 and 630m3 respectively) and stored water was managed through various irrigation systems viz. rain gun, drip and flood. 
 
Result: It was resulted that the provision of water harvesting tanks enhanced the crop productivity and farm income under soybean based cropping system. Availability of irrigation encouraged the farmers to diversify the cropping pattern (soybean-chickpea, soybean -wheat). It is also clear from the study that even with smaller storage tank and through conjunctive use of ground (1164.2m3) and surface water (596m3), multiple crops (Soybean, potato, sweet corn, chickpea, onion, garlic etc.) can be grown. Soybean-Chickpea cropping system at station gave the net return of 70976 Rs/ha with B: C ratio of 3.15. Soybean-Wheat cropping system at farm gave the net return of 119000 Rs/ha with B:C ratio of 3.38.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Crop Productivity Enhancement under Soybean Based Cropping System through Harvested Rain Water in Malwa Region</div>

In India, nearly 76 million hectares of land is under rain fed cultivation and therefore, rain fed agriculture will continue to play an important role in the Indian economy. The discouraging results of conventional cropping systems in advancing the productivity of small farms were the driving force in the development of farming systems research. It views the whole farm as a system with the integration of crops, animals, poultry, soils, labor and other all available inputs and environmental influences wherein the farm family attempts to produce outputs within the limitations of its capability and resources and the socio-cultural setting. IFS seem to be the possible solution to the continuous increase of demand for food and nutrition and income stability particularly for small and marginal farmers with little resources. This new concept of IFS will help in productivity enhancement, employment generation, gave more income and nutritional security both for human and livestock. IFS different components are complementary relate with each other and one component become source of food for other components. This literature on scope of rain-fed integrated farming system in dry farming condition is reviewed and presented below.

Scope of Rain-fed Integrated Farming System in Dry Farming Condition: A Review&nbsp;

<div style="text-align: justify;">Although,chickpea isnitrogen fixing crop but water scarcity under rain-fed condition reduces its nodulation process severely and nutrients use efficiency too. An experiment was carried out regarding the combined effect of nipping as well as foliar applied fertilizers on yield and yield components of chickpea under rain-fed conditions. Nipping and foliar application of nutrients significantly improved number of pods plant-1, biological yield (kg ha-1), harvest index (%) and final grain yield (kg ha-1). However, non-significant influence was seen in 1000-grain weight and number of grains pod-1. Foliar application of &nbsp;N PK (20:20:20) &nbsp;@2.5 kg ha-1 &times; nipping was found to be the best interaction among others which significantly increased number of branches plant-1 (11.30), number of pods plant-1(115.36), plant height(59.48cm) and grain yield(2338.9 kg ha-1) as compared to the control treatment. Nipping along with foliar application of NPKcan be practiced in chickpea for higher profitability.</div>

Influence of nipping and foliar application of nutrients on growth and yield of chickpea in rain-fed condition

Background: Enhancing productivity in rain-fed soils is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This study evaluates the potential of two newly synthesized water-absorbing polymers, Aquasource and Van, to improve soil water-physical properties and increase winter wheat yields in rain-fed areas. 
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Methods: Laboratory and field experiments were conducted from 2021 to 2024. Laboratory experiments assessed the effects of polymer doses on hydraulic conductivity, maximum field moisture and water-holding capacity in soils with different textural compositions. Field experiments examined winter wheat yields in response to different doses of polymers and fertilizers, applied separately and in combination. 
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Result: Aquasource (100-300 kg ha-1) and Van (1,000-2,000 kg ha-1) increased soil hydraulic conductivity by 20-47%. In light-clay soils, Aquasource (100-150 kg ha-1) and Van (1,000-1,500 kg ha-1) increased maximum field moisture by 8.4-8.6% and 8.0-10.5%, respectively. In heavy and medium loamy soils, the application of 300 kg ha-1&nbsp;of Aquasource and 2,000 kg ha-1&nbsp;of Van improved maximum field moisture by 5.0-6.5%. The optimal polymer doses, without fertilizers, were 50 kg ha-1&nbsp;for Aquasource and 500 kg ha-1&nbsp;for Van, resulting in a 21.5% and 38% increase in wheat yield, respectively. When combined with fertilizers, yields increased by 22.0-48.0%. These findings suggest that these polymers can significantly improve soil properties and enhance crop yields, promoting sustainability in rain-fed regions. 
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Enhancing Soil Water-physical Properties and Winter Wheat Yield in Rain-fed Regions using Aquasource and Van Polymers

A field experiment was carried out during two consecutive years to ascertain the influence of paclobutrazol and cycocel on growth, cropping and water relations in olives. The trial was undertaken at the Olive Development Centre, Kigus, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. In this experiment eight treatments viz., PP333 at 2 and 4 g a.i. tree-1 applied once in November or December as soil drench and cycocel at 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm applied as foliar spray each year, two weeks after flowering to the trees of olive cultivar Leccino, with three replications in a randomized block design. Growth retardants have a great potential on controlling the growth, water relations and improving cropping parameters in rain fed conditions. During the study, PP333 &nbsp;at 4 g a.i tree-1 when applied in November as soil drench decreased growth (15.69 cm), length of internodes (1.84 cm), leaf area (4.60 cm2), stomatal size (13.61 &micro;m), water potential (-15.69 bar), transpiration rate (0.160 m mol m-2 s-1), endogenous GA3 (9.61hg/g fresh weight), stomatal conductance (1.51 mol m-2s-1) and increased leaf thickness (0.62 cm), leaf chlorophyll content (3.05 mg/g fresh weight), photosynthesis (24.62 &micro; mol m-2 s-1), osmoprotectants that is. Proline (2717 &micro;g/g) and ABA (60.74 (hg/g fresh weight), flowering intensity (0.65 %) and fruit set (7.57%), and thus might be helpful in mitigating water stress under rain fed conditions.

Effect of growth retardants on growth, flowering and physiological characteristics of olive cultivar Leccino under rain-fed&nbsp;conditions of Himachal Pradesh, India

<div>Background: Freshwater in sufficient quantity and adequate quality is a prerequisite for human societies and natural ecosystems. To adequately feed 9.3 billion people in 2050, consumptive water use (i.e. transpired water) by all food and fodder crops needs to increase from its present estimated level of 7000 km3/year to 12,586 km3/year. However, fresh water resources are increasingly getting scarce because of increased competition among a multitude of users. Getting agriculture to perform with progressively smaller allocation of renewable water resources will remain a challenge on global scale. To meet the challenge there is an urgent need to improve the crop water productivity to ensure the sustainability of agriculture. 
 
Methods: An experiment was carried out at village Menawali, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan during both kharif and rabi seasons to assess productivity, economics, N-uptake and water use of different crops. An area of 187 ha comprising 25 farmers irrigated by common irrigation channels were selected to collect the information. The information required i.e. soil, crop management, growth, phonological, yields, water balance, N-uptake and water use efficiency of each crops were collected from 15 farmers. Bt-cotton and clusterbean of kharif and wheat and Indian mustard in rabi were prominent crops, cotton-wheat, cotton-mustard, clusterbean-wheat and clusterbean-mustard were major cropping sequences of the study region. 
 
Result: In kharif season, Bt-cotton gave higher economic yields than clusterbean and amongst rabi season crops, economic yields of wheat and mustard were 4255, 1778 kg/ha, respectively. The economic yield of cropping sequences varied from 3741-6514 kg/ha and were higher for cotton-wheat (6218 kg/ha), intermediate for clusterbean-wheat (5785 kg/ha) and lower for cotton-mustard (3741 kg/ha) and clusterbean-mustard (3308 kg/ha). The cotton-wheat (₹1181.2 mm) sequence had highest water use. Clusterbean-wheat cropping system recorded highest water productivity (16.5 kg/ha mm) followed by clusterbean-mustard (14.9 kg/ha mm). The clusterbean-mustard (₹456/ha mm) cropping sequence was most profitable and fetched highest net return followed by clusterbean-wheat (₹383/ha mm).</div>

Assessing Crop and Water Productivity Performance of Different Crops and Cropping Systems

<div>Background: Use of organic manures to meet the nutrient requirement of the crop would be an inevitable practice for sustainable agriculture. Since organic manures generally improve the physical, chemical and biological properties along with conserving soil moisture and thus resulting in enhanced crop productivity along with maintaining the quality of crop production. Organic farming in recent years is gaining significance due to the realization of inherent advantages it confers in sustaining crop production and also in maintaining dynamic soil nutrient status and safe environment. Organic farming is also concerns to produce the quality food and human health, so that this research and studied the interaction effect of vermicompost and poultry manure on groundnut crop in Chitrakoot condition. 
 
Methods: The experiment was conducted at Rajola Farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot in kharif 2019. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of poultry manure and vermicompost applications. The morphological and biochemical parameters were evaluated in experimental farm and departmental laboratory. 
 
Result:&nbsp;The combination dose of V3P3&nbsp;(6 ton ha-1&nbsp;vermicompost and 4 ton ha-1 poultry manure) was found to be best giving the maximum values. The effect of V3 on the number of pod per plant and number of seed per plant was maximum 15.20 and 3.22 and effect of P3&nbsp;on the number of pod per plant and number of seed per plant was maximum 14.156 and 3.11 respectively. The interaction of vermicompost and poultry manure of the V3P3&nbsp;combination was recorded maximum 17.13 per plant. Seed per pod interaction of vermicompost and poultry manure of the V3P3 combination also recorded maximum 3.66 per pod. Effect of vermicompost and poultry manure on 100 kernel weight was maximum in V3 (42.55 g) and P3&nbsp;(41.00 g) respectively. The shelling percentage also was recorded maximum in V3&nbsp;(69.77) and P3 (67.77) and interaction of both parameters was recorded non significance. Effect on yield (q/ha) was recorded maximum in V3 (1.05) and P3&nbsp;(0.99) and the interaction was recorded maximum in V3P3&nbsp;combination (1.27). The effect of vermicompost on oil percentage, protein percentage and oil yield (kg/ha) was recorded maximum 48.46, 21.33 and 1573.5 in V3 respectively. The effect of poultry manure recorded maximum in P3&nbsp;(48.03), 20.68 and 1411.2 kg/ha oil percentage, protein percentage and oil yield respectively. The interaction of vermicompost and poultry manure was recorded maximum with the combination of V3P3&nbsp;and found 49.52 oil percentage, 21.76 protein percentage and 1696.00 kg/ha oil yield. The results indicated that all these parameters were significantly increased due to vermicompost and poultry manure application. Their interaction was also significant. It was evident that a combination dose of V3P3 (6 ton ha-1&nbsp;vermicompost and 4 ton ha-1&nbsp;poultry manure) was found to be best giving the maximum values.</div>

Influence of Protective Sprinkler Irrigation on Yield and Water Productivity of Kharif Grown Rain Fed Crops

What is the Future of Rain-fed Horticultural Crops Production in a Changing West African Climate? : A Review

Effect of Cropping and Management Techniques on Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) Production under Rain-Fed Farming

Crop Productivity Enhancement under Soybean Based Cropping System through Harvested Rain Water in Malwa Region

Scope of Rain-fed Integrated Farming System in Dry Farming Condition: A Review

Influence of nipping and foliar application of nutrients on growth and yield of chickpea in rain-fed condition

Enhancing Soil Water-physical Properties and Winter Wheat Yield in Rain-fed Regions using Aquasource and Van Polymers

Effect of growth retardants on growth, flowering and physiological characteristics of olive cultivar Leccino under rain-fed conditions of Himachal Pradesh, India

Assessing Crop and Water Productivity Performance of Different Crops and Cropping Systems

Effect of the Vermicompost and Poultry Manure on Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under Rain-fed Condition