Seedling emergence of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides L.) Effect of differential soil crusting,as induced by raindrop size,and depth of sowing

The effects of differential soil crusting, as achieved by varying the raindrop size, and depth of sowing on seedling emergence of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides L.) were investigated. Three drop diameters: 2.75, 1.65 and 0.93 mm and four depths of sowing: 2, 4, 6, and 8 cm were studied. Mean time of emergence increased with increase in raindrop size and depth of sowing. Crops differed in their emergence capacity under adverse soil conditions from delay in the emergence of chickpea to complete failure in the case of pigeonpea. Pearl millet was not significantly affected by drop size but was found to be sensitive to depths beyond 4 cm. Within the chickpea crop, the variety H 208 was observed to have better emergence qualities than Pusa 209. Other parameters like epicotyl diameter, swelling index, and the area of crust broken by the emerging seedling were measured.