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Strategic pre‑flood tillage improves soil water storage and chickpea yield under ephemeral stream influence in semiarid environments

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Chickpea yield in flashy, ephemeral stream-fed crop production systems is globally low due to aridity environment and conventional agronomic management practices. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage practices before the flood, in conjunction with post-flood tillage operations, on soil water storage and productivity of Chickpea. The experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of year 2019-20 and 2020-21 at two selected locations in Mithawan flashy ephemeral stream-fed areas of Punjab, Pakistan. The experiment consisted of tillage before the onset of floods, such as, mould board plough, chisel plough, disc plough, cultivator, and farmers’ practice (fallow). After the flood, the soil reached field capacity, and tillage with either a cultivator or a combination of cultivator and rotavator was performed. The experiment was replicated three times under a randomized complete block design arranged in split plots. Plots receiving tillage before flood with chisel plough and tillage after flood with cultivator exhibited maximum soil moisture contents (23.95%) up to 15 cm depth at flowering stage, highest flood water productivity (0.15 kg m 3 during year 1), and highest seed yield (1528 kg ha − 1 ), besides a better (2.2) Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) in the 1st year. 28.21% increased chickpea seed yield was obtained from chisel-plough-run fields over the farmer’s practice. Chisel ploughing as pre-flood tillage, followed by post-flood tillage with either a cultivator and rotavator combination or a cultivator alone, results in maximum chickpea and flood water productivity in flashy, ephemeral flood-irrigated conditions. The findings suggest a potential contribution to drought resilience, reducing damage from flashy, ephemeral stream flow and increasing chickpea and floodwater productivity through deep tillage and strip cropping with legumes in arid, flashy, ephemeral stream-irrigated areas. Not applicable

Source: BMC Plant Biology

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-10063-1