Germination of Phalaris minor declined with the increase in duration of imbibition in water from 30 min to 72 h at temperatures above 22°C. Germination was reduced down to 10 cm and 2 cm soil depth by wheat straw burning in puddled and non-puddled soil, respectively, with maximum reduction near the soil surface. The dormancy of P. minor seed was not more than 60 days under field conditions. In puddled soil, 38-60% of the viable seeds of P. minor remained concentrated in the upper 5-cm layer. Germination decreased with an increase in soil depth. In total, 15% of seeds stored in the laboratory emerged from 10-cm depth, whereas seeds did not germinate below 4.2-cm depth under field conditions. Depth of emergence of P. minor was shallower in zero tillage compared with the conventional method of wheat sowing. The seeds retrieved from rice soils kept under continuous submergence for 60 days exhibited 26% and 57% loss of germination over semisubmergence and semi-wet conditions respectively. There was 100% loss of germination in 10-month-old seeds retrieved from the soil under rice-growing conditions. Plant density of P. minor was lower in zero tillage than with the conventional method of wheat sowing. Cross-ploughing in the upper 2-5 cm of soil (shallow tillage) and drill-sowing of wheat 1 week after shallow tillage reduced germination of P. minor by 44% and 37% and increased grain yield by 21% and 47% over zero-tillage and conventional methods respectively.

Under rainfed condition (650 mm/annum) of India drought of unpredictable intensity and duration is a prevailing feature. Appropriate intercropping combinations and management practices for sustaining crop productivity in such situations needs to be worked out, where monoculture is prevailing. Objectives were to examine the effect of transpiration suppressants and nutrients on sustaining productivity, profitability of pearlmillet/pigeonpea intercropping for realizing maximum nutrients and moisture use efficiency in moisture scarce conditions. Though there was a reduction in yield of component crops under intercropping greatly so for pigeon pea, higher Pearlmillet Equivalent Yield (PEY), land equivalent ratio (LER) value, economics (net returns and B:C ratio) was achieved higher in pearlmillet/pigeonpea intercropping system as compared to their sole cropping. Nutrients and apparent rain water use efficiency (ARUE) was also higher in same cropping system. The yield response of the transpiration suppressants was observed only in limited soil moisture conditions (2009). However, with respect to yield advantage indices, the effect of transpiration suppressants was comparable to control. Over the period of time, 50 kg N + 17.2 kg P ha -1 recorded higher crop performance ratio, ARUE, agronomic and physiological efficiency of N and P over other fertility treatments.