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Extensive cultivation of paddy and burning of paddy straw by farmers in north-western India has led to a serious problem of decreased underground water table along with degradation of soil health and environmental pollution. The utilization of paddy straw as mulch in wheat crop can be a good option to solve these problems. So, a field experimentwas conducted with the objective to study the influence of paddy straw mulch on productivity and economics of bed and flat sown wheat crop under different irrigation schedules. Treatments comprised of combination of two sowing methods i.e., bed sowing and conventional flat sowing and three mulch levels viz., no mulch, paddy straw mulch @ 3000 kg ha\"1 and paddy straw mulch @ 6000 kg ha\"1 in main plots and three irrigation schedules viz., 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) in sub-plots and conducted in split-plot design with three replications at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during winter season of 2013-14 and 201415. The growth parameters were recorded periodically at 30 day interval and yield attributes and yield were recorded at harvest. The net returns were calculated by subtracting the total variable cost from gross returns. Both the sowing methods did not significantly influence the growth, yield attributes, yield and gross and net returns. Mulch application @ 6000 kg ha\"1 significantly increased the plant height (88.3 cm), number of spikes (358.7 m\"2) and spike length (10.1 cm) and as a result achieved highest biological (12800 kg ha1) and grain yield (5380 kg ha\"1) and net returns (? 62763.5 ha\"1) than mulch @ 3000 kg ha\"1 and no mulch. Among the irrigation schedules, significantly higher biological (12480 kg ha\"1) and grain yield (5250 kg ha1) was registered under irrigation schedule of 1.0 IW/CPE ratio, might be due to significantly more number of spikes (347.0 m\"2), grains spike\"1 (49.4), grain weight spike\"1 (1.85 g) and 1000-grain weight (38.5 g) which led to significantly higher net returns (? 62817.0 ha\"1) as compared with 0.8 and 0.6 IW/CPE ratio. Productivity and economics were found to be higher under mulch application @ 6000 kg ha\"1 and irrigation schedule of 1.0 IW/CPE ratio in wheat crop.

Management practices need to be developed for successful cultivation of good quality aerobic basmati rice. Field experiments were conducted at Ludhiana, India during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2012 to ascertain the optimum irrigation schedule and dose and timings of nitrogen application to direct seeded basmati rice cultivar Pusa Basmati 1121. Three irrigation schedules (irrigations at 30, 50 and 70 mm CPE), three nitrogen levels (40, 60 and 80 kg N ha⁻¹) and two modules of nitrogen splits (3 splits, i.e. application at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing and 4 splits, i.e. application at 0, 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing) were tested in randomized block design with four replications on a loamy sand soil. The maximum grain yield, protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery were obtained with irrigations at 30 mm CPE and these were significantly better than 50 and 70 mm CPE irrigation schedules. Among nitrogen levels, the significant increase in grain yield as well as quality parameters, viz. protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery was recorded only up to a nitrogen dose of 60 kg ha⁻¹. In Indian Punjab, good quality direct seeded basmati rice can be produced by following the irrigation schedule of 30 mm CPE and with the application of 60 kg N ha⁻¹ applied in 3 splits (3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing).

Management practices need to be developed for successful cultivation of good quality aerobic basmati rice. Field experiments were conducted at Ludhiana, India during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2012 to ascertain the optimum irrigation schedule and dose and timings of nitrogen application to direct seeded basmati rice cultivar Pusa Basmati 1121. Three irrigation schedules (irrigations at 30, 50 and 70 mm CPE), three nitrogen levels (40, 60 and 80 kg N ha ⁻¹) and two modules of nitrogen splits (3 splits, i.e. application at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing and 4 splits, i.e. application at 0, 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing) were tested in randomized block design with four replications on a loamy sand soil. The maximum grain yield, protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery were obtained with irrigations at 30 mm CPE and these were significantly better than 50 and 70 mm CPE irrigation schedules. Among nitrogen levels, the significant increase in grain yield as well as quality parameters, viz. protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery was recorded only up to a nitrogen dose of 60 kg ha ⁻¹. In Indian Punjab, good quality direct seeded basmati rice can be produced by following the irrigation schedule of 30 mm CPE and with the application of 60 kg N ha ⁻¹ applied in 3 splits (3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing).