The ongoing climate change has severely altered the pattern of rainfall distribution spatially as well as temporally. The effect of climate change can be seen through the increased severity of torrential rains and the long interval between the two rains. In semi-arid and arid areas, where most of the agriculture is rainfall based with limited irrigation sources, long dry spells between the rains severely hampers the crop production. Late vegetative and reproductive water stress combined with high temperature stress, preferably in rabi crops (Wheat, Barley etc.) is highly disadvantageous for anthesis, fertilization, grain filling and grain development. Water availability at grain filling stage is quite crucial to avoid yield loss. Irrigation management and use of natural as well as synthetic agrochemicals in a sustainable manner is necessary. Irrigation timing as well as number should be planned in order to attain higher water use efficiency i.e., more crop produced per drop of water. Natural agrochemicals such as herbal hydrogel “Tragacanth katira” holds water strongly and make it available to the crop slowly under high water tension in low soil moisture conditions. Plant bioregulators are well known to improve the physiology of the plant which increases stress tolerance. Salicylic acid and potassium nitrate are the plant bioregulators which improves the physiology of the plant giving stress endurance and reduces the extent of yield loss along with improvement in water use efficiency as well as quality of grains.

Agrochemicals, water use efficiency, productivity, hydrogel, salicylic acid

Water stress at critical stages certainly reduces the productivity and profitability of barley by adversely affecting the growth and physiology. But the extent of loss can be significantly reduced by the use of herbal hydrogel before sowing to mitigate early vegetative stress and foliar sprays of agrochemicals at late vegetative or reproductive stage. Being natural products, salicylic acid and hydrogel are not harmful for the environment, however KNO3 is a chemical fertilizer and osmo-protectant, but the quantity used for foliar spray is quite low, thus helping in sustainable management of water stress.

Kavita, Amarjeet Nibhoria and Preetam Kumar (2022). Improving Barley Productivity with Sustainable use of Agrochemicals and Managed Irrigation in Climate Change Scenario. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(2): 1580-1586.