Assessment of raised bed planting technology for irrigated wheat in Vertisols

Abstract:

Here is a practical dilemma that wheat growers on Vertisols face every season: irrigate too much and the cracking clay floods the root zone; irrigate too little and the crop wilts. Raised bed planting channels water through furrows between elevated beds, promising better drainage, less waterlogging, and reduced irrigation volume. This research compared flat-bed sowing with raised beds at three widths (60, 90, and 120 cm) for irrigated wheat (cv. BRS 264) on a Vertisol at Curitiba, Paraná, during the 2022 and 2023 winter seasons. The 90 cm bed delivered the highest grain yield (4.67 t ha^-1), 21.6% above the flat bed (3.84 t ha^-1). Irrigation water use dropped by 28% on the 90 cm bed, pushing water productivity from 1.08 to 1.64 kg grain m^-3. Root length density at 20 cm depth was 37% greater on beds. The benefit–cost ratio was 2.38 for the 90 cm bed versus 1.82 for flat planting. These results support adopting raised beds at 90 cm width for wheat on Vertisols in southern Brazil.