Abstract Although carrot productivity is influenced by irrigation scheduling and planting techniques, however their interactive effects on soil properties and consequent crop performance in hilly agro-ecosystem remain insufficiently explored. It was hypothesized that optimized irrigation levels, combined with an appropriate sowing method would significantly improve soil nutrient availability, carrot yield and water productivity. A field experiment was carried out for two consecutive years (2021-22 and 2022-23) using a factorial Randomized Block Design with two sowing methods, Flat-bed (S 1 ) and Ridge (S 2 ) and four irrigation regimes based on irrigation water (IW)/cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) ratios of 0.6 (I 1 ), 0.8 (I 2 ), 1.0 (I 3 ), and 1.2 (I 4 ). Ridge sowing (S 2 ) consistently outperformed over flat-bed sowing (S 1 ) with respect to nutrient availability, yield and water productivity. The highest carrot yield (34.2 t/ha) was recorded under the combination of ridge sowing and the highest irrigation level (S 2 I 4 ). Moderate irrigation level provides the balance between yield and water use, resulting in higher total water productivity, whereas the highest irrigation level (I 4 ) improved crop water productivity and soil nutrient dynamics although it was less efficient in crop production per unit water applied. The findings demonstrate that ridge sowing, in combination with optimized irrigation regimes (I 3 ), offer a practical strategy to enhance soil health and resource use efficiency while sustaining the carrot productivity hilly region. These findings offer a practical guidance for farmer and planners seeking to improve water management and crop performance in comparable agro-ecological environment.
Chauhan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.