1. Irrigation

Irrigation is the most important input required for the successful cultivation of new seeds. The new seeds need copious irrigation. Adoption of High Yielding Varieties and intensification of agriculture in a country like India without the availability of irrigation is not possible. The new seeds need controlled irrigation,

i.e. they need irrigation at the specific periods of growth, development and flowering in the prescribed quantity. Over irrigation and under-irrigation, both are injurious to the crop. Thus, the timings of irrigation and the quantity of water supplied are decisive for the satisfactory performance of the crop. In the case of wheat for example, appropriate timing and spacing of irrigation raise the yield as much as 50 per cent even if other inputs (fertilisers, etc.) are not applied. The first irrigation of wheat around the third week of sowing alone raises the yield as much as 30 per cent. Moreover, the associated inputs like chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides also perform satisfactorily only if timely irrigation is provided to the crop. Without irrigation, a surfeit of other inputs would be to no avail. In the absence of controlled irrigation, the farmer may not get even a reasonable return from their fields,