Drip irrigation and fertigation requirement of broccoli under mid hill conditions

Abstract

Water conserving irrigation technologies are used now a days for economic and environmental sustainability of commercial agriculture. An experiment was laid in randomized block design to find out the effect of irrigation methods and fertigation levels on broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica L.) production during 2016-18. The treatments comprised drip irrigation at three levels, viz. 100, 80 and 60% of the ETc (i.e. DI100, DI80 and DI60) in conjunction with fertigation of 100, 85 and 70% of recommended dose of fertilizers with black polyethylene mulch. Surface irrigation with basal application of recommended dose of fertilizers without mulch was taken as a control. The study indicated that irrigation methods manipulated the moisture content of the soil comprehensively and soil moisture was near to the field capacity throughout the growth period in DI100 and DI80 with mulch, whereas, in conventional surface irrigation, the soil moisture status varied from field capacity to deficient status. Plant height, days to marketable head, weight of central and secondary heads, available NPK, leaf NPK content and total yield were observed to be significantly affected by irrigation methods and levels of fertigation. Water use efficiency varied from 4.95 q/ha/cm under surface irrigation to 27.95 q/ha/cm under best treatment of drip irrigation. Highest benefit cost ratio (2.63) was recorded with the treatment combination of drip irrigation @ 60 % ETc with 70 % recommended dose of fertilizer through fertigation.