Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different kinds and levels of fertilizers on water use efficiency of drip fertigated Sweet pepper at the Research Farm of the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, PAU, Ludhiana in the year 2012–2013. In the drip fertigation experiment, two types of fertilizers viz. Water Soluble Fertilizers (specialized fertilizers, WSF) and conventional fertilizers and three doses of NPK fertilizers were applied by drip irrigation. The drip fertigated treatments were T1 (WSF applied at 80% RDF (recommended dose of fertilizer)), T2 (WSF applied at 70% RDF), T3 (WSF applied at 60% RDF), T4 (Conventional fertilizer applied at 80% RDF), T5 (Conventional fertilizer applied at 70% RDF) and T6 (Conventional fertilizer applied at 60% RDF) and an additional control treatment (with furrow irrigation and 100% traditional fertilizer) was used for comparison. The irrigation was applied at 75% ETC . The percentage water saving for drip fertigation treatment was 33.94% over the conventional irrigation. Out of all the treatments, water use efficiency for T2 treatment was maximum (5.24 q/ha-cm) which was significantly par with T4 (5.19 q/ha-cm) treatment. The minimum water use efficiency was in conventional method (2.69 q/ha-cm). While, for drip fertigated treatments, the minimum water use efficiency was in T6 treatment (3.25 q/ha-cm).The statistical analysis showed that the water use efficiency of T2 and T4 treatment were significantly superior than all other treatments.

Keywords: Drip Irrigation, Fertigation, Sweet Pepper, Water Use Efficiency