Evaluation of micro-irrigation with fertigation in groundnut

AICRP on Water Management Agricultural College and Research Institute Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Madurai 625 107
Field trials were conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai with the following objectives in micro irrigation in groundnut. The objectives are (a) to study the performance of different micro-irrigation system and its effect on water use efficiency, (b) to evaluate the fertigation and their influence on yield and yield attributes in groundnut and (c) to examine the economic benefits of micro-irrigation system. The study was conducted during the kharif season of 2010. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with the following treatments. The main plot treatment consists of method of Irrigation (I) viz., Micro sprinkler irrigation (M1), Drip Irrigation (I2) and Sub surface drip irrigation (I3). The sub plot treatment consists of fertigation levels (F) viz., Soil application of 100% RDF (F1), Drip fertigation of 100 % recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) with P as basal, N and K through drip (F2) and Drip fertigation of 100% RDF with 50% P and K as basal, balance NPK through drip as water soluble fertilizer (WSF) ( F 3). Absolute control (Surface irrigation with soil application of RDF) was maintained for the comparison outside the experimental plot area. The treatments were replicated four times. The popular groundnut variety VRI 2 was taken up for the study. For all micro irrigation treatments irrigation was given once in three days at 100 PE. For surface irrigation, the crop was irrigated at IW / CPE ratio of 0.8 with 5 cm depth. The RDF was 17 : 34 : 54 kg NPK ha-1. The fertilizer used was urea for N, super phosphate for P and muriate of potash for K. In case of WSF, the poly feed of grade 13:40:13 and KNO3 (13:0:45) was used. Fertigation was given once in seven days from 15 DAS up to 90 DAS for fertigated plots. In case of soil application by straight fertilizers. Gypsum was applied at 40 DAS. Sowing was done with a spacing of 30 x 10 cm. The results of growth parameters viz., plant height and number of branches and yield attributes viz., number of pods / plant, number of matured pods / plant, hundred pod weight (g) and shelling percentage (%) and pod yield of groundnut revealed that irrigation through microsprinkler irrigation performed better than other methods of irrigation with 28.9 quintals/ha. This yield was higher by 7.0 per cent over sub-surface drip irrigation and 13.5 per cent over surface drip irrigation and 41.0 per cent over surface irrigation. As regards to method of fertilizer application, applying 100 per cent of RDF with 50 per cent P and K as basal, balance NPK through drip as water soluble fertilizer (WSF) excelled the other method of fertilizer application. It yielded 13.5 per cent more than as compared to conventional soil application of fertilizer and 4.5 per cent more than fertigation by using straight fertilizer with P as basal application through soil. The results of water use efficiency also followed the above pattern as that of yield with micro sprinkler method of irrigation recording a water use efficiency of 4.77 kgha-1mm. The total water used was 606 mm under pressurized irrigation method compared to 750 mm under surface irrigation system. Thus there was a saving of 144 mm accounting for 19.2 per cent by micro irrigation over surface irrigation method.