International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN(P): 2250-0057; ISSN(E): 2321-0087
Vol. 6, Issue 5, Oct 2016, 99-104
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd

IMPACT OF FERTIGATION OF N AND K ON LEAF NUTRIENT STATUS IN

TURMERIC TRANSPLANTS (CURCUMA LONGA L.) VAR. CO-2
SANGEETHA. K. S & J. SURESH
Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
ABSTRACT
An experiment was conducted at college orchard, Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticultural
College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore from 2014 to 2015 to study the effect of
fertigation of N and K on leaf nutrient status of turmeric transplants. The experiment consisted of nine treatments
replicated three times in a Randomized Block Design. The results showed that the leaf NPK concentrations increased
gradually from the initial stage to 30 DAP, attained peak levels at 60 DAP and declined later. Among the treatments,
fertigation of N+K @ 125% through water soluble fertilizers applied at weekly intervals registered significantly higher leaf
NPK concentrations irrespective of the stages of crop growth. Compare to straight fertilizers, fertigation of water soluble
fertilizers registered higher concentration of leaf NPK.

Received: Aug 03, 2016; Accepted: Aug 26, 2016; Published: Sep 01, 2016; Paper Id.: IJASROCT201612

INTRODUCTION
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) belongs to the family Zingiberaceae is an important spice cultivated for its

Original Article

KEYWORDS: Curcuma Longa L., Turmeric Transplants, Fertigation, Nutrients

medicinal properties and culinary and industrial purposes. Its underground orange rhizome is used as natural
coloring agent in food, cosmetics and dye. Curcumin and volatile oils of turmeric have some medicinal properties
to prevent tumor formation, improve liver and kidney functions and biliary disorders. Curcuminoids in turmeric
have anti-inflammatory, antimutagen, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-oxidant, antiparasitic and
detoxifying properties (Hossain et al., 2005).
Research and development of newer varieties and as well as improved management techniques are being
constantly pursued to enhance the productivity of turmeric. Improper nutritional management practices and
inadequate irrigation during crop growth stages can be considered as the prime factors affecting productivity of
turmeric. Turmeric is a highly input responsive crop. Its extended crop growth period and nutrient exhaustion
requires sufficient amount of nutrients and irrigation to produce higher yields with improved quality. Since,
turmeric is a nutrient responsive crop and removes large amount of nutrients from soil, sufficient quantities of
nutrients have to be applied in order to obtain sustainable yield levels. Owing to its long duration and high
productivity, it consumes greater amount of nutrients from the soil as well as from applied fertilizers for a
prolonged period (Rethinam et al., 1994). Thus, it is essential that the fertilizers must be applied in optimal
amounts and the release of nutrients from them must be steadily prolonged to match the nutrient needs of the crop
over its growth period. In general, the nutritional and water requirements of turmeric are met through soil
application of fertilizers and surface irrigation. Application of nutrients, especially nitrogen and potassium as split

www.tjprc.org

editor@tjprc.org

100

Sangeetha. K. S & J. Suresh

doses improves the yield and quality of turmeric (Jagadeeswaran et al., 2004).
Drip irrigation system is one of the advanced method of irrigation. The system is popular in arid and semi arid
regions with high evaporation losses. Under drip irrigation system, water is conveyed directly to the root zone of crop
through laterals and emitters thereby minimizing conventional losses as deep percolation and evaporation from soil which
gives better water use efficiency (Reddy and Reddy, 2003). Drip fertigation (application of fertilizer with drip irrigation),
on the other hand, has proved its superiority over conventional method of fertilizer application to ensuring the right
amounts of irrigation water and plant nutrients available at the root zone and nourishes the crop requirements for
stabilizing yield and quality of produce (Patel and Rajput, 2004). The information on the feasibility of drip irrigation as
well as fertigation of nitrogen and potassium as compared to conventional method of soil application of nutrients and
surface irrigation on crop growth and yield of turmeric transplants is lacking. In this background in consideration, it was
thought worthwhile to standardize an appropriate fertigation schedule for turmeric transplants var. CO-2 with the objective
of studying the impact of fertigation in the leaf nutrient status.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A field experiment was conducted during 2014 to 2015 at the college orchard, Department of Spices and Plantation
Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to assess the effect of
fertigation of N and K fertilizers on leaf nutrient status of turmeric transplants (Curcuma longa L.) var. CO-2. The site of
the experiment is situated at 1102 N latitude and 7703 E longitude with an altitude of 426.76 m MSL. The experiment
was laid out in randomised block design with three replications. The land was prepared thoroughly by giving 4 deep
ploughing. After levelling, raised beds of 25 m length, 1 m breadth, 20-25 cm height were formed to accommodate the
treatments. Turmeric transplants of one month old having two fully opened leaves produced from single bud rhizomes
were planted in paired row system with spacing of 45 cm between rows within a paired row, 15 cm within each row and 55
cm between two adjacent beds on first week of August. In treatments receiving fertigation, drip laterals were laid along the
length of each paired row at the centre with the spacing kept at 1.5 m between two adjacent laterals. In control plot, instead of
drip laterals, provision for surface irrigation was provided for the paired rows. A venturi assembly was used for mixing fertilizer with
irrigation water.
The fertilizers are applied through drip irrigation at weekly intervals by following the schedule by which 40% of
total N and 20% of total K were applied from 1st to 4th weeks, 10% of total N and 10% of total K were applied from 5th to
8th weeks, 30% of total N and 30% of total K were applied from 9th to 17th weeks. The remaining quantity of 20% N and
40% K were applied from 18th to 34th weeks. The details of the treatments were as follows,
T1: Control 100% recommended dose of NPK - 150:60:108 kg/ha - through straight fertilizer i.e., Urea & MOP
by soil application + surface irrigation
T2: Fertigation of N+K @ 125% through straight fertilizers once in a week
T3: Fertigation of N+K @ 100% through straight fertilizers once in a week
T4: Fertigation of N+K @ 75% through straight fertilizers once in a week
T5: Fertigation of N+K @ 50% through straight fertilizers once in a week
T6: Fertigation of N+K @ 125% through water soluble fertilizers once in a week
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Impact of Fertigation of N and K on Leaf Nutrient Status in

Turmeric Transplants (Curcuma Longa L.) Var. Co-2

101

T7: Fertigation of N+K @ 100% through water soluble fertilizers once in a week
T8: Fertigation of N+K @ 75% through water soluble fertilizers once in a week
T9: Fertigation of N+K @ 50% through water soluble fertilizers once in a week
Turmeric leaf samples were collected at 30, 60, 120 and 210 days after planting and dried at 55C for 6-8 hours in
a hot air oven. The third youngest leaf was taken randomly from ten plants in each plot as standard leaf for nutrient
estimation (Saifudeen, 1981). The leaf nutrient content viz., nitrogen content (Humphries, 1956), phosphorus content
(Jackson, 1973) and potassium content (Jackson, 1973) were estimated from the turmeric leaves and expressed in
percentage.

The

data

collected

were

subjected

to

statistical

analysis

following

standard

procedure

(Panse and Sukhatme, 1985).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Leaf Nitrogen Content
The effect of different fertigation treatment was significant on the leaf nitrogen content (Table. 1). Among the
treatments, the nitrogen content varied from 1.06 to 1.35 per cent at 30 DAP, 1.15 to 1.48 per cent at 60 DAP, 1.11 to 1.39
per cent at 120 DAP and 1.03 to 1.30 per cent at 210 DAP. The fertigation of N+K @ 125% through water soluble
fertilizers applied at weekly intervals registered significantly higher nitrogen contents in all the four stages of observation viz., 30,
60, 120 and 210 DAP (1.35, 1.48, 1.39 and 1.30%), respectively. Among the different stages of observation, the nitrogen content
was found higher at 60 DAP irrespective of treatments. The treatment T5 which received 50% of N and K through fertigation by
using straight fertilizers at weekly intervals registered the least nitrogen contents (1.06, 1.15, 1.11, 1.03%) in all the four stages
of observation.
Leaf Phosphorus Content
Among the different stages, the highest leaf phosphorus content was recorded at 60 DAP and was in the range of
0.24 to 0.37 per cent (Table. 1). The leaf phosphorus content was found higher in the treatment T6 (Fertigation of N+K @
125% through water soluble fertilizers once in a week) in all the four stages of observation viz., 30, 60, 120 and 210 DAP
(0.29, 0.37, 0.33 and 0.26%), respectively. This was followed by T7 (0.28, 0.35, 0.31 and 0.23%) and T2 (0.28, 0.33, 0.30
and 0.22%) and were on par at 30, 120 and 210 DAP. The leaf phosphorus contents increased up to 60 DAP irrespective of
the treatments and then decreased. The treatment T5 (Fertigation of N+K @ 50% through straight fertilizers once in a
week) registered the least leaf phosphorus contents in the four stages (0.19, 0.24, 0.19 and 0.15%).
Leaf Potassium Content
The effect of different fertigation treatment was significant on the leaf potassium content and ranged from 2.85
(T1) to 3.58 per cent (T6) at 30 DAP, increased to 3.02 (T1) to 3.70 per cent (T6) at 60 DAP, reduced to 2.91 (T1) to 3.64 per
cent (T6) at 120 DAP and then further declined to 2.70 (T1) to 3.41 per cent (T6) at 210 DAP (Table.1). The treatments T4,
T1 and T5 were on par with each other at 60, 120 and 210 DAP and T5 (Fertigation of N+K @ 50% through straight
fertilizers once in a week) recorded lower potassium content in leaves in all the four stages of observation.
Plant analysis is an important tool for understanding the growth and physiology of plants at various phases of their
growth (Hartz and Hochmuth, 1996). The leaf N and K concentrations were higher with the fertigation treatments
compared to soil application along with surface irrigation. Fertigation using water soluble fertilizers registered higher
www.tjprc.org

editor@tjprc.org

102

Sangeetha. K. S & J. Suresh

concentration of leaf NPK than straight fertilizers. In case of soluble fertilizers the nutrients become available readily
throughout the growth stages of crop which produces optimum yield. However, straight fertilizers when applied into soil
they may get leach out, volatilize or get fixed into the soil and hence they become unavailable to crop for their growth and
development and hence crop do not produce optimum yield with its full potential (Ughade and Mahadkar, 2015). The study
indicated that fertigation with water soluble fertilizers at 125% and 100% level of N and K improved leaf nutrient content.
This reveals the enhanced uptake of major nutrients when water soluble fertilizers are used. Similar kinds of results have
been reported by Krishnamoorthy et al. (2011).

CONCLUSIONS
Leaf NPK concentrations increased gradually from the initial stage to 30 DAP, attained peak levels at 60 DAP and
declined later. Fertilizer application at the appropriate crop growth stages and the need of early stage application has been
earlier stressed by Rao and Rao (1988). The necessity to maintain leaf nutrient concentrations at sufficient levels have been
clearly indicated in the studies of Senthil Kumar et al. (2004). The uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was
significantly increased with higher rate of application. Higher uptake of nutrients was attributed to better availability of
nutrients which reflected in better growth and rhizome yield (Ajithkumar and Jayachandran, 2001). Response of turmeric
to increased levels of fertilizers has been significant (Parthasarathy et al., 2010). Unlike surface irrigation and conventional
fertilizer application, fertigation makes uniform distribution of nutrient solution in the root zone and thereby increases the
fertilizer use efficiency, since the uptake of nutrients by the plant roots depends on their availability to the root system
(Rao, 1996). It enhanced the overall root activity, improved the mobility of nutritive elements and their uptake.
REFERENCES
1.

Ajithkumar, K., & Jayachandran, B. K. (2001). Effect of major nutrients on yield of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rose.)
intercropped in coconut garden. J. Spices and Aromatic Crops, 10(1): 17-23

2.

Hartz, T. K., & Hochmuth, G. J. (1996). Fertility management of drip irrigated vegetables. Hort. Tech., 6(3): 168-172

3.

Hossain, M. A., Ishimine, Y., Akamine, H., & Motomura, K. (2005). Effects of seed rhizome on growth and yield of turmeric
(Curcuma longa L.). Plant Prod. Sci., 8(1): 86-94

4.

Humphries, K. C. (1956). Mineral components and analysis. In: Modern methods of plant analysis (Eds: Paech, Kt and M.
O.Tracy). Springer Verlag, Berlin, pp. 468-502

5.

Jackson, M. L. (1973). Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd., New Delhi. 2' Ed. Indian Reprint

6.

Jagadeeswaran, R., Arulmozhiselvan, K., Govindaswamy, M., & Murugappan, V. (2004). Studies on nitrogen use efficiency in
turmeric using 15N tagged urea. J. Nuclear Agric. Biol., 33(2): 69-76

7.

Krishnamoorthy, C., Soorianathasundaram, K., Rajamani, K., & Selvaraj, P. K. (2011). Impact of fertigation on leaf nutrient
status in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) cv. BSR 2. The Asian J. Hort., 6(1): 162-166

8.

Panse, V. G., & Sukhatme, P. V. (1985). Statistical methods for agriculture workers. Indian Council of Agricultural Research,
New Delhi, pp 155

9.

Parthasarathy, V. A., Dinesh, R., Srinivasan, V., & Hamza, S. (2010). Integrated nutrient management in major spices. Indian
J. Fert., 6: 110-128.

10. Patel, N., & Rajput, T. B. S. (2004). Fertigation - A technique for efficient use of granular fertilizer through drip irrigation.
I.E.I. Journal, 85: 50-54
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Impact of Fertigation of N and K on Leaf Nutrient Status in

Turmeric Transplants (Curcuma Longa L.) Var. Co-2

103

11. Rao, C. S. (1996). Fertigation- Applying fertilizers through drip irrigation systems. In: Proceedings of all India seminar on
modern irrigation techniques, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
12. Rao, M. R., & Rao, D. V. R. (1988). Studies on crop improvement of turmeric. In: Proc. Natl. Seminar on chillies, ginger and
turmeric, Hyderabad, Jan. 11-12, pp. 84-96, India
13. Reddy & Reddy .(2003). Principles of agronomy. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi, pp. 319-320
14. Rethinam, P., Edison, S., Sadanandan, A. K., & Johny, A. K. (1994). Major achievements of AICRP on spices. Indian Cocoa
Arecanut and Spices J., 18: 16-21
15. Saifudeen, N. (1981). Foliar diagnosis, yield and quality of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) in relation to nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. (Unpublished masters thesis). Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala
16. Senthil Kumar, P. S., Aruna Geetha, S., Savithri, P., Jagadeeswaran, R., & Ragunath, K. P. (2004.) Effect of Zn enriched
organic manures and zinc solubilizer application on the yield, curcumin content and nutrient status of soil under turmeric
cultivation. J. Applied Hort., 6(2): 82-86
17. Ughade, S. R., & Mahadkar, U. V. (2015). Effect of different planting density, irrigation and fertigation levels on growth and
yield of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.). The Bioscan, 10(3): 1205-1211

APPENDICES
Table 1: Influence of Straight and Water Soluble Fertilizers on Leaf
NPK Content of Turmeric Transplant Var. CO-2 (Percentage)

www.tjprc.org

editor@tjprc.org