ENHANCED WATER USE EFFICIENCY THROUGH NEED BASED IRRIGATION USING WATER IMPACT CALCULATOR COMPARED TO CALENDAR BASED IRRIGATION SCHEDULING IN CHILLI (Capsicum annuum L.)
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Date
2016-06
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University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot
Abstract
Fresh water in semi-arid tropics is becoming scarce with increasing demand
from agriculture and other sectors and requires immediate attention: therefore water
saving technologies need to be promoted. Chilli which is one of the important
spices/vegetable is being cultivated in large areas in Dharwad district requires
efficient use of available resources. Farmer’s participatory field experiments were
conducted with aim to enhance water use efficiency at Neeralkatti watershed.
Simultaneously experiment was also conducted at RHREC, Dharwad (Kumbapur).
Neeralkatti watershed is characterized by both red and black soil. Two farmer’s were
chosen representing red and black soil each. In each farmer’s field two blocks were
made: i) irrigation based on Water Impact Calculator (WIC); ii) calendar based
irrigation application as per farmer’s practice. Water Impact Calculator (WIC) is a
decision support tool, developed at ICRISAT, was used for irrigation scheduling.
Furrow irrigation method was followed in both farmers field. Similar experiment was
also conducted at RHREC, Dharwad (Kumbapur) using drip irrigation method.
Important crop growth parameters viz; earliness parameters and yield parameters did
not shows significant difference between two blocks at each experimental sites,
except per cent fruit set ,water use efficiency (WUE). Per cent fruit set shows higher
(56 and 51 %) in WIC based irrigation schedules compared to farmer’s practice
(47 and 44 %) at Neeralkatti and Kotur experimental sites respectively. But in case of
drip irrigated experiment per cent fruit set did not shows significant difference
between two blocks. Higher WUE was observed in case of WIC method of irrigation
schedules (4.86, 4.36 and 3.83 kg/m3) over the farmers practice (4.41, 3.46 and
2.66 kg/m3) at all three experimental sites namely Kumbapur, Neeralkatti and Kotur
respectively. Green chilli yield did not differ significantly between WIC (25.9, 20.50
and 18.7 t/ha) and farmers practice (25.4, 19.7 and 17.4 t/ha) of irrigation at
Kumbapur, Neeralkatti and Kotur respectively, however saving of 5 to 25 cm water
over the farmers practice was observed in WIC based irrigation scheduling.
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