EFFECT OF IRRIGATION SCHEDULING AND N FERTIGATION THROUGH DRIP ON N MOVEMENT, GROWTH, YIELD AND QUALITY OF SEASONAL SUGARCANE
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Date
03-02-95
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MAHATMAA PTHhUesLisE S uKbRmIiSttHedI tVoI DthYeA PEETH RAHURI, 413 722 DIST - AHMEDNAGAR. Maharashtra State (India)
Abstract
The field experiment on "Effect of irrigation scheduling and N fertigation through drip on N movement, growth, yield and quality of seasonal sugarcane" was conducted at the Co-ordnated Project for Research on Water Management, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar during the year 1993-94. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. The twelve treatment combinations formed from four irrigation treatments viz., surface irrigation scheduled at 75 mm CPE, drip with two days, three days and four days interval as mainplot treatments and three levels of nitrogen viz., recommended dose of N, 75 per cent N of the recommended dose and 50 per cent N of the recommended dose as sub plot treatments. The gross and net plot sizes were 7.2 x 6.0 m^ and 3.6 x 5.0 m , respectively. The soil of the experimental field was medium deep black with clay in texture, non saline and alkaline reaction. The soil was low in available N, medium in available P and rich in available K. The fertilizer N movement in soil was observed in both directions i.e. vertically and laterally from the emitter source, after two weeks of 2nd and 4th dose of Napplication. The mean values of NH4-N and NO3-N content of soil were higher in drip irrigation than surface irrigation. The treatment drip with two days interval had shown maximum concentration of NH4-N (50.2 ppm) and NO3-N (63.5 ppm) in the 0-20 cm soil layer two weeks after 2nd dose of N application. Reverse trend was observed under surface irrigation i.e. higher concentration observed at lower depth of 40-60 cm (NH4-N 38.3 and NO3-N 48.8 ppm). Average content of NH4-N and NO3-N values were low at the emitter source increased up to 30 cm and declined with increasing the distance from the emitter source. The growth parameters such as plant count, plant height, number of internodes and average girth were not influenced significantly by scheduling of irrigation. However, drip irrigation with two days interval had shown maximum total height (314.3 cm) and mi 11 able height (271.0 cm), average girth (8.98 cm), number of internodes (23.13) and average cane weight (1.68 kg) at harvest. The highest cane (155.7 t ha ) and commercial cane sugar (18.02 t ha ) yields were recorded in the drip irrigation at two days interval with 19.4 and 25.3 per cent increase in cane and commercial cane sugar yields over surface irrigation treatment, respectively. The interval of water application through drip had not shown any significant adverse effect on cane and commercial cane sugar yield. However,the treatment of water application through drip at four days interval had shown 6.2 and 3.6 per cent reduction in cane and commercial cane sugar yields over two days interval, respectively. The cane juice quality in respect of brix, nonreducing sugar, reducing sugar and purity coefficient was not adversely affected due to scheduling of irrigation to sugarcane. The treatment of drip irrigation with two days interval had given significantly higher dry matter accumulation of 42.09, 91.35, 346.7 and 665.7 q ha-1 and N uptake of 67.84, 116.3, 304.9 and 316.8 kg ha-1 at tillering, earthing up, grand growth and harvest stage of sugarcane crop. The surface irrigation scheduled at 75 mm CPE had shown maximum vertical and horizontal root distribution as compared to drip irrigation. In drip irrigation the roots were concentrated in the wetted zone of 0-30 cm, thereafter showed decline in the trend with increasing distance from the emitter source. Application of water at two days interval had given maximum dry roots of 218.7 and 171.1 g m~ ^ in the surface layer of 0-15 and 15-30 cm depth, respectively. The total depth of water applied was considerably low (93.2 cm) in drip irrigation as compared to surface irrigation (166.0 cm), with the saving in irrigtion water to the extent of 43.9 per cent. Drip irrigation with two days interval had given low cosumptive use of moisture 108.6 cm with maximum water use efficiency of 14.34 q (ha cm) x than rest of the irrigation treatments. Application of recommended dose of N had shown the maximum content of 46.6, 40.1 and 31.1 ppm NH4-N and 57.3, 54.1 and 49.3 ppm of NO3-N at 0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm soil depth. The NH4-N and NO3-N were low at the emitter source, increased upto 30 cm and then declined with increasing distance. Same trend of results observed during 4th dose of N application. The growth parameters such as plant count, plant height and number of internodes were not influenced significantly by the levels of nitrogen. However, the girth of cane at harvest (9.03 cm) was significantly high in recommended dose of N. The cane and commercial cane sugar yields were significantly influenced by the levels of nitrogen. The application of recommended dose of N gave significantly higher cane and commercial cane sugar yields of 156.0 and 17.60 t ha with an increase of 14.5 and 11.1 per cent over 50 per cent of recommended dose of N, respectively. The cane juice quality in respect non reducing sugar and reducing sugar were significantly influenced by the levels of nitrogen and the application of 50 per cent of recommended dose of N gave significantly high non reducing sugar (17.02 per cent) and significantly low reducing sugar (0.41 per cent) indicating better juice quality. The application of recommended dose of N had shown significantly higher dry matter accumulation of 41.68, 87.23, 402.6 and 642.7 q ha-1 and N uptake of 66.19. 108.7, 298.5 and 304.3 kg ha at tillering, earthing up, grand growth and harvest stage of sugarcane crop than the lower dose of N application, respectively. The interaction effects due to scheduling of irrigation and nitrogen levels were absent. The drip irrigation at two days interval with recommended dose of N applied through drip to seasonal sugarcane is benificial to obtain higher cane and commercial cane sugar yields.