Enhancing productivity of onion seed through fertigation scheduling in western Maharashtra

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on clay loam soil in Western Maharashtra during Rabi 2009 and 2010 to study effect of fertigation scheduling through drip on growth and yield of onion seed. The drip fertigation resulted into 39 per cent water saving with 12 to 73 per cent increase in productivity of onion seed as compared to band placement of conventional fertilizer with surface irrigation. The study revealed that all the growth parameters and yield of onion seed (602 kg/ha) was higher when fertigation applied with 100 % WSF in 12 splits up to 2 months duration from planting which was followed by 8 splits up to 2 months duration. Significant decrease in growth and seed yield was recorded when fertigation applied upto 3 months from planting. The lowest value of growth and seed yield was recorded when irrigation applied by surface method with band placement of conventional fertilizer (347 kg/ha). Higher water use efficiency was obtained in drip fertigation (1.16 kg/ha-mm) and was more than 2.5 times as compared to control treatment (0.41 kg/ha-mm). The total uptake of nutrients, net seasonal income (Rs. 3,00,247 per ha) and B:C ratio (5.94) was also found maximum when water soluble fertilizers were applied in 12 splits up to 2 months from planting as compared to other treatments