Effect of drip irrigation and micro nutrient mixture on growth, yield and quality of sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt)

Afield experiment was carried out during rabi season of 2010–11 at Devgadh Baria, District Dahod (Gujarat) to study the effect of drip irrigation and micro nutrient mixture on growth, yield and quality of sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt.) cv. ‘Madhuri ’. Irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio produced higher growth and yield attributes, green cob and stover yield and economics of sweet corn. It also recorded the highest green cob (15.12t ha⁻¹) and green stover (20.91 t ha⁻¹) yield, which was at par with drip irrigation at 1.0 ADFPE at alternate day with drip system (14.15 and 19.80t ha⁻¹, respectively). The quality parameters viz. total soluble sugar and total soluble solids were significantly higher with drip irrigation at 1.0 ADFPE over all other irrigation treatments. Application of 20 kg micronutrient mixture ha⁻¹ resulted significantly higher green cob (15.45t ha⁻¹) andstover (19.83t ha⁻¹) yield, total soluble sugar (19.57%) and total soluble solids (16.35). Sweet corn showed 15.7 and 31.8% increase in green cob yield with the application of 10 and 20 kg micronutrient mixture ha⁻¹, respectively, over the control. Net return (` 153.59 thousand ha⁻¹) and benefit: cost ratio (10.14) was also obtained higher with this treatment.