1Associate Professor of Agronomy, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Maharashtra
2Head, Department of Agronomy, Post Graduate Institute
3Assistant Professor, Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Dr. Annasaheb Shinde College of Agriculture Engineering
4Senior Soil Scientist, AICRP on Irrigation Water Management Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Marharashtra
5Senior Agronomist, AICRP on Irrigation Water Management Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Marharashtra
Irrigation Water Management Research Farm, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, 413 722
*Corresponding author's Email: vijaymore66@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 11 October, 2017.
The investigation was carried out in the year 2014 and 2015 at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), with summer chilli (Capsicum annum L.)-watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb). Mansf.] crop sequence to evaluate the response of irrigation regimes and fertigation levels under black polyethylene mulch. The experiment consisted of 12 treatment combinations with 4 irrigation regimes 70, 80, 90 and 100% of ETc and 3 fertigation levels 75, 100 and 125% of RDF. The treatments were replicated thrice in split-plot design. Control treatment with recommended package of practice and absolute control with recommended package of practice with no fertiliser for chilli and watermelon were grown separately. Black silver polyethylene mulch of 50 micron was used common to all the treatments, except control. Fertigation of N, P2O5 and K2O was done as per growth stages for both the crops by using water soluble fertilizers. The yield contributing characters of chilli and watermelon were higher in irrigation regime of 100% Etc, but at par with irrigation regime of 90% ETc. Fertigation of 125% of RDF recorded higher yield contributing characters of chilli as well as watermelon, but was at par with fertigation of RDF in case of chilli. Irrigation regime of 100% Etc recorded maximum fruit yield of chilli (42.11 t/ha) and watermelon (43.39 t/ha), and it was at par with Irrigation regime of 90% Etc in case of chilli (41.61t/ha) and watermelon (42.12 t/ha). Fertigation of 125% of RDF recorded maximum fruit yield of chilli (42.79 t/ha) and watermelon (46.38 t/ha) and was at par with fertigation RDF in case of chilli yield (40.34 t/ha). In case of irrigation regime, the maximum chilli equivalent yield (57.47 t/ha) and net monetary returns/ha (11, 37, 000) were recorded with 100% Etc, while in case of fertigation level maximum chilli equivalent yield (59.18 t/ha) and net monetary returns (11, 85, 000) were recorded with 125% RDF.
Chilli, Crop sequence, Fertigation, Irrigation regimes, Mulch, Watermelon
