Increased and efficient use of nutrients is one of the options for increasing vegetable crop productivity. Among the various factors affecting the production of chillies, the role of fertilizers assumes a greater significance. Taking this aspect into consideration, a field investigation was carried out during 2009–10 at farmer's field of Minnathur village of Pudukkottai district to study the effect of application of recommended dose of N, P and K fertilizers (RDF: 120:20:80 kg/ha.) as water soluble and conventional fertilizers in the proportion of 100:0, 50:50, 25:75, respectively as T1, T2 and T3. The results revealed that the maximum plant height (80 cm), number of branches/plant (18), number of leaves/plant (137), leaf area index/plant (1228), number of fruits/plant (110), fruit length (11.5 cm), fruit weight (8.7 g) and yield/plant (960 g) were recorded in treatment T1 where 100 per cent fertilizer application was done through water soluble fertilizers. The highest benefit cost ratio (1:3.27) was also accrued under treatment T1.
Fertigation, Split application, Water soluble fertilizer, Urea
