Drip Irrigation Systems for Enhancing Input Use Efficiency

Abstract

The drip irrigation system has increased the crop yield compared with conventional irrigation. Irrigation operation uses significant portion of energy in agricultural production. The total inputs energy (MJ/ha) for conventional and drip irrigation systems was estimated as capsicum (7650 and 3051), tomato (6120 and 3243), potato (7140 and 4569), okra (8160 and 4406), cucumber (5100 and 4233), chili (5100 and 4539), pea (4080 and 3100), respectively. The total energy output (MJ/ha) for conventional and drip irrigation systems was estimated as capsicum (1,456,000 and 3,648,000), tomato (1,600,000 and 3,840,000), potato (1,488,000 and 2,316,000), okra (1,028,800 and 1,912,800), cucumber (2,968,000 and 3,576,000), chili (159,200 and 219,200), pea (4,696,000 and 6,192,000), respectively. The drip fertigation resulted in higher crop yields by maintaining the favorable soil environment and higher uptake of major nutrients in vegetable crops compared with granular form of fertilizers. Although the initial investment for drip irrigation system is high, the operational costs for labor use is minimal compared with conventional irrigation. The maximum cost savings (%) with drip irrigation compared with conventional irrigation were possible in capsicum (25), tomato (25), potato (19), okra (13.8), cucumber (15.7), chili (21.8), and pea (19.23).