Effect of mulching, drip irrigation and fertigation on flowering, physiological and biochemical parameters of nerium (Nerium oleander L.)

Abstract

A study was conducted to study the effect of mulching, drip irrigation and fertigation on flowering, physiological and biochemical parameters of nerium (Nerium oleander L.) at Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Periyakulam in the year 2017. The experiment was laid out in a split split plot design consisting of three factors, viz., factor - I (Black polythene mulch - M1, coir waste - M2 and without mulch - M3), factor - II three levels of drip irrigation (I1- 75 % WRc through drip irrigation, I2 - 100 % WRc through drip irrigation and I3 - 125 % WRc through drip irrigation) and factor - III three levels of fertigation (75 % RDF through fertigation - F1, 100 % RDF through fertigation - F2, 125 % RDF through fertigation - F3 with twenty seven treatment combinations. The results of the study indicated that the treatment M1I2F3 (black polythene mulch + 100 % WRc through drip irrigation + 125 % RDF through fertigation) recorded highest number of inflorescence plant-1and numbers of flowers inflorescence-1, increased chlorophyll content, total phenol content and IAA oxidase activity.