Enhancing water use efficiency and water productivity of maize-onion cropping system

Abstract

Maize is the third most important grain crop in India after rice and wheat with respect to area and productivity. Water is increasingly becoming a major limiting factor for agriculture and hence efficient utilization of available water resources is most important. Drip irrigation system has substantially high irrigation efficiency as compared to surface irrigation method. In order to increase the water use efficiency and water productivity in a single crop, system basis is more important. Present study was conducted during the year 2017-18 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for enhancing the water use and water productivity under maize-onion cropping system. The experimental trial was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. Maize crop was raised during kharif season and onion crop during rabi season. Treatments imposed were drip fertigation @ 50, 75, 100 and 125 per cent pan evaporation and conventional method of irrigation. The results revealed that drip fertigation methods performed better than conventional method of irrigation in maize-onion cropping system. Drip fertigation at 125 per cent pan evaporation regime in maize and onion crops recorded higher grain and bulb yield with a water saving of 29.3 and 28.8 per cent respectively as compared to conventional irrigation method. In both the crops drip fertigation at 100 per cent pan evaporation registered higher water use efficiency and water productivity. Higher net return (Rs 2,48,937) and B-C ratio (3.52) were registered in drip fertigation at 125 per cent pan evaporation followed by drip fertigation at 100 per cent pan evaporation regime.