Influence of doses of water soluble fertilizers through drip irrigation on flowering and yield in tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal

Abstract

The experiment was carried out in tuberose (Polianthes tuberose) cv. Prajwal to investigate the effect of water soluble fertilizers (Urea, N:P:K::19:19:19 and N:P:K::13:00:45) with different doses and combination with straight fertilizers (Urea, DAP and MOP) over the straight fertilizer dose with recommended dose of fertilizer of N:P:K::200:200:200 kg/ha at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar during March 2016-January 2018. The bulbs of appropriate size (4.5-5.0 cm length) were planted at spacing of 40 × 40 cm. Fertigation with water soluble fertilizers at the rate of 125 per cent of recommended dose of fertilizers recorded highest plant height (19.80 cm, 31.70 cm and 33.90 cm, respectively) and number of leaves (18.98, 42.82 and 55.69, respectively) at 30 and 60 days after sprouting and at spike emergence. Spike emergence (87.70 days), days to first floret opening (20.07 days) were earliest in T1 (75 per cent of RDF using WSF). The same treatment showed highest spike length (89.27 cm), number of spike per plant (6.30) and spike yield per m2 (39.40). The treatment T4 (100 per cent RDF using WSF) showed maximum vase life (15.10 days) for cut spikes. Whereas the bulb yield per plant (309.87 g) and per m2 area (1,936.67 g) were affected significantly with T3 (125 per cent RDF using WSF). The spike yield increased by 38.47 per cent and bulb yield per m2 area increased by 94.70 per cent over the control.