Nutrient uptake, soil nutrient status and water use efficiency as influenced by drip fertigation in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

Abstract

Nutrient uptake by plant and nutrient status of soil after harvesting of crop varies markedly under fertigation and soil fertilization. A two year experiment was conducted at Vegetable Research Centre of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India during the rabi seasons of 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 to study the effect of drip fertigation with levels and scheduling on nutrient uptake, soil nutrient status and water use efficiency in broccoli. The experiment was laid out in two factorial randomized block design with one additional treatment consisting of five fertigation levels and three fertigation scheduling along with control (soil application of RDF with flooding) replicated thrice. Increasing the fertigation levels favors in increasing the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake irrespective of the crop growth stage. At harvest, N, P and K uptake by broccoli under fertigation increased by 10.47, 17.39, 12.21% and 18.08, 15.88, 9.96% compared to the soil fertilization in the first and second year, respectively. Fertigation treatment increased the available phosphorus by 11.73 kg compared to soil fertilization. Available potassium content in soil after harvesting of crop depleted when compared to initial value. The consumptive water used for both the years varies between 150 mm and 195 mm under different fertigation treatments as compared to 300–325 mm under traditional method of irrigation. Fertigation treatments registered significantly higher WUE of 78.31 kg ha−1 mm−1 and it was higher by 95.48% over the conventional method of irrigation (40.06 kg ha−1 mm−1).