Nutrient Use Efficiency and Economics of Salad Cucumber Using Drip Fertigation in Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in naturally ventilated polyhouse with four fertigation levels viz., 110, 100, 90 and 80 per cent recommended dose to determine suitable fertigation dose for salad cucumber under naturally ventilated polyhouse cultivation. Fertigation levels significantly affected (P < 0.05) cucumber yield. Plants that received 100 per cent recommended dose of fertigation (175:125:300 kg NPK ha) showed higher nutrient use efficiency of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (508.93, 712.50, 296.88 kg ha respectively) and recorded significantly higher yield (89.06 t ha) with highest water use efficiency (6167.78 kg ha cm). The economic analysis of cucumber production revealed that 100 per cent recommended dose of fertigation has resulted into maximum Benefit Cost (BC) ratio of 3.42. Both increased and decreased fertigation levels showed almost equal yield which is significantly less than 100 per cent recommended dose.