Response of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.) to drip irrigation under mulch and non-mulch conditions

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted on the lateritic sandy loam soils of Kharagpur, West Bengal, India during spring–summer (February–May) seasons for 3 years (1995–1997) to evaluate the economic feasibility of drip irrigation in combination with different types of mulches for an okra crop. Actual evapotranspiration for okra crop was estimated using modified Penman method. The net irrigation volume ( V) was determined after deducting the effective rainfall. The net average seasonal water requirement of crop was estimated to be 665 mm. The effect of three irrigation levels viz. VD, 0.8 VD and 0.6 VD with drip in conjunction with black plastic mulch were studied on biometric and yield response. Effect of two organic mulches (rice husk and rice straw) were also studied with drip irrigation. The results of furrow irrigation either alone or in conjunction with black plastic mulch conditions were compared with drip irrigation in terms of growth and yield of the crop. The study indicated that 100% irrigation requirement met through drip irrigation along with black plastic mulch (VD+PM) gave the highest yield (14.51 t ha −1 ) with 72% increase in yield as compared to furrow irrigation. The net seasonal income, benefit–cost ratio and the yield per unit depth of water used, were found to be highest for drip irrigation with black plastic mulch (VD+PM), drip irrigation alone (VD) and drip irrigation with black plastic mulch (0.6 VD+PM), respectively.