Abstract
In the coastal zone of the Ganges Delta, water shortages due to soil salinity limit the yield of dry season crops. To alleviate water shortage as a consequence of salinity stress in the coastal saline ecosystem, the effect of different water-saving (WS) and water-conserving options was assessed on growth, yield and water use of tomato; two field experiments were carried out at Gosaba, West Bengal, India in consecutive seasons during the winter of 2016–17 and 2017–18. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with five treatments viz., surface irrigation, surface irrigation + straw mulching, drip irrigation at 100% reference evapotranspiration (ET0), drip irrigation at 80% ET0, drip irrigation at 80% ET0 + straw mulching. Application of drip irrigation at 80% ET0 + straw mulching brought about significantly the highest fruit as well as the marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The soil reaction (pH), post-harvest organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K) status and soil microbial population along with the biochemical quality parameters of tomato (juice pH, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and sugar content of fruits) were significantly influenced by combined application of drip irrigation and straw mulching. Surface irrigation significantly increased the salinity level in surface and sub-surface soil layers while the least salinity development was observed in surface mulched plots receiving irrigation water through drip irrigation. The highest water productivity was also improved from drip irrigation at 80% ET0 + straw mulched plots irrespective of the year of experimentation. Such intervention also helped in reducing salinity stress for the tomato crop. Thus, straw mulching along with drip irrigation at 80% ET0 can be recommended as the most suitable irrigation option for tomato crop in the study area as well as coastal saline regions of South Asia. Finally, it can be concluded that the judicious application of irrigation water not only increased growth, yield and quality tomatoes but also minimized the negative impact of soil salinity on tomatoes grown in the coastal saline ecosystem of Ganges Delta.
Highlights
The cultivated area of the coastal saline zone of West Bengal is 4200 km2
The maximum stem diameter at 45 and 75 days after transplanting (DAT) was obtained in plants receiving drip irrigation at 80% ET0 + straw mulching treatment followed by drip irrigation at 100% ET0 treatment
From the results and discussion of the current study, it can be revealed that application of drip irrigation at 80% ET0 in combination with straw mulching is useful for enhancing the number of fruits as well as the marketable yield of tomato
Summary
The cultivated area of the coastal saline zone of West Bengal is 4200 km. 4% of this can be irrigated with available fresh water in the dry season. The region is, a mono-cropped area with full cropping in the wet season (5–6 months). The lands generally remain fallow during the rest of six to seven months of a year. The farmers of the coastal zone are habituated to follow the traditional cropping systems satisfying their own needs, without thinking of their cost effectiveness, agro-ecological suitability, and sustainability. There is scope to increase farmers’ income by increasing total productivity through judicious repeated use of the same piece of coastal land without compromising soil health
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