Subsurface Drip Fertigation Research Articles

Effects of subsurface drip fertigation on potato growth, yield, and soil moisture dynamics

AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the impact of subsurface drip fertigation (SDF) on soil moisture content, potato growth, and tuber yield in loam soils, and compare these results with conventional surface drip fertigation (CF). The focus was on determining whether SDF could improve water use efficiency and yield quality, particularly in water-scarce regions.MethodsThe experiment was conducted during the 2022 spring growing season in Xunyang, Ankang, Shaanxi Province, China. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used with three treatments: subsurface drip fertigation (SDF), conventional surface drip fertigation (CF), and a no-fertilization control (NF), with four replications per treatment. Soil moisture content at a 20 cm depth was monitored, and plant growth parameters such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf color index, and chlorophyll fluorescence index were measured during the flowering and harvest stages. Tuber yield characteristics, including tuber diameter, number of tubers per plant, total yield, and marketable yield, were also assessed.Important findingsThe results indicated that subsurface drip fertigation significantly improved soil moisture content, with up to 45.5% higher moisture retention compared to conventional fertigation, particularly in the early stages of fertilization. This improved moisture availability led to enhanced plant growth and tuber development. Tuber diameter increased by 6.9 mm, and the number of tubers per plant increased by 18.1% under SDF. Marketable tuber yield was approximately 10% higher in the SDF treatment compared to CF. However, the study found that soil texture plays a critical role in the effectiveness of SDF, and further research is needed to explore its application in other soil types.

Effects of phosphorus fertilizer type and dripline depth on root and soil nutrient distribution, nutrient uptake, and maize yield under subsurface drip fertigation

ContextSubsurface drip irrigation can potentially increase nutrient uptake by altering the spatial distribution of nutrients and roots, but the efficiency enhancement potential of different phosphorus (P) sources combined with varying dripline depths still requires further evaluation. MethodsWe established a 2-year field experiment with spring maize in 2021 and 2022 to determine the regulatory effects of three P sources [P1, monoammonium phosphate (MAP); P2, ammonium polyphosphate (APP); and P0, no P] and three dripline depths (D0, surface drip irrigation, 0 cm; D15, subsurface at 15 cm depth; and D30, subsurface at 30 cm depth) on the soil NO3-N, NH4-N and Olsen-P distribution, root distribution, nitrogen (N) fertilizer partial factor productivity (PFPN) and P use efficiency (PUE), and grain yield. ResultsWe found a significant coupling effect between the P source and dripline depth, both of which significantly impacted soil nutrients and root distribution, grain yield, PFPN, and PUE. In P1D15 and P2D15, the highest soil NO3-N and Olsen-P contents were observed at soil depths of 0–30 and 10–20 cm and at 0–30 and 10–30 cm, respectively. Similarly, in P1D30 and P2D30, which were 20–40 and 20–40 cm, and 20–40 and 30–60 cm, respectively. Compared to the other treatments, P2D15 and P1D30 exhibited considerable increases in root length density at the 30–60 cm soil depth of 37∼52 % and 28∼58 %, respectively. Regardless of the dripline depth, P0 resulted in the lowest yield during both growing seasons. P1D30 and P2D15 were found to be the optimal combinations for achieving higher grain yield, PFPN, and PUE, as they were able to achieve a high degree of coordination between soil available N and Olsen-P, as well as root distribution. ConclusionsThe recommended approach for optimizing nutrient and root spatial distributions under subsurface drip irrigation systems involves the use of poly-P fertilizer (APP) in conjunction with shallow dripline depth and ortho-P fertilizer (MAP) paired with deep dripline depth, which provides valuable guidance for co-fertigation practices involving N and P fertilizers.

Sub-surface drip-fertigation and legume residue improved maize yield and nitrogen use

Sub-surface drip-fertigation and legume residue improved maize yield and nitrogen use

Sub-surface drip fertigation of nitrogen coupled with crop residue incorporation enhanced the growth and yield of maize in an alluvial soils

A two-year field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to standardize the N-fertigation schedule and crop residue management in sub-surface drip fertigated (SSDF) maize [Pusa HQPM 1’ improved: double bio-fortified]. The experiment was laid-out in a split-plot design with 3 replications. There were 8 main-plot treatments comprising different N sub-surface drip fertigation levels (0, 50, 75, 100% RDN) with one conventional cultivation of maize, where RDN (150 kg/ha) was applied as per recommendation. Under sub-surface fertigation of N, each dose of N was divided into 3-and 4-splits, for fertigation. Sub-plot treatments included greengram residue (3 t/ha) and no greengram residue incorporation. P and K (60 kg P2 O5 /ha and 40 kg K2 O/ha respectively) fertilizers were supplied equally in all the plots by SSDF. Results revealed that plant height at various stages statistically varied with levels and splits of SSDF-N and crop residue incorporation. The highest plant height and leaf area were recorded with 100% RDN-4S which remained at par with 100% RDN-3S and 75% RDN-4S. Conventional maize cultivation was inferior to ‘RDN100’ and 75%, however on par with 50% RDN. The nitrogen uptake was found significantly superior in 100 and 75%RDN over conventional and control treatments. Similarly, the grain yield of maize was highest under 100% ‘RDN-4’ &3 S, and 75% RDN-4S, which were at par with one another. Overall, it could be concluded that sub-surface fertigation of N not only improved the growth and yield of maize but also helped in 25–50% saving of valuable fertilizer.

Conservation agriculture layered with subsurface drip fertigation influences weed dynamics, weed indices and productivity of rice-wheat system

A three-year field study was conducted to explore the use of Conservation Agriculture (CA) as a cost-effective alternative to conventional tillage (CT) in rice-wheat (RW) systems. Therefore, to minimize the weed menace while sustaining the system productivity, a three-year field study was undertaken with different CA-based practices layered with flooded (FI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). In rice, weed density (WD) in Sc8 {Zero tillage direct seeded rice with residue (+R) and SDI} recorded 72.9% lowered then Sc1 (CT-Puddled transplanted rice) after three years. However, maximum WD (162 m−2) and dry matter (WDM; 772.8 g m−2) were recorded in ZTDSR without residue (-R) with FI (Sc3) during third year which reduced rice yield by ∼37%. In wheat, the WD and WDM of Phalaris minor, Coronopus didymus, Melilotus indica and other species lowered in CA with SDI system (Sc5-Sc8) than CTRW system (Sc1 and Sc2). Lowest weed index (WI) observed with Sc8 during third year, while diversity indices (H’, R, E) increased by 10, 57 and 10% under SDI system than CTW-R scenario (Sc1). CA-system improved productivity by 7.40–37.11% over CTRW systems in weed free (WF) conditions, regardless of residue and irrigation management. Under weedy check (WC), Sc8 was top yielder with yield of 8.32 Mg ha−1. Moreover, sustainable intensification (Sc7-Sc8) improved productivity by 35.2 and ∼52% than CTRW systems in WF and WC plots, respectively. In conclusion, CA+SDI scenarios may be recommended for RW system owing to their system yield enhancement, resource savings and weed reduction advantages.

Effect of high frequency subsurface drip fertigation on plant growth and agronomic nitrogen use efficiency of red cabbage

High emissions of nitrogen to the environment are one of the major drawbacks of modern agriculture. Subsurface drip fertigation (SDF) is a technology to apply fertilizer in small amounts continuously and directly into the root zone with the potential of mitigating deep percolation losses when accurately managed. Our study was established to analyze possible benefits of SDF, i.e. nitrate losses reduction without decrease in yield, as alternative to the conventional application of nitrogen fertilizer. In this five-year field study, effects of SDF on red cabbage (Brassica oleracea) growth, yield, root distribution and nitrogen uptake were evaluated. The experiments took place in northern Germany. Application of fertilizer in a solution with water was managed to match the needs of crops and placed directly in the root zone through permanently buried driplines. The outcomes of crop growth under SDF were compared with a control crop receiving fertilizer at one or two dates by surface broadcasting. Yield and agronomic nitrogen use efficiency were higher for crops grown under SDF. Total dry mass increase was especially high under dry conditions (34%) but as well under wet conditions with efficient management (20%). Head dry mass of crops grown under SDF had a stronger reaction to the available nitrogen than crops under conventional application, with values of 0.19 and 0.1 Mg ha-1 per kg N ha-1 respectively. Moreover, SDF treatment resulted on average ca. 14 kg ha−1 higher nitrogen uptake. In SDF plots, yield formation and nitrogen uptake was higher for plants grown directly above drip lines. Effect of the distance to nitrogen source was supported with numerical simulations. The root structure showed different distributions for the two treatments, particularly in years with low rainfall. Overall, the results showed the potential of SDF to effectively control nitrogen supply, thereby increasing yield formation of marketable plant organs.

Emitter spacing, depth of lateral placement, and nutrient levels affect productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system under sub-surface drip fertigation

This comprehensive two-year field study investigates the transformative potential of sub-surface drip fertigation (SSDF) as a sustainable alternative to traditional surface flood irrigation coupled with manual nutrient broadcasting in the cotton-wheat cropping system (CWCS). The field experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with combination of two lateral depths (25±2.5 and 30±2.5 cm) and two emitter spacings (30 and 40 cm) in main plots and four fertigation schedules [100% Recommended nitrogen (RDN)-112.5 kg N ha−1) and 125%RDN in 10 &14 equal splits (cotton); 100% Recommended nitrogen and phosphorus (RDNP)-125:62.5 kg NP ha−1) and 80%RDNP in 08 & 10 equal splits (wheat)] in sub plots.Two additional control treatments i.e., C1[Surface flood (SF) irrigation with 100%RDN (105 kg N ha−1 for cotton), 100%RDNP (125:62.5 kg NP ha−1for wheat) applied through manual broadcasting] and C2[SSDF at 20±2.5 cm depth, 20 cm emitter spacing, and 100%RDN for cotton(112.5 kg N ha−1) in 10 equal splits, and 80%RDNP for wheat (100:50 kg NP ha−1) applied in 8 equal splits] were also studied.Results revealed an 18.6% improvement in CWCS productivity under SSDF, when cotton and wheat were fertigated with 125%RDN in 14 equal splits and 100%RDNP in 10 equal splits, respectively in comparison to 100%RDN in 10 equal splits (cotton) and 80%RDNP in 08 equal splits (wheat). Furthermore, lateral placement (25±2.5 cm) depth with emitter spacing (30 cm), and fertigation [125%RDN in 14 equal splits (cotton) and 100%RDNP in 10 equal splits (wheat)] improved crop, irrigationand total water productivity indices by 1.3, 3.1, and 2.1 folds, respectively as compared to SF (C1). Moreover, improvednet returns by 18.7–52.0%was also evident with a SSDF of 100%RDN in 14 equal splits and 80%RDNP in 10 equal splits in cotton and wheat.These findings elucidated that SSDF with drip lateral placement at 25±2.5 cm depth, having an emitter spacing of 30 cm, and fertigation of 125%RDN (140 kg N ha−1) in 14 equal splits(cotton); 100%RDNP (125:62.5 kg NP ha−1) in 10 equal splits (wheat) could be a novel water-savvy concept in sustaining the yield and water productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system under arid agro-ecosystems.

Optimizing Sugarcane and Water Productivity Through Surface and Subsurface Drip Fertigation in Subtropical India

Optimizing Sugarcane and Water Productivity Through Surface and Subsurface Drip Fertigation in Subtropical India

Reduced tillage and subsurface fertigation improve productivity and economic benefits in the cotton-wheat cropping system

Soil compaction under repetitive tillage and surface flood method of irrigation (SFMI) are significant hurdles for sustaining crop production in India, necessitating the adoption of efficient soil and water management strategies. Hence, a 3-year field study was conducted at two diverse agro-climatic locations (Abohar and Faridkot) to investigate the impact of subsurface drip (SUSD) fertigation on crop and water productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system (CWCS), over traditional practice (TP) (conventional tillage with SFMI and manual application of nutrients). The experiment was conducted in a factorial randomized complete block design with three levels of subsurface drip irrigation (SUSDI) [100, 80, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] and two fertigation levels [75% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) and 100% RDN], where TP and surface drip (SD) fertigation at 80% ETc coupled with 100% RDN (Control 2), served as two control treatments. Cotton was raised through reduced tillage, while zero till drill was used for sowing wheat. The results revealed that, barring SUSDI at 60% ETc, both crops exhibited improved yield under all drip combinations of reduced or zero tillage over TP. Better mass and higher length of cotton roots in drip fertigation were evident due to improved steady-state infiltration rates (SSIR) and reduced bulk density (BD) under conservation tillage. When 100% RDN was applied, the 100% and 80% ETc SUSDI resulted in 26.7% and 24.7% higher seed cotton yield (SCY) than TP. Similarly, wheat yield with 100% RDN was improved by 10.5% and 14.4% under SUSDI of 80% and 100% ETc, respectively, over the TP. The results indicated that SUSD can be clubbed with reduced tillage for better soil health, improved crop yield, and higher apparent water productivity. The improved benefit to cost (B:C) owing to enhanced monetary returns over TP also substantiated that reduced tillage with SUSD is a viable and remunerative practice for CWCS. The study elucidated that reduced tillage exercised a beneficial effect on physical soil properties by lowering BD and improving SSIR. At the same time, SUSD could save huge amounts of irrigation water besides enhanced input use efficiency leading to higher crop productivity.

Subsurface drip irrigation reduces CH4 emissions and ecosystem respiration compared to surface drip irrigation

Sustainable irrigation expansion is pivotal to guarantee global food security. Fertigation techniques with surface or subsurface drip lines are among the most promising irrigation practices. Yet, the effect of surface versus subsurface drip fertigation on ecosystem respiration (CO2) fluxes remains largely unknown while there is not available information regarding CH4 emissions, even though this knowledge is essential to obtain a comprehensive overview of the carbon (C) footprint of these practices. To address this knowledge gap, a field experiment was set up in a maize (Zea mays L.) crop comparing surface and subsurface drip (buried at 30 cm depth) in combination with four fertilization treatments (unfertilized control, calcium nitrate and ammonium sulphate with or without the nitrification inhibitor DMPP). Our results showed that all fertilized treatments (except the unfertilized control) were net CH4 sources (135–208 g C ha−1). Subsurface irrigation reduced cumulative CH4 emissions compared to surface irrigation by 80% (P < 0.05). Moreover, subsurface irrigation also abated ecosystem respiration fluxes (by 41%, P < 0.05) relative to surface irrigation. Emission peaks of both C fluxes were observed after fertigation events. Our results demonstrate that subsurface irrigation is a water-saving strategy that can contribute to decreasing the net greenhouse gas emissions of irrigated croplands through the abatement of CH4 and respiration fluxes.

Appraisal of complementarity of subsurface drip fertigation and conservation agriculture for physiological performance and water economy of maize

Appraisal of complementarity of subsurface drip fertigation and conservation agriculture for physiological performance and water economy of maize

Sub-surface drip fertigation enhances seed cotton yield and economic returns in semi-arid environments

Sub-surface drip fertigation enhances seed cotton yield and economic returns in semi-arid environments

Evaluation of Soil-N Distribution and Corn Yield in Fertigation Systems

In Korea, field crop yields are steadily declining due to drought though it can be managed through irrigation. To address this problem, irrigation technology using subsurface drip line (SDL) has only recently been developed and distributed in Korea. In this study, fertilizer was supplied through SDL while growing corn on the arable land where SDL were buried. SDL was installed and a venturi system was connected for fertilizer injection. Irrigation and fertigation were controlled by connecting to the control panel. During corn cultivation, soil moisture levels were maintained at 100% and above 100% of the field capacity by soil moisture sensor. Nitrogen amounts and distributions of nitrate contents were measured by distance from SDL. Corn growth and yield characteristics were also measured. As a result, the total amount of nitrogen by distance released from the SDL was uniform, When evaluating the distributions of nitrate contents in the soil released from the SDL, NO3 was spread first to the upper part of the soil (after 1 day). And, after 9 day NO3 was spread evenly over the upper part of the soil rather than leaking to the lower part. It was determined that nutrients could be stably supplied to crops. There was a tendency that weight and diameter of ear during the growth of corn were greater than those supplied with topsoil, and the corn yield was also increased. Subsurface drip fertigation system is expected to have a positive effect on agricultural automation for better agriculture production.Distributions of nitrate content in the soil released from the subsurface drip over time; red dot: location of subsurface drip line, unit of legend: nitrate concentration (mg kg-1) - Each color represents a certain range of values, nday: n day after fertigation.

Sub-surface drip fertigation improves seed cotton yield and monetary returns.

Surface flood (SF) method is used to irrigate cotton in India, which results in huge wastage of water besides leaching of nutrients. This necessitates the adoption of efficient management strategies to save scarce water without compromising the yield. Therefore, a 2-year field investigation was conducted under two climatic regimes (Faridkot and Abohar) to study the effect of sub-surface drip fertigation (SSDF) on seed cotton yield (SCY), water productivity, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and economic parameters in comparison with SF and surface drip fertigation (SDF). The field experiment had a total of eight treatments arranged in a randomized complete block design. Three levels of sub-surface drip irrigation [(SSDI); i.e., 60%, 80%, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] and two N fertigation levels [100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN; i.e., 112.5kg N ha-1) and 75% RDN] made up six treatments, while SF (Control 1) and SDF at 80% ETc (Control 2), both with 100% of RDN, served as the controls. Among irrigation regimes, the SSDI levels of 80% ETc and 100% ETc recorded 18.7% (3,240 kg ha-1) and 21.1% (3,305 kg ha-1) higher SCY compared with SF (2,728 kg ha-1). Water use efficiency under SF (57.0%) was reduced by 34.2%, 40.8%, and 38.2% compared with SSDI's 60 (76.5%), 80 (80.3%), and 100% ETc (78.8%), respectively. Among fertigation levels, NUE was higher by 19.2% under 75% (34.1kg SCY kg-1 N) over 100% RDN (28.6kg SCY kg-1 N), but later it also registered 11.9% higher SCY, indicating such to be optimum for better productivity. SSDF at 80% ETc along with 112.5kg N ha-1 recorded 26.6% better SCY (3455kg ha-1) and 18.5% higher NUE (30.7kg SCY kg-1 N) over SF. These findings demonstrate that the application of SSDF could save irrigation water, enhance SCY, and improve the farmers' returns compared with SF. Therefore, in northwestern India, SSDF at 80% ETc along with 112.5kg N ha-1 could be a novel water-savvy concept which would be immensely helpful in enhancing cotton productivity.

Crop performance and nitrogen use-efficiency in maize under conservation agriculture coupled with sub-surface drip fertigation

A field experiment was conducted in maize under medium-term conservation agriculture (CA) based maizewheat system at BISA-CIMMYT, Ladhowal, Punjab during kharif 2019 to assess the effect of CA+ practices (CA with sub-surface drip irrigation) with variable N doses on maize. The CA+ treatments were residue retained (WR) permanent bed (PB) with sub-surface drip fertigation (PB-SSD): without N (N0), 120 kg N/ha,150 kg N/ha applied in 4-equal (Eq) and differential splits (Df); CA alone treatment includ PB furrow irrigation with 120 kg N/ha (PBWRFurrow- N120); conventional tillage (CT) involved furrow irrigation with 120 kg N/ha (CTWOR-Furrow-N120) and other treatments were residue removed (WOR) PB: PBWOR-without N (N0), with 120 kg N/ha, and 150 kg N/ha applied in four Eq-splits and Df-splits. The findings of the present experiment showed that the numerical value of yield attributing characters were higher under CA+ plots as compared to CA alone (PBWR-Furrow-N120) and CT (CTWOR-Furrow-N120). Biological yield of maize was significantly higher in all CA+ plots as compared to CA alone and CT plots. Highest biological yield was recorded under PBWR-SSD-N150 Df (23.45 t/ha). Highest no. of cobs (72800/ha), no. of grains/cob (605) and cob length (22.61cm) along with dry matter resulted highest biological yield in PBWR-SSD-N150 plots. The grain N content remained statistically similar across all the N management plots, but in case of total N uptake, PBWR-SSD-N150 Df (CA+) plots dominated due to higher biomass. Besides, CA+ based PBWR-SSD-N120 (average of Df and Eq) registered 23-24% higher total N uptake than CA alone (PBWRFurrow- N120) and conventional (CTWOR-Furrow-N120) plots. Improved agronomic N use-efficiency was also recorded under CA+ plots as compared to CA alone (36.4 kg/kg N) and CT (36.7 kg/kg N) plots.

Optimization of N dose in rice under conservation agriculture with sub-surface drip fertigation

A field study was framed in rice crop under conservation agriculture (CA) based rice-wheat system at experimental farm of Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA)-CIMMYT, Ladhowal, Punjab, India during kharif 2019. In the present study, nine treatments were imposed out of which four are CA-based treatments (ZT-N0, ZT-N50, ZT-N75 and ZT-N100), four are CA coupled with subsurface drip fertigation (CA+) based treatments (SSD-N0,SSD-N50, SSD-N75 and SSD-N100) and puddled transplanted rice (PTR) treatment as farmer's practice. The findings of the study showed that PTR treatment out yielded in terms of yield attributing characters and biological yield than other treatments. CA+ treatment (SSD-N100) resulted higher biological yield (2.8%) than CA-based treatments (ZT-N100). SSD-N100 dominated ZT-N100 and PTR treatment in terms of plant N content (both grain and straw), total N uptake and N harvest index. PTR treatment resulted 22-33% higher ANUE than ZT-N100 and SSD-N100 treatments.

Water footprint assessment of surface and subsurface drip fertigated cotton-wheat cropping system – A case study under semi-arid environments of Indian Punjab

The advanced methods of irrigation and nutrient supply may save huge quantity of costly inputs over the prevalent practice of surface flood (SF) irrigation and fertilizer broadcasting in Indian Punjab. Surface drip fertigation (SDF) and subsurface drip fertigation (SSDF) enables the combined application of fertilizer and irrigation for improving the input use efficiency in Cotton-Wheat cropping system (CWCS) over the SF. Though, both SDF and SSDF perform better than SF, but their suitability in reducing the water footprint (WF) of CWCS has been least assessed. Therefore, a 2 yr field study at two distinct agro-climatic zones has been conducted to quantify and compare the WF of SDF and SSDF in comparison to SF for CWCS under semi-arid environments. Results revealed that under SSDF, cotton and wheat crops consumed 32 and 37% lower water than respective SF, indicative of huge water saving over the prevalent practice. Contribution of green, blue and grey components towards total WF under SF was 42, 48 and 10% respectively for cotton, and 24, 59 and 18% for wheat. SSDF application at 80% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) along with 100% recommended dose of nitrogen remarkably reduced the WF without any yield loss for CWCS. Higher total WF for CWCS under SF (5.30 m³ kg⁻1) revealed it to be inferior as compared to SDF (3.71 m³ kg⁻1) and SSDF (3.52 m³ kg⁻1). Cotton alone consumed 65–78% of WFtotal of the CWCS, while the remaining 22–35% was attributed to wheat. A lowered WFtotal for CWCS under SDF and SSDF over that of SF elucidated them to be immensely helpful to conserve limited water resources under semi arid climates. A cropping system based assessment was much reliable option to obtain a clear indicator about the annual WF as compared to single crop based estimation. These results could be utilized to access the performance of alternative irrigation and cultivation systems for developing the WF reduction approach over extended geographical scale.

Managing Fertigation Frequency and Level to Mitigate N2O and CO2 Emissions and NH3 Volatilization from Subsurface Drip-Fertigated Field in a Greenhouse

Agricultural practices such as water and N management can contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fertigation frequency and level are the two most important factors of irrigation scheduling. Proper irrigation management can establish moderate moist conditions throughout the crop growth period in the root zone and reduce GHG emissions and NH3 volatilization. The main objective was to evaluate the possibility of reducing soil N2O and CO2 emissions and NH3 volatilization without crop yield reduction by manipulating the subsurface-drip fertigation (SDF) frequency and level. An experiment was carried out adopting three SDF frequencies, High-Frequency (7-day, HF), Medium-Frequency (8-day, MF), and Low-Frequency (10-day fertigation intervals, LF), and two irrigation levels, 80% (I80) and 70% (I70) of amount in farmer’s common practice (1500 m3 ha−1). Urea, N &gt; 46.2% at the rate of 90% of traditional fertilization level (270 Kg N ha−1) was injected with irrigation water. Results indicated that soil N2O, CO2, NO3−-N, NO2−-N, and water-filled pore space increased with fertigation frequency and an opposite pattern for NH4+-N and NH3. HF significantly (p &lt; 0.05) increased crop yield by 45.1% and 49.2% compared to LF, under I80 and I70 levels, respectively. At the same irrigation level, HF was the optimum management practice. Person correlation analysis showed significant correlations between NO2−-N and N2O, CO2 and soil temperature, and NH4+-N and NH3. The study suggests that HF of SDF with emitters buried at 0.15 m depth helps to keep high Chinese cabbage yield increases GHG emissions, but is not significant, and decreases NH3 volatilization.

Subsurface Drip Fertigation, Irrigation Regimes and Short Duration Pulses on Productivity of Cotton-Maize Cropping Sequence

Fertigation, a latest technology wherein nutrients are applied along with irrigation water. Fertigation opens new possibilities for controlling water and nutrient supplies to crops besides maintaining the desired concentration and distribution of water and nutrients to the soil. Research works on drip fertigation under intercropping situation is very limited. Input information on optimal schedules for micro-irrigation and fertigation to cotton and maize with intercropping of pulses will have to be generated, thus enabling the option of micro irrigation under intercropping situation. The experiment was laid out in split split plot design with three replications. The main plot consists of two irrigation levels viz., 75 and 100 % PE reading, sub plot contains three drip fertigation levels viz., 75, 100 and 125 % and sub sub plot consist intercropping with short duration pulses viz., sole crop of maize/cotton, intercrop with cow pea, blackgram and cluster bean. The result revealed that no significant differences were noticed in number of bolls, boll weight under different irrigation regimes. Among the fertigation level, 125% RDF recorded higher number of bolls plant-1 and boll weight. The cotton equivalent yield of 3860 kg ha-1 with water saving of 24 per cent was accrued under cotton intercropped with blackgram and irrigation regime of 100% PE with application of 125% RDF (150:75:75 kgs NPK/ha) and it was followed by irrigation regime at 75% PE it increased 18.9% cotton yield compared to control (2099 kg ha-1) with water saving of 40.6%. Regarding maize based intercropping system, maize + black gram intercropping with irrigation regime of 100% PE and 100% RDF (250: 75: 75 kg NPK/ha) gave higher maize equivalent yield of 7735 kg/ha. In cotton – maize sequence, intercropping of black gram found to be best suitable system with the irrigation level of 100% PE and 125% RDF (150:75:75 kg NPK/ha) for cotton and 100% RDF (250: 75: 75 kg NPK/ha) for maize is recommended to get higher yield.

Effect of Subsurface Drip Fertigation with Nitrogen on the Yield of Asparagus Grown for the Green Spears on a Light Soil in Central Poland

During the growing period of many agricultural and horticultural plants, the use of fertigation usually increases the yield; however, the response to this treatment may depend on the cultivar. The effect of subsurface drip fertigation with nitrogen on the yield of three asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) cultivars grown for green spears in light soil was studied. The multi-year (2011–2017) field experiment was carried out on sandy soil and was arranged in a split-plot design with four replications. The first factor was the method of fertilization with nitrogen: (1) control—spreading nitrogen fertilization without irrigation and (2) subsurface drip fertigation with nitrogen. The second factor was the genotype (a cultivar) of asparagus—the following cultivars were tested: Ramada, Rapsody and Ravel. Generally, subsurface drip fertigation with nitrogen increases the marketable yield of green spears and the number of spears produced by a single plant, as well single-spear weight. ‘Ramada’ achieved the best results with all yield parameters. A significant correlation coefficient between the sum of rainfall and irrigation rates and yield parameters of tested cultivars was also found. The studies showed a varied response of the tested asparagus cultivars to the fertigation treatment.