Yield Enhancement through a Low-Cost Irrigation System for Groundnut
V. P. Harini Harishma
Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Vallal Kannan *
Department of Agronomy, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
T. Sampathkumar
Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Sheeba
Department of Soils and the Environment, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The existing irrigation system namely drip and sprinkler adds cost to production. So, an alternate low-cost irrigation system (rain hose irrigation) was compared with other irrigation systems. The study was proposed to find out the optimum soil moisture by selecting a proper irrigation system that supports optimum soil moisture management, enhanced productivity, high water use efficiency, and also involves less cost on production. The treatment comprises different methods of irrigation (drip, sprinkler, rain hose, and BBF) and deficit irrigation (100%, 125%, and 75% of PET) was tested. The results have shown that higher pod yield (3086 kg/ha) and high water use efficiency (11.2 kg/ha.mm) were attained in drip + 100% of PET and drip + 75% of PET. The high B/C ratio was attained in rain hose + 100% of PET and hence, considered as the low-cost irrigation technology for higher profit.
Keywords: Groundnut, alternate irrigation system, rain hose irrigation, B/C ratio, higher profit, economics