Published Paper Details:

Drip irrigation along with fertigation reduces the wastage of water and chemical fertilizers and subsequently optimizes the water and nutrient use by making them available at the point of their use and as per crop demand, which finally increase water and nutrient use efficiency. This modern agro-technique provides an excellent opportunity to maximize yield and minimize environmental pollution such as leaching of nutrients and chemicals by increasing fertilizer use efficiency, minimizing fertilizer application and increasing return on the fertilizer invested.120% recommended dose of fertilizer significantly improved the growth (plant height, number of leaves per plant, average weight of bulb, polar and equatorial diameter of bulb). Whereas, 120% RDF revealed maximum marketable yield and minimum neck thickness which showed good quality parameter. Yield attributes i.e. bulb yield per hectare was maximum with 120% RDF which was statistically at par with other two fertilizer levels. Spacing and fertilizer levels showed significant effect on yield parameter (bulb yield per hectare and marketable yield) and their interaction was non-significant. The maximum bulb yield and marketable yield (q/ha) was recorded with F3S1 (120% RDF with 10 x 7.5 cm spacing) which was statistically at par with other treatment combination, except F2S1 (100% RDF with 10 x 7.5 cm spacing). Combine effect of two factors did not show any remarkable influence on growth parameter (plant height, no. of leaves and neck thickness), yield attribute (average weight of bulb, polar and equatorial diameter) and quality parameter (rotten bulb and TSS).