RESPONSE OF CAULIFLOWER ROOT-SHOOT GROWTH PARAMETERS, NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND PRODUCTIVITY TO VARYING DRIP IRRIGATION LEVELS AND FERTIGATION IN WET TEM PER ATE ZONE OF WEST ERN HI MA LA YAS

Abstract

Experimentation was carried out at Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, India during 2010-11 and 2011-12 in cauliflower following factorial randomized block design, replicated thrice with 10 treatments comprising three drip irrigation levels viz., “I1.2 - Drip at 120 % of cumulative pan evaporation (CPE)”, “I1.0 -Drip at 100 % CPE” and “I0.8 - Drip at 80 % CPE”, three fertigation levels viz., “F100 – 100 % of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)”, “F66.6 – 66.6 % RDF” and “F33.3 – 33.3 % RDF” and “Control (IRec) - flood Irrigation of 4 cm at 8-10 days interval and 100 % RDF”. During both the years of investigation the highest magnitude of increase in cauliflower curd yield was registered under treatment I1.2 which gave significant respective increases of 8 and 15 % over I1.0 and I0.8 treatments. As regards fertigation treatments, highest magnitude of increase in above parameter under treatment F100 was to the tune of 11 and 16 % in comparison with F66.6 and F33.3, respectively. The highest magnitude of increase in water use efficiency was registered under drip irrigated treatments which gave significant respective increases of 27% over control. The results indicated that plant height, number of leaves per plant, root growth parameters, relative leaf water content and nutrient uptake were significantly higher with less weed population in drip irrigation than the plants under surface irrigation.