Growth, yield, economics and water use efficiency of onion (Allium cepa L.) under different micro irrigation systems

Abstract

Selection of the proper irrigation method will be advantageous to manage limited water supplies and increase crop profitability. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the growth, field economics and water use efficiency on onion under different micro irrigation system. This study was conducted in PFDC field, ICAR-CIAE Bhopal. In this study four irrigation methods (Drip, Sprinkler, Perforated pipe and Flood irrigation method) were used. The higher onion yield obtained with the drip irrigation followed by perforated pipe system and the lowest yield was obtained in flood irrigation system. The large onion sized was higher for the drip irrigation method than the other three methods. It was concluded that drip irrigation system gives more yield and increased onion size while using almost half of the water. This was due to drip irrigation system allowing for more frequent and smaller irrigation depths with higher irrigation efficiency.