Vol. 12, Issue 8 (2023)

Approximately 42 million hectares of land in India have potential for drip and sprinkler irrigation, with around 30 million hectares suitable for sprinkler irrigation of crops like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and fodder crops. Drip irrigation, on the other hand, can be applied to approximately 12 million hectares of land, benefiting cotton, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, spices, and condiments, as well as some pulse crops like red gram.

The objectives of this research project are to investigate the correlation between irrigation frequency and root development, design a Fertigation unit for the Drip system, and compare the costs and efficiency of organic versus chemical fertilizers.

Fertigation, a method of applying fertilizers through the irrigation water via the drip system, enhances nutrient availability and efficiency, resulting in increased fertilizer use efficiency of 80 to 90 percent. For the root development study, an experiment using containers with clay loam soil mixed with organic fertilizer was conducted. The water requirement estimation utilized the evaporation pan method based on crop and canopy factors. Soil physical properties were measured using core cutter techniques. The design of the Organic Drip Fertigation system consists of several components, including a pump, fertilizer unit, filter, mains, sub-mains, emitters, and connectors. The root container experiment revealed that 60-70% of the roots' dry weight is concentrated in the 0-10cm layer for all irrigation frequencies, with the highest root dry weight observed in the 1-day irrigation frequency. The Fertigation system dimensions can cater to an 18 m² tomato crop field for approximately one week with regular drip line maintenance. In comparison, organic fertilizer offers an average profit of approximately Rs. 6406 per acre.