Studies on Influence of different Regimes of Irrigations and Fertigation Levels on Growth and Quality Parameters of Cucumber Grown under Protected condition

Author: Yashavantakumar K.H.*, Mantur S.M., Biradar M.S., Rajkumar S. and Hebsur N.S.

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Abstract

One of the major cucurbitaceous vegetable crops grown in subtropical areas of the world is the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). At the Hi-tech Horticulture unit, Agriculture Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, researchers looked at the effects of irrigation and fertigation on the growth, yield, and quality parameters of parthenocarpic cucumber grown under naturally ventilated polyhouse for two seasons in 2019–20 and 2020–21. According to the studies, irrigation and fertigation have a substantial impact on the growth and yield of parthenocarpic cucumbers grown in polyhouses. TSS was high at I1F4 in terms of quality metrics (3.60, 3.50 and 3.55 o brix in first and second season followed by pooled data). In the first and second seasons, which were followed by pooled data, ascorbic acid content was quite high at I2F3 (3.73, 3.75, and 3.74 mg 100g-1). I2F4 (80 percent ETc and 120 percent RDF) had the largest plant height at 90 days after planting, the highest average fruit weight (158.13 g), the highest number of fruits per vine (24.76), the highest yield (18.40 kg m-2) (92.01 q 500m-2), and the highest number of fruits per plant (184.02 t ha-1). In comparison to other treatment combinations, the significant yield was caused by better usage of the water at 80 per cent and the recommended amount of fertilizers by lowering percolation losses of water and reduction in leaching nutrients. We can infer from this study that 20 per cent of the water and energy needed to supply that water can be saved. Hence, drip irrigation under greenhouse cultivation is concentrated to supply irrigation water and fertilizers to rhizosphere through various phases of nutrient demand of a crop. Therefore, keeping in view all the perspectives of protected cultivation and fertigation, the present investigation was framed to study the performance of greenhouse cucumber in varying levels of fertilizer doses.

Keywords

Cucumber, parthenocarpic, polyhouse, fertigation, ascorbic acid

Conclusion

From this study, it is evident that adopting I2F4 (80% ETc with 120% RDF) is most profitable compared to other treatments and 20 per cent of irrigation and energy required to supply the irrigation can be saved , which can reduce the cost of cultivation of cucumber. It was important to notice that by using considerably less amount of irrigation water (20%), the higher productivity was achieved. This was a significant step towards good agricultural practices to get more production by using minimum possible resources in view of suitability which otherwise cause soil health problems like salinity reduced microbial activity, degradation of soil productivity due to addition of high inputs that had been a characteristic feature of greenhouse cultivation. Further, there is a need of mulching studies along with best treatment combination from the present investigation.

References

INTRODUCTION The most popular and economically grown vegetable crop under protected conditions is cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). More people like hybrid parthenocarpic cucumbers. Without pollination, parthenocarpic plants can produce fruit. Parthenocarpic is a beneficial trait for cucumbers cultivated in protected culture systems because pollinators are not necessary in this situation. Cucumbers are collected when they are still developing and before the seeds have fully matured. Cucumbers without seeds are preferred by consumers. Another reason parthenocarpic cucumber plants are recommended for growing in sheltered conditions is because the fruit they produce is seedless. Because of its demand, it is grown throughout the year. It is consumed as salad, sandwich and pizza preparations etc. It is a rich source of vitamin B, carbohydrates, calcium and phosphorous. It also contains iodine and contains a total 4-6% of dry sugars, 0.1% of fat (Rana 2008). The flavor of cucumber is due to two compounds 2, 6-nonadienal and 2, 6 - nonadenol. The pleasant aroma of cucumber is derived from the 2, 6-nandienal with assistance from 2-hexenal. Estimating the crop's water consumption based on evapotranspiration is necessary to create an efficient irrigation strategy (ET). The idea of crop coefficient (Kc) is required because greenhouse crops must be managed differently than outside crops due to changes in plant spacing, crop height (which requires the use of vertical supports), and aerodynamic qualities (Fernandez et al., 2005; Orgaz et al., 2005). According to some researchers, greenhouse crops require less water than crops grown outdoors since the sun radiation is 18 to 20 per cent lower and the wind speed is constrained (Harmanto et al., 2005). This results in lower crop evapotranspiration (Patel and Rajput 2011) potentially; fertigation can lessen the movement of nutrients away from the root zone. This contributes to decreasing the input costs by enhancing the efficiency of the usage of water and fertiliser (Bar -Yosef, 1999; Solaimalai et al., 2005). MATERIALS AND METHODS The goal of the current research is to better understand how irrigation and fertigation levels affect parthenocarpic cucumber performance in naturally ventilated polyhouses. The experiment was conducted in 2019–20 and 2020–21 at the Hi-Tech Horticulture Unit of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. It is located at 15°26'N latitude and 75°70' E longitude, at an elevation of 678 m above mean sea level, in the northern transitional tract of Karnataka State. A Factorial randomized block design with three replications was used to set up the experiment. The first factor consists of three irrigation (I) regimes, I1 (60%ETc), I2 (80% ETc) and I3 (100 % ETc) and second factor is having four fertilizer (F) levels, F1 (60% RDF), F2 (80% RDF), F3(100 % RDF) and F4 (120% RDF),where RDF is 150:75:75 NPK kg ha -1 . Planting was done with a spacing of 45 × 45cm with plot size of 8X1 m. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Tables 1, 2 and 3 present the findings from two years' worth of pooled data. Fruits varied significantly in terms of quality metrics like TSS and ascorbic acid concentration. At lower levels of irrigation regimes, TSS and ascorbic acid contents were high.TSS was high at I1 - 60 per cent of ETc (3.51, 3.42 and 3.46o brix in first and second season followed by pooled data). Fertigation with F4 -120 per cent of RDF showed higher TSS (3.58, 3.48 and 3.53 o brix in first and second season followed by pooled data). In case of interaction effect, highest TSS was observed in I1F4 -60 per cent ETc and 120 per cent RDF (3.60, 3.50 and 3.55obrix in first and second season followed by pooled data). Ascorbic acid content was very high at I3 (3.60, 3.64 and 3.62 mg 100g-1 in first and second season followed by pooled data), fertigation at F4-120 per cent of RD F(3.57, 3.61 and 3.59 mg 100g-1 in first and second season followed by pooled data) and in interaction studies, I2F3 - 80 per cent of ETc and 100 per cent of RDF(3.73, 3.75 and 3.74 mg 100g-1in first and second season followed by pooled data.) recorded higher ascorbic acid. It was due to lesser content in the fruit; hence there may be higher concentration of sugar and total soluble solids. Whereas in case of treatment combinations of fertigation and irrigation I1F4, I1F3, I2F4 and I3F4 had higher values for TSS and ascorbic acid compared to the treatment combinations having higher moisture and less nutrient combinations. It was interesting to note that, TSS content was reduced in the larger fruits that are obtained by higher irrigation levels (Sanders et al., 1989; Aladenola and Madramootoo 2014; Lee and Kader 2000) The highest vine length at 90 DAP (224.86 cm) recorded at I2 (80% ETc), which was comparable with I3 (100% ETc) (224.98 cm). Irrigation at I1 (60% ETc) recorded the lowest vine length (214.69 cm). Where F4 (120% RDF) recorded the highest vine length (242.38 cm), which was statistically superior over F3 (100% RDF) (230.16 cm). Fertigation at F4 (120% RDF) and F3 (100% RDF) realized significantly highest vine length. Interaction effect between irrigation regimes and fertigation levels have no significant effect on vine length. The average fruit weight for irrigation regime I2 (80% ETc) was 150.21 g, which was on par with I3's average fruit weight of 149.95 g. The fertigation F4 (120 percent RDF) had the highest average fruit weight (156.45 g), which was followed by F3 (100 % RDF) at 150.12 g in. I2F4 treatment combinations produced 158.13 g. Average fruit weights of I3F4 157.04 g and I1F4 154.16 g were significantly greater. I3 (100 % ETc) had the considerably highest number of fruits per vine (23.31), followed by I2 (80 % ETc) (23.14), and Fertigation at F4 (120 % RDF), which had the significantly highest number of fruits per vine (23.92). In the I2F4 treatment combination; a significantly larger quantity of fruits per vine (24.76) was observed. The maximum fruit output per vine, 3.90 kg, was produced by I3 (100 % ETc). 4.07 kg was the highest fruit output per vine. The results of the present experiment are in agreement with the findings of Gupta et al. (2014) in capsicum. The treatment combinations of I2F4 (4.14 kg) registered considerably increased fruit production.I3 recorded the noticeably highest yield per square meter (17.31 kg) (100 % ETc). Significantly greater fruit output per square meter was obtained during fertilization at F4 (120 percent RDF) (18.09 kg). Best yield per square meter by a significant margin (18.40 kg) I3 produced the highest yield per 500 m2 (86.56 q/500 m2) (100 % ETc). The maximum yield was obtained when using F4 (120 per cent RDF; 90.44 q/500 m2). The maximum yield of I2F4 treatment combinations was recorded (92.0 q /500 m2). I3 produced the highest output (173.12 t ha-1) on record (100 % ETc). The maximum yield was reported by F4 (120 % RDF) (180.87 t ha-1). The I2F4 treatment combination had a yield of 184.02 t ha-1, which was comparable to that of I1F4, I2F3, I3F2, I3F3, and I3F4, but much higher than that of other fertigation treatments. I1F1 recorded the lowest yield (125.02 t ha-1), nevertheless. The current results are in agreement with Janapriya et al. (2010) and Patil and Gadge (2016), who discovered a considerably higher cucumber fruit production with increased fertigation levels.

How to cite this article

Yashavantakumar K.H., Mantur S.M., Biradar M.S., Rajkumar S. and Hebsur N.S. (2022). Studies on Influence of different Regimes of Irrigations and Fertigation Levels on Growth and Quality Parameters of Cucumber Grown under Protected condition. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(2a): 71-75.