Effect of drip fertigation and mulching on water requirement, yield and economics of high density litchi

An experiment was conducted during 2006–08 to study the effect of integrated nutrient and water management under drip irrigation system on fruit cracking, fruit drop and water use efficiency of young litchi orchard. The treatments comprised factorial combinations of two levels of mulch (black polyethylene mulch and no mulch); one level of conventional irrigation and three levels of drip irrigation maintained as 50, 75 and 100% of estimated irrigation water requirement and four levels of fertilizer doses (no fertilizer and 75, 100 and 125% of recommended dose of fertilizer). The seasonal irrigation water requirement at 100% level of estimated crop evaporation under drip irrigation were 2197.4 and 1753.9 l/plant for 5 and 6 years young litchi plants respectively followed by 1648.1 and 1315.4 and 1098.7 and 877.0 l/plant at 75% and 50% level of crop evaporation under drip irrigation. The seasonal irrigation water requirement for the surface irrigation treatment was 3735.6 and 2981.7 l/plant during 2006–07 and 2007–08. The minimum fruit drop and fruit cracking was recorded in treatment MId3F2 (Black polyethylene mulch + drip irrigation at 100% of estimated irrigation water requirement +100% RDF) and the maximum in control (Conventional irrigation +no fertilizer) in both the years. The maximum yield (40.4kg/plant) was recorded in treatment MId3F2 (Black polyethylene mulch + drip irrigation at 100% of estimated irrigation water requirement +100% RDF) with highest BC ratio of 6.52 in 2008.