Effect of Different Irrigation Levels and Mulching Methods on Performance of Organically Cultivated and Drip Irrigated Papaya

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at research field of Deendayal Upadhyay Centre of Excellence for Organic Farming, CCS HAU, Hisar during the year 2021-22 to study the effect of different irrigation levels and mulching methods on performance of organically cultivated and drip irrigated papaya. The experiment comprised of nine treatments three different irrigation levels viz. 50%, 75% and 100% of crop water requirement and three mulching methods. The results showed that the plant height (238 cm), stem girth (45.93 cm), crown diameter (242.67 cm), number of fruits (42.33), yield per plant (53.80 kg) and total yield (134.50 t ha-1) were observed maximum for meeting 100% of crop water requirement with the application of straw mulch and minimum for meeting 50% of crop water requirement without mulch condition. The soil moisture was found maximum for meeting 100% of crop water requirement with the application of plastic mulch minimum for meeting 50 % of crop water requirement without mulch condition. From the results, it is also observed that the irrigation water use efficiency (59.02 kg m-3) was found maximum for meeting 50 % of crop water requirement with straw mulch and minimum (42.64 kg m-3) for meeting 100% of crop water requirement without mulch under drip irrigation system.