Yield and quality response of turmeric (Curcuma longa) under drip irrigation and plastic mulch

Turmeric is an important spice crop and popularly cultivated for high economic return due its multifaceted use in culinary, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.Drip irrigation with mulching proved as excellent method for water conservation along with yield increase in may horticultural crops. Therefore, a study on crop water requirement for turmeric crop was conducted during 2017-2018 at IIT Kharagpur experimental field. The study mainly aimed to determine the optimum water requirement of turmeric crops and the economic feasibility of drip irrigation for turmeric cultivation with or without applying black plastic mulch. Reference evapotranspiration was estimated using the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith equation. The experiment consisted of eight treatments with three replication three irrigation factors (100% irrigation requirement through a drip (DI), 80% DI, 60% DI and conventional furrow irrigation (FI)) and two subfactors of black plastic mulch (PM) and no mulch (NM). The effect of different water and plastic treatments were studied for crop growth, yield, and quality response. The response of the crop to different treatments for the consecutive 2 years showed that 100% DI along with plastic mulch treatments resulted in better growth parameters (plant height, stem girth, functional leaves, corn weight, corn size, and corn yield). The maximum yield was recorded under treatment 80% DI along with PM (16.64 t/ha) with an 85% increase in yield as compared to furrow irrigation (8.99 t/ha). The crop growth response under 100% DI along PM gives statistically at par growth parameters and crop yield. The cost economics of turmeric crop under 80% DI along with PM showed highest gross income (Rs. 1,66,400) and benefit-cost ratio (2.88) followed by the 100% DI with a net profit of Rs. 1,00,347 and B.C. ratio of 2.73. Therefore, it may be concluded that drip irrigation at 80% water requirement wi th black polyethylene mulch can be the best suited moisture conserving technique for turmeric with better yield and economic return at sandy loam soil in West Bengal.