Response of Rabi Sweet Corn to Different Irrigation and Fertigation Levels in Konkan Region of Maharashtra

Sweet corn is one of the most important and versatile emerging cereal crop contributing to economic security of the farmers in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. It is a potential crop in rabi season where irrigation facility is available. An investigation was carried out to evaluate the response of sweet corn to irrigation and fertigation grown in manad soils of Raigad district during the rabi seasons of 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Agriculture Research Station, Repoli, Tal. Mangaon, Dist. Raigad (Maharashtra) with the objective of saving irrigation water and fertilizers. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with fifteen treatment combinations of three drip irrigation and five fertigation levels. A treatment with recommended package of practice for sweet corn was maintained separately as control. N, P2O5 and K2O was applied through fertigation in six equal splits at 15 days interval in all fertigation treatments by using water soluble fertilizers. Analysis of the pooled data revealed that the number of cobs ha-1 (71825) and cob yield (18.86 t ha-1) of sweet corn was significantly higher at irrigation level of 80% ETc, but was at par with irrigation level of 60% ETc. While, fertigation level of 80% of recommended N, P and K recorded significantly higher number of cobs ha-1 (74871) and cob yield (20.87 t ha-1) of sweet corn, however it was at par with fertigation level of 100% of recommended N, P and K. The interaction between the treatments were non-significant except during the 2016-27 season. Based on additional net returns of Rs. 15844 with incremental cost benefit ratio of 0.44 over control, application of irrigation at 80% ETc along with fertigation of 80% of recommended N, P and K through drip may be recommended for growing rabi sweet corn in the irrigated areas of Konkan region in Maharashtra.