Exploring growth, physiological status, yield and water use efficiency of vegetables grown under wick method of irrigation
2021
Chaturvedi, Ashish K. | Surendran, U. | Madhava Chandran, K. | T, Dhanya
Decreasing cultivated area and climate variability necessitates adoption of efficient irrigation methods for higher productivity of vegetables. Study was conducted in Kerala State of India on the vegetable crops, namely, chilli, okra and tomato to evaluate the physiological efficiency with mechanistic understanding of plants under wick irrigation method, comparing with conventional irrigation. The crops were evaluated for growth, pigment contents and gas exchange attributes under wick irrigation. Results revealed the efficiency of wick system over conventional irrigation in terms of enhanced growth, significantly (P < 0.001) higher leaf photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance (10–27%), transpiration rate (11–16%), increased chlorophyll pigment content and nitrogen balance index (NBI), suggesting proper carbon and nitrogen allocation in vegetables grown under wick irrigation method. Similarly, water use efficiency was significantly (P < 0.001) increased in crops under wick irrigation.The study further observed reduction in canopy temperature by 1.86 to 2.84 °C under wick irrigation, indicating uniform distribution of water near the root zone, mediating the optimal transpiration cooling in vegetable crops, when compared to conventional irrigation. The study concludes that wick irrigation maintains the physiological status of vegetable crops and could be a viable option for vegetable production for urban agriculture.
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