Effect of Drip-Fertigation Intervals and Hand-Watering on Tomato Growth and Yield

• NUT NARETH

  Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Royal University of Agriculture

• SENG SAMBATH

  Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Royal University of Agriculture

• MIHARA MACHITO

  Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture

Abstract

Irrigation is vital to increase the crop yield or crop productivity. The research was conducted in Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in order to compare the influence of different irrigation intervals and methods on plant development and yield of tomatoes. As replicated three times, the treatments designed in the experiment layout included daily drip irrigation without fertilizer (T₀), daily drip fertigation (T₁), drip fertigation in every two days (T₂), and (T₃) daily hand-watering by applying the same amount of fertilizer before planting. In the study, the quantity of water applied in each treatment was equal to 5.22 m³, or 20.88 m³ as a whole. The chemical fertilizers, 46-0-0 and 20-20-15, were only applied for three treatments (T₁, T₂ and T₃), and the total amount of fertilizers used was 7,662 g, or 2,554 g for each treatment, whereas T₀ was not added with any fertilizer. The result illustrates that T₀, T₁, T₂ and T₃ yielded 10.4 t/ha, 42.25 t/ha, 27.45 t/ha and 29.95 t/ha, respectively. The average numbers of tomatoes in each treatment were 8, 22, 18 and 17 fruits per stem for T₀, T₁, T₂ and T₃ respectively. Moreover, the stem growth rate and diameter growth rate was 63.36 cm and 9.38 mm (T₀), 84.81 cm and 12.03 mm (T₁), 75.96 cm and 10.50 mm (T₂) and 79.33 cm and 11.10 mm (T₃). Based on the experiment, it could be concluded that the application of water and nutrients to meet the crop needs without interrupting irrigation, as seen in T₁, had optimal effects on the growth and yield of tomatoes. Therefore, growers should irrigate crops by focusing on the real crop needs for water and nutrient and should choose drip-fertigation methods, which offers multiple benefits such as providing water effectively, reducing erosion and loss of nutrients in the soil, making the ground slower in density, reducing grass, saving time and water and increasing crop growth and yield.

Journal

• International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development

  International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development 8 (1), 1-6, 2017

  Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation, Research Center

Keywords

• drip-fertigation
• hand-watering
• effect
• tomatoes
• growth
• yield
• fertilizer

Details

• CRID: 1390001288153883136
• NII Article ID: 130007680002
• DOI: 10.32115/ijerd.8.1_1
• ISSN: 24333700
• ISSN: 2185159X
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed