Effect of drip irrigation and NPK fertigation on soil-plant water, productivity, fertilizer expense efficiency and nutrient uptake of capsicum (Capsicum annuum L,.) in an acid Alfisol

The study was carried out at experimental farm of CSK HPKV, Palampur, during 2011 and 2012 with the objectives of evaluating the effects of drip irrigation levels and NPK fertigation on soil-plant water, productivity, fertilizer expense efficiency and nutrient uptake of capsicum. The treatments comprised of (a) three drip irrigation levels vi%, 1.2 CPE-Drip at 120% CPE, 1.0 CPE-Drip at 100% CPE and 0.8 CPE-Drip at 80% CPE, (b) three fertigation levels vi%, 100% NPK, 66.6% NPK and 33.3% NPK of recommended dose of fertilizer and (c) recommended practice (RP)-flood Irrigation of 4 cm at 8–10 days interval and 100% recommended dose of fertilizer. The capsicum cv. California wonder was transplanted during third week of April during 2011 and 2012. The results indicated that 1.2 CPE treatments had higher soil and relative leaf water content, lower aeration porosity, higher marketable yield, B.C ratio and fertilizer expense efficiency in comparison to 1.0 and 0.8 CPE. Increase in fertigation level from 33.3 to 100% RDF significantly increased number of leaves, relative leaf water content, marketable yield and B: C ratio but decrease in fertilizer expense efficiency. Drip based irrigation along with fertigation in general had higher fruit yield but lower B: C ratio in comparison to flood and conventional fertilizer application.