Effect of deficit irrigation on growth parameters and water use efficiency on garlic

A field experiment in a randomized block design with three replications was conducted during the rabi season of 2021-22 at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, to investigate the “Effect of deficit irrigation on growth parameters and water use efficiency on garlic”. The experiment included 27 treatment combinations applied at different growth stages of garlic: vegetative stage, bulb initiation, and bulb development stage. The garlic crop was subjected to different levels of water stress: no water stress (0.00S), 30% water stress (0.30S), and 60% water stress (0.60S). The soil in the experimental plot was clay with a field capacity of 39.01%, permanent wilting point of 19.08%, and bulk density of 1.28 g cm-³. Treatment T1 (no water stress) recorded the highest plant height, number of tillers, and garlic yield, while the lowest values were observed in the high water stress treatment (T27). Water use efficiency was lowest in the no water stress treatment (T1) at 0.015 t/ha/mm, whereas the highest water use efficiency was observed in high water stress treatments such as T9 and T18, which recorded 0.027 t ha-1 mm-1.