Effect of Irrigation Methods and Fertilizer Application on Growth and Yield Parameters, Yield, Economics and Water Use Efficiency in Groundnut

The present investigation was carried out at Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar, Erode district of Tamil Nadu to study the effect of irrigation methods and fertilizer application effects on growth and yield parameters, yield, economics and water use efficiency in groundnut. The various irrigation methods followed were I1 – Drip irrigation, I2 – Drip fertigation, I3 – Sub surface drip irrigation, I4 – Sub surface drip fertigation, I5 – Sprinkler irrigation and I6 – Conventional method of irrigation as main plot treatments and the various methods of application of fertilizers were S1 – Absolute control (No fertilizer), S2 – Recommended dose of NPK fertilizers through normal fertilizers / Recommended dose of NPK fertilizers through water soluble fertilizers (According to the irrigation treatment) and S3 - S2 + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 imposed as subplot treatments, and the treatments were replicated thrice. The experiment was laid out in strip plot design in a plot size of 15 M2. Application of recommended dose of fertilizers (25: 50: 75 kg NPK ha-1)along with vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 with sub surface drip fertigation recorded highest growth [plant height (49.3 cm); number of branches (7.1) and number of leaves (69.2)] and yield attributes [number of pods per plant (38.2)], yield [pod yield (3271 kg ha-1)] high Benefit Cost Ratio (3.03) and water use efficiency (15.16 kg ha-1. mm) as compared to the other treatments in groundnut (var. VRI 3).