STUDIES ON IRRIGATION METHODS FOR SMALL ONION

Selecting the proper irrigation method will be more beneficial to manage irrigation in water scarcity areas and in dry lands to achieve the good crop growth and yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth, yield performance of aggregatum onion under different irrigation system. This study was conducted in farmers field at Etchampatti village of Perambalur district. In this study two irrigation methods viz., furrow irrigation and laser spray irrigation (locally called as rain hose irrigation) were evaluated. The higher yield and good quality bulbs (bigger bulb size) were obtained in laser spray irrigation method. The incidence of sucking pest also reduced considerably in in laser spray irrigation method. Based on the growth and yield factors, it was found that in laser spray irrigation method for onion cultivation with of the water compared to furrow irrigation system. This might be due to in laser spray irrigation system allowing for more frequent and shallow irrigation with higher irrigation efficiency. The result might be due to the reasons Viz., 1) Onion is a less water requiring and very shallow rooted crop, shallow irrigation is enough for crop growth 2) It modifies the RH leads to less incidence of tip drying and better vegetative growth leads to better yield 3) Regular sprinkling of water over foliage will reduces the incidence of sucking pest.