Growth, productivity, leaf nutrient contents and water-use efficiency of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) under drip and basin irrigation system

Abstract

A field trial was conducted during 2005–07 to study the comparative performance of drip irrigation and conventional basin irrigation on growth, yield and fruit quality and water-use efficiency in kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa Chev.). Five Irrigation treatments, viz drip irrigation with ‘V’ volume, 0.8 ‘V’ volume and 0.6 ‘V’ volume of water and basin irrigation at 80% of field capacity and with ‘V’ volume of water were given to 18-year-old kiwifruit vines. The result revealed that drip irrigation with ‘V’ volume of water gave significantly higher vine growth (165.70 cm), fruit size (67.65 mm length and 45.75 mm breadth) and weight (71.45 g) compared with other levels of drip and basin irrigation. Leaf nutrients contents (2.97% N, 0.26% P, 2.21% K and 0.91% Mg) were significantly higher in drip irrigation with ‘V’ volume of water. However, water-use efficiency was found highest in drip irrigation with 0.6 ‘V’ volume of water, besides saving of 25.32% water in drip irrigation with ‘V’ volume of water yielded 16.25% more fruits of better size and quality as compared to basin irrigation. The vines irrigated with ‘V’ volume of water with drip method registered 23.01% increase in shoot growth, 16.52% increase in yield and 13.25% increase in fruit weight over conventional basin method of irrigation.