Influence of subsurface drip irrigation system on growth and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in scarce rainfall zone of Andhra Pradesh in subtropical India

Abstract

This study was conducted during 2009 and 2010 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, India to evaluate the feasibility of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in vertisols and its influence on sunflower crop under two lateral spacings with two lengths of lateral and two levels of nitrogen. The experimental design was a split split plot with three replications. Laterals, buried at 30 cmdepth in the soil, were set as per treatments, and emitters are spaced 40 cm apart. The experimental results indicated that the SDI with lateral spacing of 150 cm is feasible in vertisols with 75 kg N/ha can be adopted, and length of lateral can be adjusted depending on the layout of the SDI system in the field.