IRRIGATION SCHEDULING AND TECHNIQUES IN POTATO

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IRRIGATION SCHEDULING AND TECHNIQUES IN POTATO
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IMPORTANCE

• Water is the key input in crop production and
  plants take nutrients from the soil in the medium
  through water.
• It also helps maintaining the plant temperature
  and enables the plants to face the varied
  climatic conditions smoothly.
• The irrigation schedule should be such that
  neither plant faces any excessive water stress
  nor there is excess water causing leaching of
  nutrients.

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EFFICIENT IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
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• .

• Management of soil moisture is essential for
  optimum yield under assured irrigation.
• Water from snow melt, rivers and natural springs
  are used for irrigation by gravitational system.

• High wind velocity and low atmospheric humidity
  lead to more evapo-transpiration which increases
  the water requirement of potato crop in the
  region.
• Mulching with 200 micron thick black polythene
  sheet saved about 30 water to the crop. Sandy
  soils required comparatively 20-30 higher number
  of irrigations

• Pre-planting irrigation is beneficial for uniform
  emergence and also increase the duration of first
  irrigation after planting.

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• Normally, first light irrigation is given 20-25
  days after planting and subsequent irrigations at
  12-20 days interval depending upon the type of
  soil and weather conditions prevailing in the
  area.
• During the irrigation, water should not be reach
  more than 2/3 height of the ridges.
• Potato is relatively sensitive to soil water
  deficits. To optimize yields the total available
  soil water should not be depleted by more than 30
  to 50 percent
• Depletion of the total available soil water
  during the growing period of more than 50 percent
  results in lower yields.

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• Water deficit during the period of stolonization
  and tuber initiation and yield formation have the
  greatest adverse effect on yield, whereas
  ripening and the early vegetative periods are
  less sensitive.
• In general, water deficits in the middle to late
  part of the growing period thus tend to reduce
  yield more than in the early part.
• However, varieties vary in their sensitivity to
  water deficit. Some varieties respond better to
  irrigation in the earlier part of the yield
  formation period while others show a better
  response in the latter part of that period.
• Yields of varieties with few tubers may be
  somewhat less sensitive to water deficit than
  those with many tubers.

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• To maximize yield, the soil should be maintained
  at relatively high moisture content.
• This, however, can have an adverse effect when
  frequent irrigation with relatively cold water
  may decrease the soil temperature below the
  optimum value of 15 to 18C for tuber formation.
• Also, soil aeration problems can sometimes occur
  in wet, heavy soils.

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• Since the potato is a relatively sensitive crop
  in terms of both yield and quality, under
  conditions of limited water supply the available
  supply should preferably be directed towards
  maximizing yield per hectare rather than
  spreading the limited water over a larger area.
• Savings in water can be made mainly through
  improved timing and depth of irrigation
  application

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IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

• Water management practices vary from region to
  region.
• Water requirement of Potato ranges from 400-600
  mm depending upon the length of growing season.
  i. e. whether it is a short duration early season
  crop of 110-120 days (as is commonly raised in
  Punjab) or it is a long season crop of long
  duration variety like Kufri Sindhuri which
  extends over 150-170 days, from September to
  March.
• Normally, the early season crop grown in Punjab
  has it growth Cycle of 110-120 days, coinciding
  much its latter growth (tuber development) with
  falling temperature regime of low evaporability
  and its seasonal water needs are moderate

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• High yield realization of Potato, apply
  irrigation immediately after planting which leads
  to proper germination of the crop in general.
• The Potato crop in Punjab should be irrigated at
  7-10 days interval
• The last irrigation should be with held 10-15
  days before harvest to allow the tubers to harden
  their skin before harvesting/digging of potato.

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Light and frequent irrigation is applied as and
when needed in Sikkim. Potato should be irrigated
mainly during 3 stages
DAP- Days After Planting
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METHOD OF IRRIGATION

• Most common irrigation methods for potato are
  furrow and sprinkler.
• Yield response to frequent irrigation is
  considerable because the crop has a shallow root
  system and requires low soil water depletion.
• For example, very high yields are obtained with
  the mechanized sprinkler systems where evapo-
  transpiration losses are replenished each or
  every two days.
• The crop is generally grown under assured
  irrigation. Surface (furrow) irrigation systems
  is widely adopted and irrigation scheduling is
  based on the time interval approach.

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• A fixed depth of water (about 40-50 mm) is
  applied at each irrigation.
• Sprinkler and drip irrigation systems have been
  evaluated and compared with the standard furrow
  irrigation in Indian plains.
• The drip system was most economical followed by
  sprinkler system.
• For the hills, several methods of water
  harvesting have been developed.
• These are used to conserve snow melt water and
  runoff water during rainy seasons to meet the
  water requirements during dry period.

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ASSESMENT

• Excess water causing leaching of
  ------------.(Nutrients)
• Water requirement of Potato ranges from
  ---------- depending upon the length of growing
  season.
• a)400-600mm b)200-400 mm
  c)600-800 mm
• 3. In potato, to maximize yield, the soil should
  be maintained at relatively_________.
• a). Low moisture content b). High
  moisture content
• Most common irrigation methods for potato are
  __________ and _________. (Furrow and Sprinkler).
• The ________ was most economical followed by
  sprinkler system.
• a). Drip system b). Furrow system c). Ring
  basin method

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References

• Smith, 1968 -Potatoes Production, storing,
  processing - The Avi publishing company. INC
• Narendra singh Zakwan Ahmed,2010 Potato
  production , storage marketing.
• www.tnau.ac.in
• www.wikipedia.org

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