Effect of Fertigation Frequency on Growth and Yield of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) under Micro-Irrigation

Abstract

Fertigation is well known for increasing crop nutrient use efficiency, but not much is known about how frequently crops should receive fertigation. The majority of current research focuses on fertigation methods or total fertilizer dosages, but little is known about how fertigation frequencies affect crop growth. In order to assess the impact of varying fertigation frequencies on the growth and yield, a field trial was carried out at the Instructional Farm of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, CAET, Dapoli, Maharashtra. Leafy vegetable spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) was selected for this study in sandy loam soil which had favourable physical and chemical characteristics. Using water-soluble NPK and urea fertilizers, the study used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four replications and seven fertigation treatments (F1 to F7). Treatments ranged from daily (F1: 30 equal doses) to weekly (F7: 4 doses), representing increasing fertigation intervals. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in the statistical study to look for significant differences between the treatments. The findings showed that daily fertigation (F1) performed significantly better than all other treatments, with plant height (35.5 cm), and yield (25.83 t/ha). As fertigation intervals increased, a steady reduction in performance was noted. According to the results, high-frequency fertigation improves nutrient uptake, which boosts production and growth.