Author(s): RR Nigadi, US Kadam, PM Ingle, ST Patil, HN Bhange and PB Bansode

Abstract: Two field trials were conducted at the Instructional Farm of Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, India, during the two successive Rabi seasons of 2021-22 and 2022-23. The objective of the present study is to investigate the influence of different pulse, irrigation and fertigation levels on number of fruits per vine of muskmelon. The field experiment was arranged in 36 treatment combinations and each treatment was replicated three times using a strip-split plot design. This experiment consists of four pulse levels as vertical factor viz., P₁ - One time per day, P₂ - Two times per day, P₃ - Three times per day, and P₄ - Four times per day with an interval of 30 minutes between two successive pulse levels, three fertigation levels as horizontal factor viz., F₁ - 80, F₂ - 85 and F₃ - 100% of RDF and three irrigation levels as sub plot factor viz., I₁ (0.7 × ETc), I₂ (0.85 × ETc) and I₃ (1.0 × ETc).The results showed that the pulse, irrigation and fertigation levels and their interaction had significant effects with a probability level of 5% on number of fruits per vine, for both years (2021-22 and 2022-23) and pooled data. The highest number of fruits per vine was found in P₄ (2.3, 2.1 and 2.20), I₃ (2.2, 2.0 and 2.1), F₃ (2.2, 2.1 and 2.1), P₄I₃/P₄I₂ (2.4, 2.2 and 2.3), P₄F₃ (2.5, 2.3 and 2.4), F₃I₃ (2.4, 2.2 and 2.3) and P₄I₃F₃ (2.6, 2.5 and 2.6) treatment combinations for the year 2021-22, 2022-23 and pooled analysis, respectively. There was an increasing trend in the number of fruits per vine of muskmelon as the number of pulse, irrigation and fertigation levels increased. As a result, a comprehensive insight helps promote muskmelon production by optimum number of pulse, irrigation and fertigation levels in the Konkan region of Maharashtra state.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i7a.1422