GROWTH RATES OF EGGPLANT UNDER DRIP AND PULSE IRRIGATION UTILISING BRACKISH WATER

Abstract

Eggplant is a crop moderately sensitive to salinity and its growth and production are compromised by inadequate moisture content in the soil. In the present study, the effects of the application of brackish water via combination of drip and pulse irrigation on eggplant growth were evaluated. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme, with five replications, totaling 80 plots. The treatments resulted from the combination of four forms of water application (drip and pulse throughout the crop cycle, drip in the initial phase followed by pulse in the final phase (reproductive) and pulse in initial phase followed by drip in reproductive) and four levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water - ECw (0.3, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 dS m^-1). The increase in the ECw reduced growth of eggplant, application of water in sequence drip/pulse irrigation promoted a greater leaf area under low salinity water and a greater dry mass of the aerial part even with the increase in water salinity. Although pulse irrigation using ECw of up to 1.5 dS m^-1 favored absolute and relative growth rates in height, leaf area but reduced the stem diameter in comparison to other combinations of irrigation.