Integration of rain water harvesting and drip irrigation for increasing productivity of lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burmf)

An experiment on integration of rainwater harvesting with drip irrigation to increase productivity of lemon was conducted at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam during 2009 to 2011. Rainwater harvested in plastic film lined pond during Kharif season was utilized to irrigate plants of lemon grown at 3 m x 3m spacing using drip irrigation with three levels during Rabi. Black plastic mulch was used as an additional water saving technique. The irrigation levels tested were 1.0, 0.8 and 0.6 times of pan evaporation (PE) measured by a USDA Class-A pan. Two years old lemon plants were subjected to the treatments for three consecutive years. The harvested water was monitored for yield and quality. Crop yield and quality, water use and economic analysis were carried out. The analysis of year wise as well as pooled data on plant height, canopy diameter, stem girth, and yield in terms of number of fruits per plant revealed that only drip irrigation irrespective of different levels significantly influenced the observed parameters. Black plastic did not significantly influence growth and yield of lemon. The economic analysis revealed that the integration of rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation was a viable option for increasing productivity and quality of lemon fruits at BCR (benefit to cost ratio) of 2.33.