Irrigation Management Strategies for Cultivation of Beetischolar_main (beta Vulgaris) under Saline Vertisols

The experiments were conducted with beetischolar_main (Beta vulgaris) as test crop in saline vertisols of Tungabhadra Project command area in Northern Karnataka, India during 2007-'08 and 2008-'09 in strip plot design with three soil salinity levels (Electrical conductivity, EC - 1.3, 2.7 and 4.3 dS m-1) in main plots and five drip irrigation levels (Evapotranspiration , ET- 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 ) with three surface irrigation levels (0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 ET) in sub-plots adopting three replications. There was significant difference in tuber yield owing to different irrigation regimes by various levels of drip and surface irrigation methods. The highest tuber yield of 19.43 t ha-1 was recorded by drip irrigation at 1.2 ET followed by drip irrigation at 1.4 ET (18.28 t ha-1) as against the lowest tuber yield of 9.98 t ha-1 in surface irrigation scheduled at 0.8 ET during 2007-'08. Similarly, the highest tuber yield of 18.91 t ha-1 in drip irrigation at 1.2 ET and the least yield of 9.6 t ha-1 in the surface irrigation scheduled at 0.8 ET were registered during 2008-'09. The different levels of salinity had marked influence on tuber yield during both the years. Significantly the highest tuber yield of 18.23 t ha-1 and the lowest tuber yield of 11.0 t ha-1 were recorded, respectively in salinity levels- I and III during 2007-'08. Similarly, during 2008-'09 significantly the maximum tuber yield of 17.89 t ha-1 in salinity level-I and the least of 10.5 t ha-1 in salinity level-III were observed.