Effect of supplementary irrigation and mulching on vegetative growth, yield and quality of ber

Abstract

Ber is one of the most important fruit crops in arid areas. Though it is drought resistant, its fruit yield is not satisfactory under extreme rainfed conditions. The studies were therefore, conducted to determine the frequency of supplemental irrigation and efficacy of mulching with black polythene and date palm leaves in conserving the moisture and its impact on fruit yield and quality of ber cv. Gola. The treatments comprised of four irrigation intervals (no irrigation, 60, 90 and 120 CPE) and three mulching materials (no mulch, black polythene and date palm leaf) with a total of 12 combinations. It emerged that supplementary irrigation at 60 or 90 CPE from September to November with mulching (black polythene or date palm leaves) significantly enhanced fruit yield by 21.8-43.88% over control. It was concluded that supplementary irrigation at 90 CPE from September to November along with mulching with leaves if available, can be adopted to enhance yield and quality of ber.