Dr. Arun Kaushal Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Applications www.ijera.com ISSN : 2248-9622, Vol. 4, Issue 8( Version 6), August 2014, pp.144-149 www.ijera.com 144 | Page Drip Fertigation in Sweet Pepper: A Review Roma Kumari*, Dr. Arun Kaushal ** *M-Tech Student, Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India-141004 ** Professor, Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, Punjab, India -141004 ABSTRACT Sweet Pepper is one of the most important vegetable crops grown in India. Water has been identified as one of the scarcest inputs, which can severely restrict its growth unless it is carefully conserved and managed. Adoption of modern irrigation technique like drip irrigations is needed to be emphasized to increase water use efficiency and covering more area under irrigation. Drip fertigation is the most effective way to supply water and nutrients to the plants which not only saves water but also increases yield of fruits and vegetable crops. As reported by different research workers of the world, adoption of drip fertigation in sweet pepper results in saving of fertilizer up to 25 per cent, water saving up to 40 percent significant increase in yield, significant increase in water use efficiency and better quality produce. Keywords: Drip irrigation, Fertigation, Sweet Pepper, Water use efficiency, Yield I. INTRODUCTION Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.var. grossum) is commonly known as Capsicum, Shimla Mirch, green pepper, cherry pepper or bell pepper and it belongs to Solanaceous group of vegetables. It is very rich in vitamins A and C. Capsicum is one of the most important vegetable crops grown extensively throughout the world especially in the temperate countries [1]. The crop is very sensitive to environmental factors [2]. Owing to its sensitivity to environmental factors, its yield is affected significantly. Sweet pepper is more sensitive to environment (especially soil moisture and temperature).The plant grows at soil temperatures between 18 0 C and 35 0 C [3]. In India, capsicum is grown for its mature fruits and is widely used in stuffing and baking. It is also used in salad, noodles and soup preparation. The pressure on agriculture is increasing due to population growth in India which has touched 126 Crores thereby creating a need to improve agriculture production which includes vegetables. In vegetable production water and nutrients are the two most critical inputs and their efficient management is important not only for higher productivity but also for maintaining quality. Among the various irrigation methods used for water application, micro irrigation systems particularly, drip method is most efficient and increasingly adopted worldwide. Drip irrigation is an irrigation method that saves water by allowing water to drip slowly to the root of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. Drip irrigation has the greatest potential for the efficient use of water and fertilizers. For minimizing the cost of irrigation and fertilizers, adoption of drip irrigation with fertigation is essential which maximize the nutrient uptake while using minimum amount of water and fertilizer. Proper fertigation management requires the knowledge of fertigation rate and nutrient uptake by the crop to ensure maximum crop productivity. Nitrogen fertilizer (N) is needed for proper vegetative growth of the plants. Deficiencies of fertilizer (N) causes decrease in yields. Phosphorus fertilizer (P) is a must for the normal development of the roots, flowers, fruits and seeds. Adequate phosphorus enhances early fruit ripening. Potassium fertilizer (K) causes plants to mature more quickly, improves its overall quality and fights diseases. Water use efficiency, fertilizer use efficiency and yield are increased by adopting drip irrigation as compared with the conventional methods [4]. II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE A review of drip fertigation effects on sweet pepper is being presented under following sub-heads: 2.1 Effect of drip irrigation on growth and yield of Sweet Pepper 2.2 Drip ferigation in sweet pepper 2.3 Effect of drip fertigation on water use efficiency and fertilizer use efficiency 2.4 Economic viability of drip fertigation 2.1. Effect of Drip Irrigation on Growth and Yield of Sweet Pepper Antony and Singhdhupe [5] conducted study on impact of drip and surface irrigation on growth, yield and WUE (water use efficiency) of bell pepper. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS