Optimizing Garlic (Allium sativum) Yield through Irrigation Scheduling and Nitrogen Management

Background and Aim: Efficient utilization of natural resources, such as water and nutrients, plays a pivotal role in enhancing crop yield and overall productivity. This research aims to develop an efficient irrigation schedule and nitrogen and irrigation interaction effect to achieve higher productivity along with water use efficiency in garlic. Place and Duration of Study: To delve into the intricate interaction between water and nitrogen use efficiency in garlic cultivation, a two-year-long experiment was conducted. Methodology: The experiment consisted of twelve treatment combinations, encompassing four distinct irrigation schedules (I0 as the control, I1 with 4 cm irrigation at an IW/CPE ratio of 0.8, I2 at 1.0, and I3 at 1.2) and three nitrogen levels (N0 as the control, N1 at 75%, and N2 at 100% of the recommended nitrogen dose). Results: These treatments were replicated thrice using a factorial randomized block design. Notably, the irrigation schedule I3 exhibited a significant increase in nitrogen use efficiency, consequently resulting in higher garlic yields compared to the control irrigation (I0). Given the substantial difference in bulb yield observed in the I3 level (136.0 q/ha) compared to the control, it can be considered an efficient irrigation schedule for garlic cultivation. Among the tested nitrogen levels, N2 emerged as the most favorable, yielding significantly higher garlic production. The treatment combination of I3N2 recorded the highest bulb yield, boasting a remarkable increase of 64.5% over the control. Conclusion: In summary, this study underscores the effectiveness of the I3N2 treatment combination for achieving robust growth and increased garlic yields while optimizing the utilization of irrigation water and nitrogen resources.