Fertigation Technologies for Micro Irrigated Crops Performance, Requirements, and Efficiency Innovations and Challenges in Micro Irrigation Series

This new volume addresses the global water crisis by presenting new ways to use irrigation water judiciously through innovative fertigation management. It looks at the research and review work done throughout the world on micro irrigation and the techno-economic feasibility of various fertigation irrigation water management systems.

Taking a multidisciplinary perspective, the chapters look at

• using fertigation to increase the effectiveness of irrigation systems
• crop performance evaluation of various crops under fertigation and irrigation methods
• estimating levels of crop requirements
• scheduling of fertigation and irrigation
• new fertigation equipment and technology
• cost components of the various irrigation and fertigation systems

Part 1: Crop Performance Under Micro Irrigation System 1. Performance of Drip Irrigated Tomato: Water Uptake, Root Distribution, and Quality 2. Performance of Cucumber under Micro- and Mini-Sprinkler Irrigation with Land Slopes 3. Performance of Selected Indigenous Crops under Drip Irrigation in the North-East Region of India 4. Performance of Pointed Gourd under Polyethylene Mulching and Different Levels of Fertigation 5. Effects of Different Nitrogen Levels on Drip-Irrigated Cucumber under Greenhouse Conditions 6. Performance of Sunflower with Different Irrigation Methods: The Coastal Plain Zone of Eastern India 7. Summer Kusmi Lac Production on Drip Irrigated Flemingia semialata Roxb Part 2: Irrigation Requirement Of Drip Irrigated Crops 8. Estimation of Crop Water Requirements 9. Potential Applications of SSAT, AquaCrop, APSIM Models for Crop Water Productivity and Irrigation Scheduling 10. Soil Moisture and Nutrient Patterns under Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation for Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) Part 3: Automation and Fertigation Technologies In Micro Irrigation 11. Automated Drip Irrigation System for Sweet Corn and Cluster Bean: Field Evaluation of Low-Cost Soil Moisture Sensors 12. Fertigation Technology for Horticultural and Field Crops 13. Hydraulic Performance of Drip Fertigation Equipment Part 4: Enhancement Of Irrigation Efficiency 14. Micro Irrigation Developments in India: Techno-Economic Challenges 15. Drip Irrigation Systems for Enhancing Input Use Efficiency 16. Rainwater Conservation and Utilization Techniques: The North-East Hilly Region in India 17. Design of Indigenous Gravity Drip Irrigation System for Efficient Utilization of Harvested Water

Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE, is a Retired Professor in Agricultural and Biomedical Engineering from the General Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez Campus. He has worked as a Soil Conservation Inspector and as a Research Assistant at Haryana Agricultural University and Ohio State University. He was the first agricultural engineer to receive the professional license in Agricultural Engineering from the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico and was proclaimed as the "Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rico for the twentieth century" by the ASABE, Puerto Rico Section, for his pioneering work on micro irrigation, evapotranspiration, agroclimatology, and soil and water engineering. During his professional career of over 52 years, he has received many prestigious awards. A prolific author and editor, he has written more than 200 journal articles and several textbooks and has edited over 85 books.

Lala I. P. Ray, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Soil and Water Engineering at the School of Natural Resource Management, College of Postgraduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Central Agricultural University-Imphal, Umiam, Meghalaya, India. He has worked at the ICARIndian Institute of Water Management on an adhoc project sponsored by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, as a research associate, and as an Agriculture Officer on a project funded by the Department for International Development under the United Nations. At present, he is actively involved in teaching, research, and extension activities at Central Agricultural University-Imphal. Dr. Ray has expertise in principles and practices of water management, soil conservation, and water quality aspects.