Influence of Irrigation and Spacing on Yield Quality Water Use and Economic of Rustica Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.)

Abstract

One of the measures for obtaining higher yield of rustica tobacco, an important nonfood cash crop of North Gujarat, is adoption of optimum plant population under different water regimes to provide each plant an adequate opportunity for CO2 assimilation and dry matter production. To determine the effect of irrigation schedules and spacings on yield, quality and water use, an experiments with rustica tobacco cv. 'GC 2' was carried out in split plot design with four replications during rabi 1996 in loamy sand soil of Sardar Krushinagar. Irrigation schedules (0.5, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.1 IW : CPE ratios) were taken in main plots and spacings (75 cm X 45 cm, 75 cm X 60 cm, 60 cm X 45 cm and 60 cm X 60 cm) in sub-plot. Irrigating the crop at 1.1 IW : CPE ratio (16 irrigations) produced the highest cured leaf and dry stalk yields and was at par with 0.9 ratio (14 irrigations). Spangle score of leaf progressively incerased while total N content of leaf progressively decreased with successive increase in IW : CPE ratios from 0.5 to 1.1. Maximum net realization (Rs. 23,283/ha) and BCR (2.36) were obtained with 0.9 IW : CPE ratio. Among spacings, significantly highest cured leaf and dry stalk yields, highest net realization (Rs. 21,665/ha) and BCR (2.26) were recorded under 60 cm X 60 cm spacing.