Effect of Drip Irrigation and Mulching on Pigeonpea Productivity

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) MillSp.] is an important legume and commonly known as red gram or arhar or tur in India. It is mainly eaten in the form of Dal. It is a perennial crop of the Fabaceae family and one of the major legume of the tropics and subtropics. India ranked first in the world with 67.28% of total production. Greater attention is now needed to manage the crop because it is in high demand at remunerative price. Thus, there is need to increase production and productivity of pulses in the country by more intensive interventions. Efficient use of available water is the only option to increase production and productivity. Drip and mulching are the most important tool and inputs, which have great influence on the productivity of pigeonpea. To meet out the demand, pigeonpea productivity has to be increased. Drip is the precise application of irrigation water and mulching as moisture conservation technique are a relatively new but revolutionary concept and it helps to achieve higher water use efficiency . Hence, the present work has been taken up to explore growth, yield, economics and water use efficiency of pigeon pea through drip with mulching.