Effect of Fertigation and Mulching on Seed Yield and Quality Attributes in Okra Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

Water and nutrients are the two most critical inputs to be managed efficiently not only to increase the yield but also to sustain environmental safety and quality. Nutrient management is the most basic factor and is found to exert a great influence not only on growth and yield attributes of vegetables but also for obtaining sustained productivity. Among all nutrients; N, P and K are three most important major nutrients which contribute to proper growth and yield of plants and it also has direct effect on metabolism of plants (Abusaleha and Shanmugavelu, 1988). Method of fertilization also plays an important role in supplying the nutrient to the plants because the efficacy of fertilizers applied in soil being low due to various losses and fixation, mainly in area of problematic soil. Drip fertigation has been well recognized as an efficient and precise method of applying fertilizers directly to the root zone for maximizing productivity and net returns in horticultural crops (Meenakashi, 2002). Burgeoning population and rapid urbanization have boosted the intensive vegetable cultivation in peri-urban areas. In International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 04 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com