Drip Irrigation: Will It Increase Yield in Traditional Vegetable Production System?

Abstract

Drip irrigation systems have the highest potential water application efficiency of the irrigation system used in commercial vegetable production. Drip irrigation is a tool to reduce water use, increase fertilizer efficiency, and increase profit, while simultaneously reducing the potential risk to the environment due to enrichment of surface and ground water. This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of Low-Cost Drip Irrigation System (LCDS) on the yield of amaranth (Amaranthus sp.), kangkung (Ipomoea aquatica), yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata), green• bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and katuk (Sauropus androgynous) growth and yield during the wet season. The experiment was conducted in the fanner site in Nanggung, Bogor from January to May 2009. Treatments (with and without LCDS) were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications (each farmer's field as one replication). The result showed no significant response of vegetable yield to the drip irrigation application during the wet season. The experiment should be conducted in the dry season to evaluate the effectiveness of drip irrigation on traditional vegetable production. .