{"title":"Maximizing French bean yield, water use efficiency, and profitability using precision drip irrigation and organic mulching","authors":"Shradha Chauhan, Ghanshyam Agrawal, Pardeep Kumar, Anjali Chauhan","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07529-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background</h3><p>Water scarcity poses a significant constraint to agricultural productivity worldwide, affecting crop growth, yield, and quality across various regions. In water-scarce environments, the combined application of drip irrigation and mulching has become a common practice for optimizing water use.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Aim</h3><p>This study aimed to assess the influence of different irrigation levels, based on crop-evapotranspiration (ETc) and organic mulches on the growth, yield, soil properties, and economic returns of French bean in mid-hill region of Himachal Pradesh, India.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>The experiment was conducted using various combinations of drip irrigation levels (100%, 80%, and 60% ETc) and organic mulches, including grass and pine needle mulch, along with a control (no mulch and surface irrigation). Observations were recorded for yield and yield attributes, available soil macronutrients, soil microbial viability, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic performance.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>The treatment I<sub>2</sub>M<sub>1</sub>, comprising drip irrigation at 80% ETc with grass mulch, significantly improved plant height, number of pods per plant, and reduced days to harvest, ultimately yielding the highest production among all treatments. This combination enhanced soil macronutrient availability, microbial viability, and WUE, achieving water savings of 32.26% compared to the control. Moreover, I<sub>2</sub>M<sub>1</sub> demonstrated a favorable benefit–cost ratio (BCR) of 2.45, indicating its economic viability.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusion</h3><p>Drip irrigation at 80% ETc combined with grass mulch proved to be the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for optimizing water use, improving yield, and enhancing soil health. The findings underscore the potential of integrated irrigation and mulching practices in addressing water scarcity, boosting agricultural productivity, and strengthening food security.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"105 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Plant and Soil","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07529-w","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Water scarcity poses a significant constraint to agricultural productivity worldwide, affecting crop growth, yield, and quality across various regions. In water-scarce environments, the combined application of drip irrigation and mulching has become a common practice for optimizing water use.
Aim
This study aimed to assess the influence of different irrigation levels, based on crop-evapotranspiration (ETc) and organic mulches on the growth, yield, soil properties, and economic returns of French bean in mid-hill region of Himachal Pradesh, India.
Methods
The experiment was conducted using various combinations of drip irrigation levels (100%, 80%, and 60% ETc) and organic mulches, including grass and pine needle mulch, along with a control (no mulch and surface irrigation). Observations were recorded for yield and yield attributes, available soil macronutrients, soil microbial viability, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic performance.
Results
The treatment I2M1, comprising drip irrigation at 80% ETc with grass mulch, significantly improved plant height, number of pods per plant, and reduced days to harvest, ultimately yielding the highest production among all treatments. This combination enhanced soil macronutrient availability, microbial viability, and WUE, achieving water savings of 32.26% compared to the control. Moreover, I2M1 demonstrated a favorable benefit–cost ratio (BCR) of 2.45, indicating its economic viability.
Conclusion
Drip irrigation at 80% ETc combined with grass mulch proved to be the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for optimizing water use, improving yield, and enhancing soil health. The findings underscore the potential of integrated irrigation and mulching practices in addressing water scarcity, boosting agricultural productivity, and strengthening food security.
期刊介绍：
Plant and Soil publishes original papers and review articles exploring the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and that enhance our mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions. We focus on the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and seek those manuscripts with a strong mechanistic component which develop and test hypotheses aimed at understanding underlying mechanisms of plant-soil interactions. Manuscripts can include both fundamental and applied aspects of mineral nutrition, plant water relations, symbiotic and pathogenic plant-microbe interactions, root anatomy and morphology, soil biology, ecology, agrochemistry and agrophysics, as long as they are hypothesis-driven and enhance our mechanistic understanding. Articles including a major molecular or modelling component also fall within the scope of the journal. All contributions appear in the English language, with consistent spelling, using either American or British English.
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