Analysis of Water Use Efficiency in Zucchini Cultivation under Protected and Open Field Irrigation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15109549Keywords:
Drip irrigation, Polyhouse, Plastic mulch, Shadenet house, ZucchiniAbstract
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) represents a highly polymorphic vegetable from the Cucurbitaceae family that thrives throughout the year in Indian agriculture under protection through both drip irrigation and plastic mulch systems and polyhouses and shadenet houses. The study examines Zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) irrigation water needs in four cultivation settings consisting of open fields and plastic mulch and polyhouse and shadenet house cultivation. This study employs the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith equation with data from 2021-2023 to determine water conservation levels brought about by protected cultivation systems. Plastic mulch cultivation of Zucchini needs only 68% of the irrigation volumes that Zucchini requires when grown in open fields. Water needs decrease up to 30% under polyhouse cultivation as compared to shadenet house cultivation. Protected cultivation methods demonstrate a remarkable ability to optimize water use efficiency, thus helping sustainable agriculture in water-scarce areas with challenging climatic conditions. Research should expand into the full economic and environmental assessment of these methods through studies of various vegetable cultivation and climate zones.
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