Effects of Raised Bed Furrow Irrigation and Various Mulching Techniques on the Growth, Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Tomato Cultivation

During the dry season (November to April), a field experiment was carried out at the Agricultural Field Research Center of the Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur. The effects of different levels of irrigation with various mulches were evaluated on the growth and yield of tomatoes. The trial comprised raised-bed furrow irrigation methods with three mulching treatments (i.e. without mulch, black polyethylene mulch and grass straw mulch) and two irrigation plans (6-day and 3-day intervals). The 6 treatments were designed in a randomized complete block (RCB) design in three replicates. In response to the 6-day and 3-day irrigation intervals, raised-bed furrow irrigation, with black polyethylene mulch, resulted in a significantly higher yield (96.46 t/ha and 102.19 t/ha) compared to the effect of no mulch on the yield (77.70 t/ha and 82.04 t/ha), respectively. The use of grass straw mulch (87.15 t/ha and 91.76 t/ha) also resulted in a significant yield, compared to no mulch. All three factors significantly influenced unit crop weight, fruit size at the age of 16, 18 and 20 weeks after transplanting, marketable fruit yield, plant water consumption and water use efficiency. The interaction between raised-bed furrow irrigation, mulching and irrigation schedule had a significant influence on the water use efficiency (WUE) of tomato production. The raised-bed furrow irrigation method in a two-row crop cultivation pattern was statistically equivalent in terms of WUE if it was mulched by black polyethylene and irrigated every 3 days.