INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION METHODS AND MULCHES ON PEA (PISUM SATIVUM L.) IN BER (ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA) BASED VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM UNDER TROPICAL CLIMATE OF RAJASTHAN

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2009-10 and 2010-11.  The experiment consisted of two methods of irrigation viz. drip and furrow methods and four type of mulching material treatments viz. plastic mulch (black polyethylene-25micron), hessian cloth mulch (50% shade jute cloth), indigenous plant material (laptodoniaspps.@ 10t/ha) mulch and no mulch (control). Method of irrigation, mulching and their interaction had significant effects on growth, yield attributes and yield. Mean yield averaged across the mulching treatments was 18.3 % higher under drip irrigation than furrow method. Mulching improved the yield from 40 to 71.8 % over no mulch treatment. Among the tested mulching materials, the plastic mulch had the highest improvement in yield (71.8 %) followed by hessian cloth (54.1 %) and indigenous plant material mulch (40 %) over no mulch. Interaction effect between drip irrigation with plastic mulch resulted in significant response in growth, yield attributes and yield of pea as compared to all other treatment combinations.  Number of branches per plant, canopy cover and survival percentage of ber was higher in ber + pea cropping system than sole ber.