Drip fertigation improves seed cotton yield, water productivity and profitability of cotton raised under high density planting system in semi-arid environment

The wasteful system of flood irrigation being widely practiced for cotton production in India needs replacement by efficient systems conserving water. Cotton productivity can be boosted optimizing the nutrient and water application through modern resource conservation techniques. Therefore, a field experiment has been conducted during summer (Kharif) season year 2016 2017 to investigate consequence surface drip along with N fertilization on growth seed yield (SCY) under recently introduced high density planting (HDPS) India. having combinations 3 {60, 80 100% crop evapo-transpiration (ETc)} fertigation levels {125 (94 kg N), 100 (75 N) 75% (56 recommended dose (RDN)} control (i.e. conventional practice soil broadcasting urea as RDN i.e., 75 ha-1) complete randomized block design replicated thrice. Drip scheduled at 0.8 ETc recorded 2.5 23.2% higher SCY (2509 than 1.0 0.6 ETc, respectively. Among levels, highest (2452 kg) was observed application, whereas 56 ha-1 least. A combination elucidated 11.6, 61.5, 13.9 %, 42.9 % SCY, use efficiency, nitrogen efficiency benefit: cost ratio control, improved 7.3% over control.