Influence of land configuration, irrigation scheduling, and fertigation levels on vegetative growth and flowering phenology of tuberose (Agave amica Medik.) under drip irrigation

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  • Tuberose (Agave amica Medik., formerly Polianthes tuberosa L.) is one of the most economically important bulbous ornamental crops in tropical and subtropical regions of India, yet its productivity is constrained by suboptimal cultural practices, particularly inadequate irrigation scheduling and imbalanced nutrient management. A two-year field investigation (2022-2024) was conducted at the Water Technology Centre, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (29 degrees 35'N, 77 degrees 10'E; 232 m AMSL), under a semi-arid subtropical climate. The experiment was laid out in a split-split-plot design with three replications, comprising 18 treatment combinations involving two land configurations (raised bed and flatbed), three irrigation regimes based on pan evaporation (50%, 75%, and 100% PE), and three fertigation levels (50%, 75%, and 100% recommended dose of fertilizer). Pooled analysis revealed that raised bed cultivation significantly improved plant height (66.48 cm), leaf length (41.98 cm), leaf width (1.94 cm), and leaf number (82.5 plant-1) compared to flatbed, while also advancing spike emergence and flowering. Irrigation at 100% PE produced superior vegetative growth and earliest spike initiation (98.0 days) and anthesis (121.3 days). Fertigation at 100% RDF resulted in maximum growth attributes and earliest flowering (119.4 days). Economic analysis showed that the raised bed & times; 100% PE & times; 100% RDF treatment recorded the highest net returns (Indian Rupee1,09,400 ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (2.01). These findings demonstrate that integrating raised bed planting with optimal irrigation and fertigation enhances vegetative performance, accelerates reproductive development, and improves economic returns, offering an effective agronomic strategy for drip-irrigated tuberose under semi-arid conditions.