Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Coconut Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Veppankulam during 2008-2013 to study the effect of different levels of fertilizer application through drip irrigation on growth, nut yield and economics of coconut in the East Coast Region. The experimental result revealed that 100 % dose of recommended NPK (560 g: 320 g: 1200 g / NPK / tree / year) was the best for obtaining higher values of yield attributes and nut yield, in addition to effective building up of soil available NPK. However, considering the economic viability, the fertilizer application through micro-irrigation may be restricted to 75% of recommended NPK dose of 420 g: 240 g: 900 g NPK / tree / year for obtaining sustainable coconut yields.

Keywords: Coconut, Fertigation, Nut yield and Economics