Exploring growth, physiological status, yield and water use efficiency of vegetables grown under wick method of irrigation

Decreasing cultivated area and climate variability necessitates adoption of efficient irrigation methods for higher productivity of vegetables. Study was conducted in Kerala State of India on the vegetable crops, namely, chilli, okra and tomato to evaluate the physiological efficiency with mechanistic understanding of plants under wick irrigation method, comparing with conventional irrigation. The crops were evaluated for growth, pigment contents and gas exchange attributes under wick irrigation. Results revealed the efficiency of wick system over conventional irrigation in terms of enhanced growth, significantly ( P