The scarcity of freshwater limits vegetable production in the coastal saline zone of the Sundarbans region. Low-cost, locally available, earthen pots (called pitchers) were tested for irrigation of vegetables along with paddy straw mulching (PSM) for soil water conservation. Field experiments were conducted in successive years (2021-22 and 2022-23) at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Canning Town to increase the use efficiency of scarce good quality irrigation water for vegetable cultivation. The eight treatments consisted of: T1:conventional check basin irrigation with best available water (BAW) with electrical conductivity (ECiw) of 1.27 dS m-1 in 2021-22 and 1.80 dS m-1 in 2022-23; T2: Check basin irrigation with saline water (ECiw: 5.82 dS m-1 in 2021-22 and 4.60 dS m-1 in 2022-23); T3: Check basin irrigation with BAW + PSM; T4: Check basin irrigation with saline water + PSM; T5: Pitcher irrigation with BAW; T6: Pitcher irrigation with saline water; T7: Pitcher irrigation with BAW + PSM and T8: Pitcher irrigation with saline water + PSM. The experiment was conducted in triplicate in a split-plot design with irrigation methods (check basin and pitcher) as main-plots, the combination of water quality (saline and non-saline) and moisture conservation (PSM and non-mulching) in sub-plots. Clay pitchers of 9.75 liters capacity are buried inside the soil, around which seeds of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) were sown. Check basin irrigation was followed as per the treatment. Lowest soil salinity development, higher bitter gourd yield and net return were observed when pitcher irrigation using BAW with PSM was followed. However, during the second year, check basin irrigation with PSM was at par with pitcher irrigation with PSM with respect to yield, net return and benefit cost ratio. The low cost (pitcher) irrigation with PSM was effective for growing vegetable crops with scarce water supplies in farmers' fields in the Sundarbans.

Low-Cost Pitcher Irrigation System with Paddy Straw Mulching for Growing Vegetables in Coastal Saline Soils