Nitrogen fertigation and arrangement of drip hoses in eggplant cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the nitrogen (N) doses applied by fertigation with a surface and subsurface drip irrigation system in eggplant “Ciça”. The experiment was conducted from August 2017 to February 2018 in the irrigation and drainage area of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, in Dourados city, MS state, Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in a subdivided plot composed of four blocks. In the plots treatments were at doses of N zero, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha-1. In the subplots the treatments were at the positions of the surface drip hose, subsurface at 0.1 m and subsurface at 0.2 m. The evaluated characteristics were: average fruit mass, total productivity, commercial productivity. The higher total productivity was achieved in drip irrigated systems buried at 0.1m surface. Buried irrigation systems demonstrated greater harnessing nitrogen utilization because mitigate the loss of this nutrient what doesn't as occurs on the surface besides providing dripping near the effective root system of the crop.