Application of Drip Irrigation for Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) on Raised Bed
Keywords:
drip irrigation, lettuce, raised bedAbstract
The raised bed is a land area made on the ground then limited by a container. Drip irrigation is
a method of providing water with a low flow rate. This study aims to design a drip irrigation
system for lettuce plants on a raised bed and determine the response of lettuce plants to the
applied drip irrigation method. The research method used is experimental with field
experiments on a raised bed with one raised bed plot. The parameters observed were crop water
requirements, soil physical properties, emission uniformity, water reduction in the reservoir,
pressure head, plant growth, and wet range. The results showed that the lettuce plant's water
requirement was the highest in the middle phase, which was 3.418 mm/day, and the lowest was
in the early stage, which was 1.318 mm/day. The plants needed much water in the middle
period, so the plant growth reached its maximum point during this period. The design
application of drip irrigation was successful at the study site with an EU value of 78.33%, which
is quite good. The total amount of water given to lettuce plants during the study was 80.83 liters.
The results showed that lettuce plants grown using a drip irrigation system on raised beds
responded well. Responded well can be seen in the average increase in plant height reaching
the highest value of 11.58 cm, the average number of leaves being the highest, 7.9 strands, and
the average width of the broadest canopy running 18.28 cm.