Sub-surface Watering of Tree Seedlings in Arid Regions Using Discarded Plastic Infusion Sets

Abstract

The difficulty of establishing tree plantations in arid regions, particularly on sandy and droughty soils, is a widely faced problem. Insufficient water is freely available in such regions for effective watering of tree plantations with conventional methods. Under such conditions, discarded plastic infusion sets from a hospital were tried for watering and establishing Anjan (Hardwickia binata). This allowed use of a limited quantity of water, in a regulated way as in the drip system, and watering directly in the sub -soil to reduce evaporation loss. Either one litre or half a litre of water was applied per plant this way every alternate day for the whole year, with total consumption of 173 litres and 91 litres of water respectively per plant in the entire year. Growth of these plants was compared with growth of ones subjected to conventional watering with 9 litres applied fortnightly to make 216 litres of water per plant for the period of the experiment. Plant growth even with a half litre treatment on alternate days was far superior to that with conventional watering.