Summary:

In the years 2005–2007, experiments on the influence of drip irrigation and nitrogen fertigation on the yield of the carrot, parsley and chicory grown on ridges and on flat ground was carried out. Irrigation water and nitrogen solution was supplied via drip lines, which in subsurface irrigation were placed at a depth of 50 mm below the surface of the ridges, along the centreline between two rows of plants. In the case of surface irrigation, the drip lines were placed on the surface of the ridges between two rows of plants. Irrigation started when soil water po-tential was between -30 and -40 kPa. Nitrogen fertilizers (100 kg.ha^-1) were ap-plied in two doses. The first dose was applied pre-plant, while the second one was delivered by fertigation. In the control treatment without irrigation, the second dose of nitrogen was applied by broadcasting. Both surface and subsurface ferti-gation used in the cultivation on ridges and on flat ground had a significant ef-fect on the marketable yield of carrot, parsley and chicory roots. In case of car-rot and chicory cultivated on ridges higher yield was obtained with surface drip irrigation and fertigation, however in case of parsley no significant differences in the yield between surface and subsurface drip irrigation were found. The yield of non-marketable parsley roots in ridge cultivation was twice as low as that in flat cultivation. Carrot and parsley cultivated on ridges produced significantly longer and better-shaped storage roots than cultivated on flat ground. Surface and subsurface drip irrigation and fertigation decreased dry matter content of carrot, however in case of parsley both cultivation method and fertigation had no effect on dry matter content. Surface and subsurface irrigation and fertigation significantly decreased total N and K content of parsley and total N of carrot.