Micro irrigation is the frequent application of small quantities of water on or below the soil surface as drops,tiny streams or miniature sprays through emitters or applicators placed along a water delivery lateral line.Micro irrigation technologies are adopted worldwide in wide variety of crops viz, fruits and orchard crops, vegetables, flowers, commercial field crops, tuber & bulb crops, plantation crops, spices and condiments, forestry, nurseries, landscapes etc.Marginal quality waters like saline water and agro- industry effluents are also being used successfully with drip irrigation for raising several crops.This study analyse the economics of drip irrigation in cotton and tomato crops in chithoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India.It makes a comparative economic analysis of drip irrigated cotton and tomato crop with conventional-flood irrigation.The study revealed that in farmers fields adopting drip irrigation crops experienced favourable soil water balance in the crop root zone resulting in optimal soil water plant relations, nutrient availability, improved weed control and in turn contributed to higher yield in cotton and tomato crops over conventional-flood irrigation.

Dr.N.Swaminathan is working as Asst.Professor of Agrl.Economics, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture & Research Institute, Karaikal, India. He has 13 years of experience as teacher & researcher with specialization in Natural Resource Economics, Commodity Futures & Agrl. Insurance.Mr.M.Venkatesh is a Research Scholar in Agrl.Economics.