In the coastal zone of the Ganges Delta, water shortages due to soil salinity limit the yield of dry season crops. To alleviate water shortage as a consequence of salinity stress in the coastal saline ecosystem, the effect of different water-saving (WS) and water-conserving options was assessed on growth, yield and water use of tomato; two field experiments were carried out at Gosaba, West Bengal, India in consecutive seasons during the winter of 2016–17 and 2017–18. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with five treatments viz., surface irrigation, surface irrigation + straw mulching, drip irrigation at 100% reference evapotranspiration (ET₀), drip irrigation at 80% ET₀, drip irrigation at 80% ET₀ + straw mulching. Application of drip irrigation at 80% ET₀ + straw mulching brought about significantly the highest fruit as well as the marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The soil reaction (pH), post-harvest organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K) status and soil microbial population along with the biochemical quality parameters of tomato (juice pH, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and sugar content of fruits) were significantly influenced by combined application of drip irrigation and straw mulching. Surface irrigation significantly increased the salinity level in surface and sub-surface soil layers while the least salinity development was observed in surface mulched plots receiving irrigation water through drip irrigation. The highest water productivity was also improved from drip irrigation at 80% ET₀ + straw mulched plots irrespective of the year of experimentation. Such intervention also helped in reducing salinity stress for the tomato crop. Thus, straw mulching along with drip irrigation at 80% ET₀ can be recommended as the most suitable irrigation option for tomato crop in the study area as well as coastal saline regions of South Asia. Finally, it can be concluded that the judicious application of irrigation water not only increased growth, yield and quality tomatoes but also minimized the negative impact of soil salinity on tomatoes grown in the coastal saline ecosystem of Ganges Delta.

The Costal Saline Zone (CSZ) of West Bengal, India is dominated by rice-fallow-fallow system cropping system. Only 4% of the cultivated area of the coastal zone can be irrigated with available sweet water. To cope up with the present situation is introduction of new high value crops to catch the fallow winter period emphasizing on water saving technologies. In this way mono-cropped saline soils of coastal region can be converted into multiple cropping through the adoption of zero tillage potato technology. Soils of the CSZ show multi-nutritional deficiencies and these deficiencies adversely affect the crop. To address this issue, field experiment was conducted in winter season of 2016–2018 in CSZ of West Bengal, India with the focal objectives of studying the feasibility of potato under zero-tilled-mulched condition in CSZ of West Bengal; assessing the effect of foliar nutrient management practices on growth, yield, quality and economics of potato. The foliar nutritional supplementation with 2% Urea at 30 & 50 days after planting (DAP) of potato along with 0.1% Boron at 30 DAP not only increased tuber number and yield but also quality parameters of potato tuber such as TSS, tuber hardness, vitamin C etc. were significantly increased. It may thus be concluded that 2% Urea at 30 & 50 at DAP of potato along with 0.1% Boron at 30 DAP as foliar application is the best foliar nutrient management option for potato grown under zero tillage and mulching in coastal saline soils of West Bengal, India.