Abstract
Northern Buenos Aires (Argentina) is a rain fed agricultural region. Complementary irrigation, which is mainly used in maize crop, requires the contemplation of strategies that minimize the soil solidification risk. The first alternative to mitigate the limited water quality is to perform an irrigation schedule by using the water balance methodology. The BAHICU software, developed in the study region, is a soil water balance model for agricultural systems under irrigation. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the forage production of irrigated and rain fed double crop of silage maize, using the BAHICU software as a tool to make a more efficient water use and to attenuate the adverse effect of the sodium present in the irrigation water. A field experiment was conducted on a clay soil with a sequence of two maizes during the 2015-2016 growing season: short season maize (maize 1) and late sown maize (maize 2). There were two preceding winter crops: ryegrass and oat. Plant height, dry matter (DM) percentage and DM yield were measured. Crop evapotranspiration (ETc) of irrigated and rain fed treatments was obtained from the BAHICU software. Irrigation was applied using a sprinkler system. Irrigation influenced only the yield of maize 2. Water use efficiency (WUE) did not vary with irrigation incorporation. Maize 2 presented higher forage production and WUE than maize 1. An R2 value of 0.82 was found after relating DM yield with maize ETc. The preceding winter crops only influenced the yield of the maize 1. The DM yield was linked to plant height. The irrigated maize 2 was the only treatment that presented an optimal DM percentage for silage conservation. Using the BAHICU software allowed comparing the WUE of the maizes analyzed. Irrigation influenced crop yield but not WUE.
Highlights
The north of Buenos Aires province, in the Argentine Humid Pampa, is predominantly an agricultural region, where crops are grown mainly under rain fed conditions
Given the climatic characteristics of the study area, the greatest water deficit occurs in November, December and January, and irrigation is mainly used in summer crops
Maize has a high potential of biomass production, with a lower water use efficiency (WUE) than other C4 summer crops like sorghum [3,4], which makes it highly sensitive to irrigation
Summary
The north of Buenos Aires province, in the Argentine Humid Pampa, is predominantly an agricultural region, where crops are grown mainly under rain fed conditions. The irrigated area in Buenos Aires province increased 124% between 2002 and 2012 [1]. Given the climatic characteristics of the study area, the greatest water deficit occurs in November, December and January, and irrigation is mainly used in summer crops. Maize is the most irrigated crop in the region due to hybrid seed production. Maize has a high potential of biomass production, with a lower water use efficiency (WUE) than other C4 summer crops like sorghum [3,4], which makes it highly sensitive to irrigation
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