Abstract
<p>Three field experiments were conducted in the plot of Technical Centre for Potato and Artichoke during three cropping season 2009, 2010 and 2011.The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of the partial root-zone drying irrigation technique (PRD) on the dry matter, yield, water consumption and water use efficiency of potato (Spunta Variety). Four treatments were applied from the initiation of tuberisation stage to potato harvesting: FI treatment received 100% of Etc; PRD<sub>80</sub>, PRD<sub>70</sub>, and PRD<sub>60</sub> treatments received respectively: 80, 70 and 60% of FI at each irrigation event and it was shifted between the two sides of the plants every 2 to 10 days. The highest water consumption was observed in FI as 336.5, 376, and 341.8 mm in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, and the lowest was found in PRD<sub>60</sub> as 280.4, 294.5, and 256.1 mm in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. The maximum tuber yield was obtained from the FI as 25.6, 42.9 and 39.1 tha<sup>-1</sup>, in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. There was no significant difference between FI and PRD<sub>60</sub> with respect to tuber yields (LSD 5%).The highest water use efficiency (WUE<sub>Y</sub>) was found in PRD<sub>60</sub> as 13.4 kg m<sup>-3</sup>, in the second experiment (2010) and the lowest was found in PRD<sub>80</sub> as 6.8 kg m<sup>-3</sup> in the first experiment (2009). In the other hand, a linear relation between the accumulated total dry matter and the accumulated water consumption was able to be revealed.</p>
Highlights
More than 9 billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050 with limited land and water resources
This paper aims to evaluate the dry matter, yield, water consumption and water use efficiency of Potato under partial root-zone drying (PRD) in the semi-arid conditions of Tunisia
We observed that the potato daily water consumption (WCpotato) under the four treatments was irregular through the years
Summary
More than 9 billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050 with limited land and water resources. Faced to this challenge; How to boost the productivity in the Irrigated Agricultural Sector? The conventional irrigation (based on the needs of maximum crop evapotranspiration) is used by farmers in the limited water availability conditions or not limited. This irrigation method is classified nowadays as a luxury water use and which can be optimized with or without a decrease in yield (Kang & Zhang, 2004). This concept was primary used by Grimes et al (1968) in the USA
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