Evaluation of Irrigation Scheduling Strategies on Partial Nutrient Balance for Tomato Production at Bechet Watershed, Abbay Basin, Ethiopia

Natnael Lakachew Assefa

doi:10.7176/cer/12-10-04

Abstract

Reasonable and efficient utilization of the water and soil resources are viable so as to maximize the production and productivity of the farm land. Unwise utilization of those two most critical resources results on the decline of production and productivity. Managing irrigation water delivered to the irrigation field could able to increase the yield by controlling the nutrient flow system in the soil media. The objective of this study is to evaluate the different water management methods on yield maximization by providing a great attention to the partial nutrient balance system. The study have a brief on the quantification of irrigation water required to a given plot by following technical approach of continues soil moisture measurement using sensor device Time Domain reflect meter (TDR) and through the use of 10 years back climatic historical data from Bahir Dar weather station data. The usual farmers practice have become evaluated and compared with the technical management methods in terms of water demand at each plot and partial nutrient balance pattern. To achieve the comparison, the experimental plots were prepared and grouped in to the three categories. The comparison result shows that usual farmers practice have used more water for some plots and less water for some plots not matching exactly on the requirement level of the crop; less crop yield and more positive partial N balance and negative P and K balance other than the technical management methods. The average partial Nitrogen (N)depletion balance for TDR, CWR,FARM were,-90.6 kg/ha, -151.3 kg/ha and 18.8 kg/ha ; Phosphorus (P) depletion balance were -0.6 kg/ha, -0.5 kg/ha, and – 0.2 kg/ha and potassium(K) depletion balance were; -284 kg/ha ,-270 kg/ha and -97.2 kg/ha respectively. The Average crop yield was 33.2 Mg ha-1; 31.67 Mg ha-1; 20.8 Mg ha-1 for CWR; TDR; and FARM water management groups respectively. The respective average water consumption of CWR, TDR and FARM were 590 mm, 476 mm and 575 mm respectively. Keywords: TDR, WFD, CWR, FARM, Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-10-04 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

Highlights

The Ethiopian farming system depends strongly on rainfed smallholder farm as a means of food and income for its population; virtually all food crops come from rainfed agriculture system (Hordofa et al, 2008)
Results indicate that the farmers apply approximately the right amount of water but potentially not at the right time
Farmers following one of the two irrigation scheduling methods did benefited from the water management in terms of yield

Summary

Introduction

The Ethiopian farming system depends strongly on rainfed smallholder farm as a means of food and income for its population; virtually all food crops come from rainfed agriculture system (Hordofa et al, 2008). Rainfed agriculture products are not sufficient to ensure food security and market demand of the society. Irrigated agriculture is as crucial as it does to provide resilience under variable climatic conditions and to provide agricultural products outside of the main cropping season, ensuring availability of products throughout the year. Irrigated agriculture uses surface water or groundwater to ensure crop production outside of the rainy season or, when supplementary, improves resilience during the rainy season. Systematic application of irrigation water is crucial to ensure efficient utilization of water and other resources (Etissa et al, 2014b). Irrigation application plays a vital role in the water and crop productivity, safe nutrient movement in the soil and sustainable use of land resources (Awulachew et al, 2005, Ali and Talukder, 2008)

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Conclusion