IMPROVING CROPS BY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT AND SOIL CONDITIONERS: A REVIEW

Abstract

Deficit irrigation strategies would require an accurate assessment of growth stage-specific stress tolerances for vegetable crops and optimal water management supported by advanced irrigation systems; i.e., able to promptly cope with crop water requirements at sensitive phenological stages However, in semiarid environments, the fulfillment of leaching requirements significantly limits the possibility of applying deficit irrigation criteria and reduces the WUE in irrigated vegetable production. The adoption of methods to control the level of plant water stress (using soil tensiometers or other soil water sensors or calculation of water balance) can reduce the amount of water applied to the crop up to 53%. Use of subsurface drip irrigation has progressed from being a novelty used only in experimental fields to an accepted method of irrigation for both tree and vegetable crops mentioned that subsurface drip irrigation on lettuce, tomato and sweet corn (Z. mays) has significantly increased yield and WUE in all these crops. Subsurface drip irrigation may increase WUE in semiarid environment under saline conditions by increasing yield. Our research goal is to suggest a framework could be utilized from natural and synthetic materials that could be used as soil and/or plant conditioners to maximize water use efficiency under drought conditions