Abstract
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is the leading oil seed crop produced in Ethiopia. It is the second most important agricultural commodity for export market in the country. It is well suited as an alternative crop production system, and it has low crop water requirement with moderate resistance to soil moisture deficit. The low land of North Western Ethiopia is the major sesame producer in the country, and the entire production is from rainfed. The rainfall distribution in North Western Ethiopia is significantly varied. This significant rainfall variability hampers the productivity of sesame. Irrigation agriculture has the potential to stabilize crop production and mitigate the negative impacts of variable rainfall. This study was proposed to identify critical growth stages during which sesame is most vulnerable to soil moisture deficit and to evaluate the crop water productivity of sesame under deficit irrigation. The performance of sesame to stage-wise and uniform deficit irrigation scheduling technique was tested at Gondar Agricultural Research Center (Metema Station), Northern Western Ethiopia. Eight treatments, four stage-wise deficit, two uniform deficit, one above optimal, and one optimal irrigation applications, were evaluated during the 2017 irrigation season. The experiment was designed as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Plant phenological variables, grain yield and crop water productivity, were used for performance evaluation. The result showed that deficit irrigation can be applied both throughout and at selected growth stages except the midseason stage. Imposing deficit during the midseason gave the lowest yield indicating the severe effect of water deficit during flowering and capsule initiation stages. When deficit irrigation is induced throughout, a 25% uniform deficit irrigation can give the highest crop water productivity with no or little yield reduction as compared with optimal irrigation. Implementing deficit irrigation scheduling technique will be beneficial for sesame production. Imposing 75% deficit at the initial, development, late season growth stages or 25% deficit irrigation throughout whole seasons will improve sesame crop water productivity.
Highlights
In recent years, the world has become more complex due to an alarming growing world population and its demand for more food, water, and energy
E grain yield reductions of sesame with stage-wise deficit irrigation when compared with uniform optimal irrigation application are as follows: when the deficit was induced at the initial stage, the yield reduction was (4.0%); when the deficit was induced at the development stage, the yield reduction was (13.3%); and when the deficit was induced at the late season stage, the yield reduction was (8.9%)
Sesame is commonly grown as a rainfed crop in north western part of Ethiopia, but its productivity significantly improved when the crop is cultivated under irrigation. e field experiment revealed that crop phenology, yield component, grain yield, and crop water productivity of sesame significantly affected deficit irrigation treatments at different growth stages and throughout the growth season
Summary
The world has become more complex due to an alarming growing world population and its demand for more food, water, and energy. Because of limited arable land for expanding food production, there is an increase in pressure on natural resources and ecosystem services [1,2,3]. E essential factors in food production that is per capital of cultivated land and fresh water are declining continuously as the world population increases. Fresh water and soil nutrient availability remains globally the most limiting crop growth factors [5]. Increase in threats of fresh water shortage, reduction in arable land, decline in soil fertility, and more frequent and severe drought due to climate variability/change have stimulated research into water saving strategies aiming at producing more “crop per drop” [5, 6]. Realizing the combination of high crop water productivity and improved crop yield is an important element of sustainable development
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