PERFORMANCE OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL DIFFERENT LOCALIZED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND LATERAL LENGTHS FOR EMITTERS CLOGGING AND MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) GROWTH AND YIELD

Abstract

Many parts of the world including Egypt currently suffer from water scarcity. For this reason optimization of the available water has become a necessity not only from the point of limited water resources, but also relative to the growing demand for food. Field experiments were conducted at Experimental Farm of National Research Center, El-Nubaria, El-Buhaira Governorate, Western Delta, Egypt to study the effect of automatic control of the localized irrigation system(LIS) as a modified system on emitter's clogging and maize parameters in new reclaimed lands by using the following treatments: a) Bubbler irrigation systems (B); b) Low head drip irrigation system (LHD), and c) Mini-sprinkler irrigation system (MS) through different lateral lengths (40, 50; 60m). Plants were irrigated every 4 days to compensate ETc and salt leaching requirement took place. The obtained data showed that emitter's clogging percentage could be ranked in the ascending orders: LHD<B<MS for LIS and 40<50<60 for lateral lengths used. The highest emitter's clogging % was 14.25 % recorded under MS and the 10.68 % was recorded at B irrigation system. Emitter's clogging percent of lateral lengths treatments recorded 6.34, 12.27; 18.86 % under 40, 50; 60 m, respectively. Vegetative growth and yield parameters (leaf area, plant height, leaf length, number of leaf plant-1, grain and straw yield) LIS and lateral lengths used could be ranked in the following ascending order: MS<LHD<B and 60<50<40 m for lateral length, respectively. LIS and different lateral lengths, were recommend for planting maize under the treatment LHD X lateral length at 40 m that found to be suitable for high production of grain and straw yield and using either B or MS according to their availability.