Abstract
Pakistan is facing severe water shortages, so using the available water efficiently is essential for maximizing crop production. This can be achieved through efficient irrigation practices. Field studies were carried out to determine the dynamics of soil water and the efficiency of water utilization for maize grown under five irrigation techniques (flood-irrigated flatbed, furrow-irrigated ridge, furrow-irrigated raised bed, furrow-irrigated raised bed with plastic mulch, and sprinkler-irrigated flatbed). Spring and summer maize was grown for two years. The Irrigation Management System (IManSys) was used to estimate the irrigation requirements, evapotranspiration, and other water balance components for this study’s different experimental treatments based on site-specific crop, soil, and weather parameters. The results showed that the flood irrigation flatbed (FIF) treatment produced the highest evapotranspiration, leaf area index (LAI), and biomass yield compared to other treatments. However, this treatment did not produce the highest grain yield and had the lowest water use efficiency (WUE) and irrigation water use efficiency (WUEi) compared to the furrow-irrigated raised-bed treatment. The furrow-irrigated raised bed with plastic mulch (FIRBM) treatment improved grain yield, WUE, WUEi, and harvest index compared to the flood irrigation flatbed (FIF) treatment. The results showed a strong correlation between measured and estimated net irrigation requirements and evapotranspiration, with high r2 values (0.93, 0.99, 0.98, and 0.98) for the spring- and summer-sown maize. It was concluded that the FIRBM treatments improved the grain yield, WUE, and WUEi, which ultimately enhanced sustainable crop production. The growing of summer-sown maize in Pakistan has the potential for sustainable maize production under the semiarid and arid climate.
Highlights
In recent decades, increasing water shortages have begun threatening food security for millions of people because more than 80% of freshwater is used by agriculture [1]
The highest (55.5 USD m−3 ) agriculture water use efficiency in the world was reported in the Netherlands, whereas in Pakistan, it was only 0.2 USD m−3 [5]
The water content in the upper 20 cm soil layer was highest in the furrow-irrigated raised bed with plastic mulch (FIRBM) treatment than the other treatments during both growing seasons
Summary
In recent decades, increasing water shortages have begun threatening food security for millions of people because more than 80% of freshwater is used by agriculture [1]. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2757 countries’ population lives in regions where water supplies are inadequate to meet their agricultural, domestic, and industrial needs [2]. With over 220 million people, if sufficient water supplies are not available for crop production, Pakistan cannot meet its demand for food. With the rising demand for irrigation water for agriculture, the world is facing the challenge of producing more food with less water. This goal can be achieved only when irrigation water utilization is more efficient. The highest (55.5 USD m−3 ) agriculture water use efficiency in the world was reported in the Netherlands, whereas in Pakistan, it was only 0.2 USD m−3 [5]
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