Response of Three Barley Cultivars Hordeum vulgare L. to Water Stress Under Field Conditions

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in one of the agricultural fields located in the center of Hilla/Babylon, within latitude 32°31’ north and longitude 44°21’ east. During the season 2021-2022 in a soil with a loam silty texture. The aim of the study is to know the effect of water stress on the yield of green feed and grain and its components and the water use efficiency of the barley crop. A split-plot design with RCBD arrangement was used with three replicates. The irrigation treatments that include the comparison treatment (50% depletion of the available water) were occupied and three water depletion treatments (40, 60, 80%) of the amount of water for the control treatment, the main plot, while the cultivars occupied subplot No significant differences appeared between the control treatment and the irrigation treatment, 80% of the control treatment in the yield of green feed and grains, and thus it was possible to save water by 20% without a significant decrease from the control treatment. The irrigation treatments 80 and 60% showed higher efficiency in using water for grain production than the control treatment. The cultivars showed significant differences in yield, as Bohouth 244 gave the highest yield of feed and grain, and it did not differ significantly from cultivar IPA 99. Also, Bohouth 244 showed the best water use efficiency to produce a larger amount of grain, and it did not differ significantly from IPA 99.