SAVING IRRIGATION WATER AND IMPROVING WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN RICE CULTIVATION BY INDUCING GOOD LAND LEVELING AND NEW PLANTING METHOD IN NORTH NILE DELTA, EGYPT

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. during the two successive seasons of 2012 and 2013. The rice cultivar was Sakha 104. The experiment was designed as a split split-plot design with four replicates. Results showed that both submerged depth of 9 and 7cm significantly increased grain yield, plant height, number of panicles/hill, number of tillers/hill, panicle length, panicle weight, 1000 grains weight and seasonal applied irrigation water compared to submerged depth of 5cm (d3), there were no significant differences between submerged depth of d1 and d2. Planting in bottom of beds (M3) significantly increased grain yield by 8.48%, plant height by 4.38%, number of panicles/hill by 8.34%, number of tillers/hill by 10.58%, panicle length by 16.9%, Panicle weight by 6.62% and 1000 grains weight by 6.83%, compared to M1. The highest mean values of grain yield (12.51 ton ha-1), plant height (113cm), No. of panicles/hill (31), No. of tillers/hill (32), panicle length (28cm), panicle weight (2.98 gm) and 1000 grain weight (30.91 gm) were obtained from interaction between (L2 x M3 x d2). Average amounts of the applied irrigation water were 13885, 11519 and 8919 m3/ha-1, for (M1), (M2) and (M3), respectively. According the highest mean values of productivity of irrigation water (PIW) (1.480 kg grain m-3) was obtained from combination between (L2 x M3 x d3), So, method of (M3) saved about 35.8% of the irrigation water applied and increased productivity of irrigation water (PIW) by 13% compared to (M1).Therefore, method of planting in bottom of beds could be recommended for planting rice crop under laser leveling in North Delta Egypt. Abbreviations: Productivity of irrigation water (PIW), land leveling (L), Planting method (M) and irrigation water depth (d).