Irrigation Cutoff Research Articles

Reducing nitrogen and deficit irrigation is a practical solution for optimal forage barley production in semi-arid cropping systems

Given the scarcity of arable land and water resources in semi-arid regions, it becomes imperative to achieve maximum yield and early maturity for winter grains. In this regard, the present research was conducted to synchronize grain and shoot maturity in high-yielding barley (cv. Behrokh) by reducing nitrogen and deficit irrigation. The experimental factors included three levels of nitrogen (50, 75, and 100% plant nitrogen requirement; PNR) and three levels of irrigation (full irrigation, cutoff irrigation in the milk stage, and dough stage). Results showed that cutoff irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer caused early ripening. The interactions of irrigation and nitrogen were significant for the number of grains/spike, grain yield, straw yield, aboveground biomass, and protein yield. Grain yield in cutoff irrigation in the dough stage plus reducing 25% PNR was similar to full irrigation plus 100% PNR. In full and cutoff irrigation in the dough stage, reducing 25% PNR did not cause a significant change in straw yield. Cutoff irrigation in the dough and milk stages did not cause a significant difference in the grain protein content. In general, it is concluded that to maintain grain, straw yield, and protein quality, it is more appropriate to use 150 kg/ha of nitrogen in the conditions of cutoff irrigation in the dough stage, which could reduce the cost of fertilizer and water in addition to early ripening of the crop and minimize the environmental consequences of consuming these inputs. Early harvesting of barley also helps to prevent summer crops from encountering late-season chilling.

Canola Response to Alternate Furrow and cut-off Irrigation Combined with Bio-Mineral Fertilizer Applications at North Delta Region

Canola Response to Alternate Furrow and cut-off Irrigation Combined with Bio-Mineral Fertilizer Applications at North Delta Region

Cost-centric innovations to address Water-Agriculture nexus challenges in Egypt: Research Status Analysis

High costs associated with technology adoption can be a barrier against the improvement of water use in agriculture. Therefore, interventions must be not only technically feasible but also financially affordable and accessible to farmers. To understand the current situation of research in lowcost (and cost-effective) water solutions for effective management of agricultural water challenges in Egypt. A total of 19 peer-reviewed papers were obtained from systematic research on various databases, the employed keywords are: “Egypt” AND “irrigation” AND “low cost” OR “low-cost” OR “cost-effective” OR “cost-effective”. Based on the analysis of the selected studies, many low-cost technologies and techniques are applied in the Egyptian Delta on-farm levels, such as using low-cost soil moisture sensors attached to a smart monitoring unit operated by Solar Photo Voltaic Cells (SPVC), wireless sensor network in cultivating the potato crop, flexible on-field irrigation, cut-off irrigation, and Pressurized Irrigation Systems. The proposed solutions can help improve water use efficiency, increase crop yields, reduce the cost of irrigation, improve the quality of irrigation water, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. The economic analyses and feasibility studies presented in these papers provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in making informed decisions about water use and agricultural practices.

Effect of Cut-Off Irrigation levels on Production of Teosinte Forage Crop in Clay Soil

The present study was carried out at Sakha Agricultural Research Station (clay soils) middle north of Nile Delta area during summer seasons 2021 and 2022 in randomized complete block design with three replications. The objective of this research was to find out the response of yield, water saving and some water functions for teosinte forage crop to cut-off surface irrigation owing to produce " more per less”. Three irrigation levels were executed; 100% i.e., full irrigation, 90% cut-off irrigation and 80% cut-off irrigation. The mean performances of plant height, fresh and dry forage yields in the two seasons and combined are significantly affected by irrigation levels applied, whereas normal or control treatment with100% irrigation i.e., no cut-off (Trt. A) has the tallest of plant height. On the other hand, the low irrigation level with 80% cut-off (Trt. C) has the shortest plants at the three cuts. Also, traits reduced with the decrease of irrigation water level at the three cuts. Both fresh and dry forage yields are severely decreased when plants irrigated by 80% cut-off. Decreasing the irrigation water level than the commonly controlled of 100% without cut-off (Trt.A) markedly reduced all studied growth characters at the three cuts. The inhibiting effect of the water deficit stress on the studied parameters notably appeared more pronounced under the 80% cut-off than that of 90% .The obtained results may refer to that decreasing the irrigation water lowered the soil moisture content which restricted the mobility of nutrients to plant that would reduce the efficiency of physiological and metabolic processes needed for plant growth. Regarding water relations, irrigation with 90% cut-off resulted in several advantages; almost same yield as obtained under full irrigation, 10% water saving as well as the highest values of crop-water functions of water productivity (WP) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW). The mean values of fresh forage yield of 100% irrigation levels recorded 610 and 685 Kg/strip with compared to 585 and 655kg/strip for 90 %irrigation treatment at first and second cuts, respectively in the first season.

CanopyCAM – an edge-computing sensing unit for continuous measurement of canopy cover percentage of dry edible beans

Canopy cover (CC) is an important indicator for crop development. Currently, CC can be estimated indirectly by measuring leaf area index (LAI) using commercially available hand-held meters. However, it does not capture the dynamics of CC. Continuous CC monitoring is essential for dry edible beans production since it can affect crop water use, weed, and disease control. It also helps growers to closely monitor “yellowness”, or senescence of dry beans to decide proper irrigation cutoff timing to allow the crop to dry down for harvest. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a device – CanopyCAM, containing software and hardware that can monitor dry bean CC continuously. CanopyCAM utilized an in-house developed image-based algorithm, edge-computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) telemetry to process and transmit CC in real-time. In the 2021 growing season, six CanopyCAMs were developed with three installed in fully irrigated dry edible beans research plots and three installed at commercial farm fields, respectively. CC measurements were recorded at 15 min interval from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm in each day. Initially, the overall trend of CC development increased over time but fluctuations in daily readings were noticed due to changing lighting conditions which caused some overexposed images. A simple filtering algorithm was developed to remove the “noisy images”. CanopyCAM measured CC (CCCanopyCAM) were compared with CC obtained from a LI-COR Plant Canopy Analyzer (CCLAI). The average error between CCCanopyCAM and CCLAI was 2.3 %, and RMSE and R2 were 2.95 % and 0.99, respectively. In addition, maximum CC (CCmax) and duration of the maximum CC (tmax_canopy) were identified at each installation location using the generalized reduced gradient (CRG) algorithm with nonlinear optimization. An improvement of correlation was found between dry bean yield and combination of CCmax and tmax_canopy (R2 = 0.77, Adjusted R2 = 0.62) as compared to yield versus CCmax (R2 = 0.58) or yield versus tmax_canopy (R2 = 0.45) only. This edge-computing, IoT enabled CanopyCAM, provided accurate and continuous CC readings for dry edible beans which could be used by growers and researchers for different purposes.

Foliar salicylic acid application to mitigate the effect of drought stress on isabgol (Plantago ovata forssk)

The aim of this study was to identify the effect of drought stress on physiological and biochemical characteristics of isabgol and to clarify whether the foliar application of salicylic acid is able to mitigate the stress impacts. This study was carried out as a factorial field experiments at Gonbad Kavous, north-eastern Iran during the growing seasons of 2016 and 2017.The treatments were 3 regimes of irrigation, namely irrigation every week throughout the growth period based on field capacity (Non stress = NS), cut-off the irrigation at the seed filling stage for 60 days (Moderate stress = MS) and at the flowering stage for 50 days (Severe stress = SS). Salicylic acid (SA) application with three levels, 0 (distilled water spray), 0.4 and 0.8 mM SA per 5 m−2were assigned as the subplot treatments. Foliar application of salicylic acid was performed simultaneously with cut-off irrigation treatments (in three times).The studied traits included: membrane stability index, catalase activity, proline content, soluble sugars content, total phenol contents in plant leaves and seed yield. According to the results of the two-year experiment, the highest seed yield was obtained by foliar spraying of 0.8 mM salicylic acid at the moderate stress condition. Application of salicylic acid at a concentration of 0.8 mM improved the cell membrane stability from 71 to 98%, water productivity by 53–99 m3 ha−1, water used efficiency from 2 to 4 m3 ha−1the soluble sugar content from 62 to 125 mg g−1 DW and the total phenol content from 2 to 10 mg g−1 DW. In both years of the study, the highest catalase activity was recorded for the normal irrigation treatment under foliar application of 0.4 and 0.8 mM salicylic acid. Application of SA at 0.8 mM under MS and SS conditions increased seed yield, cell membrane stability, catalase activity and proline concentration compared to NS, which indicates the positive effect of this compound.

A combined model approach to optimize surface irrigation practice: SWAP and WinSRFR

Surface irrigation worldwide exhibits low efficiency due to excessively deep percolation and runoff. To optimize surface irrigation practice, two questions must be answered simultaneously: when to irrigate and how to irrigate (what stream size to use and for how long) to meet crop water requirements. Current surface irrigation optimization models are one-dimensional, meaning they can only simulate surface water flow, neglecting subsurface flow. They therefore indicate only how to irrigate, not when to irrigate. Furthermore, the required depth of irrigation is needed as input data for optimization, though this parameter is difficult to establish accurately. In addition, the effects of different irrigation practices on crop transpiration and yield, and variations in these across an irrigated field, are unknown. The present study adopts two one-dimensional simulation models – WinSRFR (for surface flow) and SWAP (for subsurface flow) – to determine when and how best to irrigate in a blocked-end furrow irrigation system for sugarcane cultivation in southwestern Iran. SWAP is used to determine irrigation schedule, required irrigation depth and crop transpiration along furrows, while WinSRFR is used to determine the soil infiltration function and evaluate and optimize irrigation practice. The results of the combined model approach indicate that some 2.7 times more water is applied than required in current practice, imposing high waterlogging stress on sugarcane crops. According to the SWAP simulations, the required irrigation depth is some 75 mm and the number of irrigation applications can be reduced from 26 to 19. The irrigation optimization in WinSRFR indicates that irrigation depth can be reduced from 162 mm to 81 mm, resulting in application efficiency increasing from 47% to 92%. Furthermore, as furrow slope increases from 0.02% to 0.12%, optimized stream size decreases from 3.0 to 1.6 l/s and optimized irrigation cutoff times increase from 3.2 to 6.5 hrs. Overall, optimization of irrigation practice using the combined model approach could result in 63% water conservation and 22% higher sugarcane yield.

Barley yield and malt characteristics as affected by nitrogen and final irrigation timing

AbstractIdaho is a major malt barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) producer in the United States. Production is concentrated in the semi‐arid Snake River Plain region of southern Idaho. Irrigation and fertilizer N applications are two of the most important managed factors. Research was conducted at the University of Idaho Kimberly Research & Extension Center near Kimberly, ID, to determine yield, grain quality, and malt characteristics as affected by N application rate (0, 56, 112, and 168 kg N ha−1) and final irrigation timing at Feekes 10.0 (boot; F10.0), Feekes 11.2 (soft dough; F11.2), and +7 d after Feekes 11.2 (+7F11.2). Irrigation termination at F10.0 resulted in decreased yields and unacceptable malt characteristics across N rates. Irrigation termination at F11.2 and +7F11.2 yielded 6,439 kg ha−1 at a fertilizer N application of 56 kg N ha−1, similar to higher N applications. Greater predicted yields up to 6,886 kg ha−1 were calculated by regression analysis with applications up to 147 kg N ha−1. Grain yield, protein, plumps, and test weights did not differ at any N rate for F11.2 or +7F11.2. Malt extract, free amino N, and diastatic power were similar for the F11.2 and +7F11.2 irrigations. Malt β‐glucan content did not differ up to 56 kg N ha−1 for any treatment, but reductions of up to 30 mg kg−1 were measured at higher N rates for the +7F11.2 irrigation. Results warrant further investigations into increased N applications and provide evidence of the effects of irrigation cutoff timing and N for malt barley.

CHARACTERIZING WATER DISTRIBUTION OF FURROW IRRIGATION TO IMPROVE SOIL PRODUCTIVITY IN NORTH NILE DELTA OF EGYPT

Field trials were conducted at Sakha farm, Kafr EL-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt to find the best interaction between furrow design, cut-off irrigation, Alternative furrow irrigation, discharge and phosphorus fertilization to enhance faba bean productivity and profit (Net Return) of North Nile Delta soils. Design and evaluate the effect off cut off irrigation (100 % (I1), 90 % (I2) and 85 % (I3) from furrow length) and alternative furrow irrigation (I4) with 4 lps/m irrigation discharge and four fertilization treatments; F1 (100% Rp, as control), F2 (75 % Rp +Phosphorien), F3 (65 % Rp+ Phosphorien) and F4 (55 % Rp+ Phosphorien) on infiltration characteristics, intake family and chosen irrigation parameters with post irrigation of feba bean crop. The results showed that, the infiltration rate decreased rapidly at elapsed time 4 hours in the two studied seasons and individual regression is considered representative of the soil intake conditions. The distribution uniformity for applied water is more than 0.9 under different cut-off irrigation and alternative furrow irrigation. Application efficiency increased as intake family decreased and is the best discharge management for furrow inflow rate at 2 lps/m. The measured irrigation time, and advance time was higher than the designed. While the designed recession time, opportunity time and the ratio between irrigation time and advance time were higher than measured values. The ratio of inflow time to advance time for design parameters is more than 2 meanwhile, the design is valid in studied soil. The highest ratio was obtained with cut-off at 85% from furrow length. It can be concluded that the highest values of irrigation application efficiency were obtained with cut-off at 85% from furrow length for design and measured parameters. Concerning the economic evaluation, I4 combined with F3 achieved the highest values of net return and benefit cost ratio followed by combined treatments I3F3, while the lowest values of specific cost was detected with I4F3.

IMPACT OF LAND LEVELING AND CUT-OFF IRRIGATION ON COTTON YIELD AND WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN NORTH MIDDLE NILE DELTA REGION

A field trial was conducted through successive the two summer growing seasons 2018 and 2019 at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm, Kafr-El-Sheikh Governorate. The objective of this current study was to investigate the impact of three land leveling levels and three irrigation treatments on some water relationships, cotton yield and also some its components. The experiments were designed as split plot with three replications. The main plots were occupied by land leveling with three levels namely; traditional leveling farmers practices (L1), Dead level (0.0%) slope (L2) and 0.10% ground surface slope (L3). while sub plots were devoted t cut-off irrigation with three level namely, cut-off at 100% of furrow length (I1),cut-off irrigation at 90% of furrow length (I2) and cut-off irrigation at 80% furrow length(I3). The main results can be summarized as follows: Land leveling and cut-off irrigation treatments have highly significant effect on increasing the cotton yield. its components and fiber technological properties. The interaction between the two factors resulted in the highest values of cotton yield i.e. The highest mean values of seed cotton yield, boll weight, leaf area, plant height, lint percentage, lint index and seed index were obtained under I3 and L3 The highest mean values of fiber fineness, fiber strength, length 2.5%, length 50% and uniformity index were obtained from interaction between I3 and L3 . Cut-off irrigation at 80% from furrow length (I3) and 0.1%ground surface slope ( L3) decreased seasonal applied water, water consumptive use and water stored in the effective root zone by 20.11, 12.11 and 10.90%, respectively compared with cut-off irrigation at 100% of furrow length ( I1) and L1 (traditional land leveling). Also, the highest mean values of water application efficiency, water consumptive use efficiency (71.65, 67.84%) respectively were obtained with I3 and L3 treatments. The highest mean values of water productivity (WP) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW) were recorded under the I3 and L3.

Cut-off irrigation as an effective tool to increase water-use efficiency, enhance productivity, quality and storability of some onion cultivars

Water management is becoming commonplace in discussions of high-yield farming and modern agricultural best practices. A field experiment undertaken in the Northern region of Egypt, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, with four cut-off furrow irrigation treatments (100%, full irrigation – considered as a control; 90%, 80% and 70% of strip length) was used to compare the effects of reduced water supply on onion (Allium cepa, L.) production via assessing three different cultivars (e.g., Giza red, Giza 20 and Behairy red). A strip-plot design with three replicates was employed in this regard during two successive seasons (2014–2015/2015–2016). Regardless of onion type, water supply at 80% level resulted in higher marketable and total bulb yield (t/ha) with improved quality traits and storability compared to other irrigation treatments. There have been few significant interspecies differences. The most notable significant differences were recorded in Giza red and Behairy red for all studied characteristics. The highest results were reached with Giza red under the use of 80% irrigation level. In addition to the excellence in improving the overall quality and harvestable yield, this treatment (80% watering) has produced relatively good results with respect to the consumptive water-use efficiency, water productivity and showed significant benefits in terms of saving irrigation water. Maximum water saving was obtained under the use of 70% irrigation treatment, but in the absence of a good and economically unacceptable yield. The traditional technique (100% water supply) consumed much water, surpassing the most effective treatment (80%) by 1195.77 cubic meter per hectare (i.e., 11.96 cm in depth/height). In conclusion, cut-off irrigation technique is considered an efficient and effective intervention approach for onion yield increases while maintaining post-harvesting quality and water savings. However, extending the study beyond onion is critical to increase the range of benefit with regard to other crops, as well for adequate management of water under deficit irrigation conditions.

Using Raised Bed and Irrigation cut-off for Saving Irrigation Water and Increasing Wheat Productivity in North Nile Delta

In Egypt, surface irrigation and irrigation till the tail end of the furrows or borders are commonly used with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and other crops, but they lead to poor aeration and ineffective use of water and fertilizers. Therefore, raised beds planting method and cut-off irrigation improve wheat productivity and raise water and fertilizer use efficiencies. A field experiment was carried out in two winter growing seasons (2017/18 and 2018/19) at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm, Kafr EL-sheikh Governorate. The objective was to evaluate the impact of raised bed and irrigation cut-off on growth and yield of wheat (Misr-1 variety), some water relations and the contribution of ground water table on water consumption. A split plot design was used with three replicates. The main plots were occupied by raised bed treatments: farmer's conventional flat planting method (F1), furrow 60 cm width (F2) and furrow 120 cm width (F3). The sub plots were devoted to irrigation cut-off treatments: cut-off at 100% of strip length, C100% (control), cut-off at 90% of strip length (C90%) and cut-off at 80% of strip length (C80%). The results revealed that C90% combined with F3 achieved the lowest values of seasonal applied water and water consumptive use and the highest values of water productivity (9.69 L.E m-3), water application efficiency (Ea) and grain and straw yields. On the other hand, C80% recorded the highest contribution value of ground water table (CGWT) of water consumption (21.4%), leading to increase of water saving. (with 34.05% increase)

Effect of irrigation cut-off strategies on yield, water productivity and gas exchange in a drip-irrigated hazelnut (Corylus avellana L. cv. Tonda di Giffoni) orchard under semiarid conditions

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of irrigation cut-off (ICO) strategies on yield components, water productivity (WP), and gas exchange in drip-irrigated hazelnut (Corylus avellana L., cv. Tonda di Giffoni) trees during two consecutive growing seasons. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four ICO treatments and four replicates per treatment based on threshold values of the midday stem water potential (Ψstem). In the T1 treatment, Ψstem was maintained around –0.7 MPa, while T2, T3, and T4 treatments did not receive irrigation from the beginning of stage III (fruit growth curve) until trees reached approximately the following Ψstem thresholds: –1.0 MPa in T2, –1.3 MPa in T3 and –1.6 MPa in T4. Once reached the specific thresholds, irrigation was restored and maintained according to T1 in all treatments until harvest. Besides, measurements of Ψstem, stomatal conductance (gs), net CO2 assimilation rate (An), transpiration rate (E), yield components, α-tocopherol kernel content, and WP were evaluated in this study. Results indicated that values of Ψstem, An,gs, and E observed in T3 and T4 were between 24–29, 15–37, 15–40, and 11–32 % lower than those found in T1, respectively. T4 significantly decreased yield (kg tree–1), kernel (KW), and fruit (FW) weights, but KW/FW ratio and the α-tocopherol kernel content (μg g–1) were not significantly different among treatments. Also, this study indicated that the T2, T3, and T4 treatments had 10, 17, and 25 days without irrigation, which produced water savings of 19, 24, and 29 % in comparison with T1, respectively. Finally, WP was significantly affected by ICO strategies, with the minimum and maximum values observed in T1 (0.51 kg m–3) and T4 (0.86 kg m–3), respectively.

Deficit irrigation for sugarbeet under conventional and no‐till production

AbstractIrrigation is important to sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) production and efficient irrigation management is critical for yield, sugar concentration, water use, and environment quality. Two irrigation studies were conducted to investigate sugarbeet response to deficit irrigation under conventional tillage (CT) and no‐till (NT) systems in 2016 and 2018. The irrigation treatments included full irrigation (100% crop evapotranspiration, 100ETc) and deficit irrigation (66% crop evapotranspiration, 66ETc), and two irrigation cutoff dates (15 and 30 d before harvest). Plant population, soil moisture, sugarbeet root yield, sucrose concentration, and impurity value were measured. Although deficit irrigation at 66ETc did not affect the sugarbeet root yield, sucrose concentration, and sugar yield in 2016, it reduced the root yield, sugar yield, and extractable sugar yield by 5.5, 1.2, and 1.2 Mg ha−1 under CT and 12.4, 2.1, and 1.9 Mg ha−1 under NT systems in 2018. Soil moisture in NT showed great depletion at 15‐ and 38‐cm depths in July and August in 2018. Results indicate the potential of implementing a deficit irrigation strategy in sugarbeet to reduce the water supply and increase the water use efficiency, but in‐situ soil moisture sensors should be installed to monitor soil moisture to avoid severe water stress. Stopping irrigation 30 d before harvest slightly reduced the sugarbeet root yield but did not affect extractable sugar yield, suggesting that omitting one irrigation late in the growing season may not reduce root yield and quality. Deficit irrigation in conjunction with a no‐till system could reduce production costs and bring environmental benefits.

Influence of cut-off irrigation on seed quality and physiological indices of various safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) genotypes

Safflower (<em>Carthamus tinctorius</em> L.) is an oilseed crop adapted to arid and semiarid regions. In this study, an experiment was performed to evaluate the effects of water deficiency on plant height, 1,000-grain weight, seed yield, harvest index, relative water content (RWC), oil yield, and oil content in 15 safflower genotypes. A split-plot randomized complete blocks design was arranged with three replications. Safflower plants were grown under normal irrigation and water deficit conditions in Sarvestan, Fars Province, Iran during 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. Combined analysis results indicated that water deficit stress had negative effects on all measured indices. Average seed yield declined by 65.91% (2,337.91 to 796.79 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) due to water deficit stress. Genotype also had a significant effect on evaluated indices, and the interaction between genotype and irrigation significantly influenced all indices except plant height. Under both conditions, highest RWC, seed yield, and oil yield were observed in Dincer and PI-537598 genotypes. Maximum plant height and 1,000-seed weight in both irrigation conditions were observed in the Dincer genotype. In the normal irrigation condition, maximum harvest index and oil content were observed in the CW-74 genotype. Thus, Dincer and PI-537598 were classified as the best genotypes (based on seed yield, RWC, and oil yield) under both normal irrigation and water deficit stress conditions.

Roles of methyl jasmonate in improving growth and yield of two varieties of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) under different irrigation regimes

Drought stress due to its stage of occurrence is one of the factors affecting wheat yield, and jasmonates are plant growth regulators that play an important role in increasing the resistance of plants to environmental stresses such as drought stress. Therefore, in order to study the effect of spraying different concentrations of methyl jasmonate on water productivity, yield and its components of two wheat cultivars under different irrigation regimes, a split factorial experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in two crop years (2015–2017). In this experiment, different irrigation regimes, including normal irrigation (control), irrigation cut off from the booting and milk stage as the main factor, and two wheat cultivars and various concentrations of methyl jasmonate in four levels of 0, 50, 100, and 150 μM were investigated as factorial in subfactor. The results showed that use of 100 μM methyl jasmonate increase growth period and a number of days until plant physiological maturity. Under drought stress conditions, the number of grains per spike, weight of one thousand seed, grain yield, and harvest index are decreased in every two years of experiment. Also, using 100 μM methyl jasmonate lead to increase these traits by 22.2, 14.4, 8.5, and 11.4%, respectively in Pishtaz cultivar, and 10.3, 10.7, 8.5, and 11.2%, respectively in the Sirvan cultivar compared to the control group. The highest water productivity at each of the three levels of irrigation was related to the concentration of 100 μM methyl jasmonate. According to the results, although drought stress reduced yield and its components, methyl jasmonate was able to compensate somewhat (10%) for the reduced yield due to drought stress. The irrigation cut off at the grain milking stage can be beneficial with increasing water productivity in managing this valuable resource. Also, the use of 100 μM jasmonate in these conditions is recommended as a practical way to increase tolerance to drought stress conditions and improve the growth and yield of wheat.

Response of Faba bean to alternate irrigation and cut-off irrigation combined with mineral phosphorus levels and Biofertilizer at North Nile Delta soils.

Response of Faba bean to alternate irrigation and cut-off irrigation combined with mineral phosphorus levels and Biofertilizer at North Nile Delta soils.

Improvement of Soil and Water Productivity for Sugar Beet under Salt Affected Soils at North Nile Delta, Egypt

A field trial was conducted during the two consecutive growing seasons of 2016/17 and 2017/18 at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate. The aim of this current study was to evaluate the effect of four irrigations treatments; cut-off at 100 (I1, traditional practice), 90%(I2), 80% (I3) and 70% (I4) from furrow length and five fertilization treatments; F1 (90 Kg N Fed.-1), F2 (67.5 kg N+3 ton compost fed.-1), F3 (45 kg N+5 ton compost fed.-1), F4 (22.5 Kg N+7 ton compost fed-1) and F5 (10 ton compost fed.-1) (ha =2.4 fed) on some water parameters, some soil properties and yield of sugar beet. The experiments were designed as spilt plot with three replications. The main plots were occupied by cut-off irrigation, while subplots were devoted to fertilization rates. The main results can be summarized as follows: The highest values of applied water (3678 and 3562 m3 fed-1); water consumptive use (2381 and 2210 m3 fed-1) and water stored (2525 and 2456 m3 fed-1) were recorded under I1 (local farmers practice) in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest values of applied water (3168 and 3094 m3 fed.-1); water consumptive use (2218 and 2062 m3 fed-1) and water stored (2325 and 2335 m3 fed-1) were recorded with I4 in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. The highest values of water saving was recorded under I4 as average of the two growing seasons (12.14 cm and 11.14 cm, respectively) which saved about 100*106 m3 water in sugar beet fields at the national level (200*103 fed) comparing with check treatment (I1). The highest values of irrigation application and consumptive use efficiencies in both seasons were achieved under irrigation treatment I4 but the lowest values were recorded under irrigation treatment I1 in the two studied seasons. Concerning to water productivity ( ) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW), the highest values of (14.09 and 16.74 Kg m-3) and PIW (9.70 and 11.61 kgm-3) were recorded under I3 in the first and second seasons, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest values of (12.16 and 14.99 kgm-3) and IPW (7.88 and 9.30 Kgm-3) were recorded with I1 in both seasons, respectively. Concerning to the role of fertilization in and PIW, F2 treatment achieved the highest values of (14.38 and 17.38 kg m-3) and PIW (9.99 and 11.23 kg m-3), while F4 treatment gave the lowest values of both parameters in both seasons, respectively The soil ECe, SAR and ESP as mean values of both seasons were affected by irrigation cut-off and fertilization treatments. The highest reduction of ECe, SAR and ESP was induced by F5 under I1, while the lowest reduction was recorded with F1 and I4. The highest root yields (18.78 and 20.61 ton fed-1) were achieved with I3, while F5 was the best fertilization treatment (15.76 and 18.13 ton root fed.-1) in both seasons, respectively. So, the highest significant effects of cut- off and fertilization treatments on sugar beet root, shoot and sugar yields in both growing seasons were achieved with I3 and F5. Also, there were high significant effects on such parameters due to the interactions between different treatments.

Evaluation of Yield, Yield Components and Stress Tolerance Indices in Bread Wheat Cultivars at Post-anthesis Irrigation Cut-Off

Evaluation of Yield, Yield Components and Stress Tolerance Indices in Bread Wheat Cultivars at Post-anthesis Irrigation Cut-Off

Potential of Deficit Irrigation, Irrigation Cutoffs, and Crop Thinning to Maintain Yield and Fruit Quality with Less Water in Northern Highbush Blueberry

Drought and mandatory water restrictions are limiting the availability of irrigation water in many important blueberry growing regions, such as Oregon, Washington, and California. New strategies are needed to maintain yield and fruit quality with less water. To address the issue, three potential options for reducing water use, including deficit irrigation, irrigation cutoffs, and crop thinning, were evaluated for 2 years in a mature planting of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Elliott’). Treatments consisted of no thinning and 50% crop removal in combination with either full irrigation at 100% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc), deficit irrigation at 50% ETc (applied for the entire growing season), or full irrigation with irrigation cutoff for 4–6 weeks during early (early- to late-green fruit) or late (fruit coloring to harvest) stages of fruit development. Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation but, regardless of crop thinning, declined by 0.5–0.6 MPa when irrigation was cutoff early and by >2.0 MPa when irrigation was cutoff late. In one or both years, the fruiting season was advanced with either deficit irrigation or late cutoff, whereas cutting off irrigation early delayed the season. Yield was unaffected by deficit irrigation in plants with a full crop load but was reduced by an average of 35% when irrigation was cutoff late each year. Cutting off irrigation early likewise reduced yield, but only in the 2nd year when the plants were not thinned; however, early cutoff also reduced fruit soluble solids and berry weight by 7% to 24% compared with full irrigation. Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit with the highest soluble solids and total acidity among the treatments, as well as the slowest rate of fruit loss in cold storage. Deficit irrigation had the least effect on fruit quality and, based on these results, appears to be the most viable option for maintaining yield with less water in northern highbush blueberry. Relative to full irrigation, the practice reduced water use by 2.5 ML·ha−1 per season.