Furrow Irrigation Methods Research Articles

Effects of Irrigation Method and Water Flow Rate on Irrigation Performance, Soil Salinity, Yield, and Water Productivity of Cauliflower

Water scarcity is a major constraint for food production, particularly in arid and semi-arid environments. In this regard, selecting the best irrigation technique is crucial to overcome water scarcity and enhance water productivity (WP) with no significant yield loss. This study aimed to assess the impact of irrigation techniques of every furrow irrigation (EFI), alternate furrow irrigation (AFI), and drip irrigation (DI), as well as the flow rate, on irrigation system performance parameters, yield, water productivity of cauliflower crop and soil salinity during the two successive growing seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 under field conditions. The treatments comprised three different irrigation inflow rates: Q1 = 0.47 L/s, Q2 = 0.95 L/s, and Q3 = 1.43 L/s. For both investigated seasons, the AFI + Q3 treatment produced the best water distribution uniformity (DU) and water application efficiency (AE) of 85.10% and 72.73%, respectively, of the surface irrigation, and DI methods across the two growing seasons produced the highest DU of 95%. DI produced the highest cauliflower curd yield (18.12 Mg/fed), followed by EFI + Q3 (12.285 Mg/fed) and AFI + Q3 (11.905 Mg/fed). The maximum mean WP value of 10.6 kg/m3 was recorded with DI, followed by AFI + Q3 (6.24 kg/m3), across the two growing seasons. DI, AFI + Q3, AFI + Q2, AFI + Q1, EFI + Q3, and EFI + Q2 saved irrigation water by 32.63, 28.71, 21.22, 18.04, 10.48, and 3.18%, respectively, compared with EFI + Q1 across the two growing seasons. During both seasons, the average value using the drip irrigation system was 3.60 dS/m. Considering the annual leaching requirements of soil, climate change conditions, and fixed costs, we recommend the use of a drip irrigation system in clayey soil to produce cauliflower, followed by the use of the alternative furrow irrigation method to enable the aeration of the same soil for a lower cost.

Maize response to irrigation and nitrogen under center pivot, subsurface drip and furrow irrigation: Water productivity, basal evapotranspiration and yield response factors

Information and data about quantification and comparison of crop water productivity indices for various irrigation levels and methods and nitrogen (N) application timings “simultaneously” under the same conditions do not exist. Unprecedented and extensive field experiments were conducted for maize (Zea mays L.) in 2016 and 2017 under center pivot (CP), subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FI) methods with full irrigation treatment (FIT), 80 % FIT, 60 % FIT and rainfed treatment (RFT) with three N application timings. N treatments were: (i) traditional (TN), (ii) non-traditional-1 (NT-1) and (iii) non-traditional-2 (NT-2). Irrigation-yield production functions (IYPF); evapotranspiration-yield production functions (ETYPF), basal evapotranspiration (ETb), crop water productivity (CWP), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE); evapotranspiration water use efficiency (ETWUE) and yield response factors (Ky) were quantified for each treatment and irrigation method. SDI method required the least seasonal irrigation amount in achieving maximum yield, followed by CP (>~30 mm more than SDI) and FI (>~55 mm more than SDI). Average crop water requirement for achieving maximum grain yield varied among the N treatments within and between the irrigation methods. Irrigation amounts for achieving maximum yields were about 160, 175 and 175 mm in TN, NT-1 and NT-2 nitrogen treatments, respectively, in the CP method; 130, 150 and 150 mm in TN, NT-1 and NT-2 nitrogen treatments, respectively, in the SDI method; and 184 mm in TN management in the FI method. The highest grain yield production per 25.4 mm of applied irrigation followed the order of CP-TN (2.07 Mg ha−1)>SDI-NT-2 (1.91 Mg ha−1)>FI-TN (1.22 Mg ha−1). Across all treatments for the given irrigation method, the highest averaged CWP of 3.00 kg m−3 (slope = 0.067 kg m−3) was observed in the SDI method (p < 0.05) followed by 2.84 kg m−3 (slope = 0.052 kg m−3) in the CP method (p < 0.05) and 2.51 kg m−3 (slope = 0.046 kg m−3) in the FI method. The lowest ETb was observed in FI-TN (169 mm), followed by CP-NT-2 (172 mm) and SDI-TN (255 mm). For two consecutive years, N treatments did not have significant (p > 0.05) influence on IWUE in the CP or SDI methods. The highest IWUE, CWP and ETWUE were always obtained with limited irrigation treatments (60 % FIT and/or 80 % FIT) whereas the lowest with FIT. Maize under limited irrigation management had Ky < 1 with CP, SDI and FI along with lower Ky values than the respective TN treatment in CP and SDI, suggesting that the yield reduction is impacted to a lesser degree from the magnitude of water stress. The overall conclusion disclosed that utilizing the combination of limited irrigation (80 % FIT) with NT-1 fertigation under SDI and CP, while 80 % FIT under FI can be viable management practices for achieving high grain yield and CWP in conditions similar to those presented in this research.

Minimization of deep percolation by a parabolic simulation model in a blocked end furrow irrigation method

AbstractSurface irrigation methods enable a lower cost of investment and energy requirements than pressurized systems if they are designed and managed properly. The aim of this investigation was to devise a new simulation model that would enable the determination of the optimum water application time and furrow length in a blocked end furrow system. The infiltration properties of the soil, net irrigation water requirement of the crop and inflow to the furrow constitute the main variables of this process. Deep percolation and the cross‐sectional area of the wetting pattern where the net irrigation water requirement of the crop is met along the furrow are the main components that were simulated interactively in the model. They were described as a function of time. The proposed model devised in this investigation was run for two different sample applications. While values of 93 and 94% water application efficiencies were obtained by running the USDA SCS method for the first and second sample applications, respectively, values of 92 and 94% were obtained, respectively, from the proposed model. These results indicate that the proposed model can be used in the design of a blocked end furrow system.

Residual Effect of Irrigation Levels and Maize Genotypes on Performance of Succeeding Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) in Maize-blackgram Sequence Cropping

Background: Maize is the third most important food crop in India. Conventionally it is a furrow irrigated crop and hence, it calls for an effective on-farm management of water in field through micro irrigation. Intensive agriculture practice like continuous monocropping without following the principles of crop rotation and sequence have resulted in several ecological complications. Hence, blackgram was introduced as a succeeding crop after drip irrigated maize. The aim of the study was to examine the residual effect of drip irrigation levels and maize genotypes and their interaction on succeeding crop i.e. blackgram. Methods: During summer 2018 and 2019, maize experiment was conducted with four irrigation levels (drip irrigation at 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 ETc and furrow irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio) and four maize genotypes (NK-6240, Pinnacle, CP-818 and RCRMH-2). After maize, succeeding blackgram was taken up under rainfed condition of Dharwad during kharif 2018 and 2019. Result: Performance of blackgram was superior under residual effect of drip irrigation treatments over furrow irrigation method. Among the interactions, significantly higher yield, RWUE and net returns were recorded with residual effect of I1G4 treatment combination. However, it was on par with I1G2, I1G3, I1G1, I2G1, I2G2, I2G4, I3G2 and I3G3 treatment combinations.

Performance Evaluation and Water Availability of Canal Irrigation Scheme in Punjab Pakistan

The supply of surface water by century-old infrastructure causes substantial water loss and triggers huge abstractions of groundwater, resulting in low irrigation efficiency. We evaluated the irrigation performance (application and conveyance efficiencies) and water availability (supply-demand) from the field to the Mungi Distributary canal level in Punjab, Pakistan. Between April–September 2019 and 2020, we monitored water delivery in the canal network, soil moisture content in cotton fields, and the canal and groundwater quality. The crops’ actual evapotranspiration was estimated using the AquaCrop model. We found conveyance efficiencies &gt;90% for minor distributaries, 70–89% for watercourses, and ~75% for field ditches per kilometer. Field application efficiency was &gt;90% for drip and ~35% for flood basin, whereas for raised-bed furrow, conventional furrow, and ridge-furrow irrigation methods, it varied between 44% and 83%. The deficits of canal water supply versus demand for cotton fields ranged from 45% to 73%, whereas the Mungi Distributary canal water showed a 68.6% and 19.8% shortfall in the April–September and October–March seasons of 2018/2019, respectively. The study suggests prioritizing improvements to field water application rather than canals with better water quality; additionally, surplus water from the Mungi canal in November and December could be stored for later use.

Impact of tractor wheels on physical properties of different soil types and the irrigation efficiency of the furrow irrigation method

Impact of tractor wheels on physical properties of different soil types and the irrigation efficiency of the furrow irrigation method

Integration effect of drip irrigation and mulching on weeds and spring maize productivity

A field experiment was carried out at Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during spring season of 2020 and 2021. The experimental design was split-plot with three replications. The main plots included the combination of two methods of drip irrigation, viz. surface drip irrigation (SD) and sub-surface drip irrigation (SSD) and three mulch treatments, viz. plastic mulch (PM), straw mulch 6 t/ha (SM) and no mulch (NM) along with furrow irrigation (FI) as a control treatment. The sub-plots consisted of four weed control treatments, viz. pre- emergence application (PE) of atrazine 1000 g/ha, hand weeding twice at 30 and 60 days after seeding (DAS), weed free and weedy check. The dominant weed species were Cyperus rotundus, Oenothera laciniata, Chenopodium album, Coronopus didymus, Rumex dentatus, Digitaria sanguinalis, and Dactyloctenium aegyptium. The maize emergence was 6 days earlier under plastic mulch than the crop under straw mulch. The SD-PM, SD-SM, SSD-PM, SSD-SM and SSD- NM resulted in maximum maize plant height when compared to FI. SD-PM, SD-SM, SSD-PM and SSD-SM treatments recorded significantly lower total weed density and biomass at 30 DAS than the atrazine treated FI treatment. Maximum weed control efficiency of 88.89% was recorded under integration of drip irrigation with plastic mulch. Integration of drip irrigation and mulches resulted in significantly increased maize grain yield as compared to FI. Crop raised under SD- SM treatment resulted in 20.62% higher grain yield than FI. The integration of drip irrigation with mulching resulted in effective weed management and higher maize grain yield than furrow irrigation method.

Indigenous Knowledge Assessment on Irrigation Water Management Practices

Indigenous knowledge is the local or traditional knowledge system used by farmers. Therefore indigenous knowledge on irrigation water management means using of local or traditional knowledge system to manage irrigation water. This study was aimed to investigate farmers’ current irrigation water management practice and their technical performance. In this study I used reconnaissance survey and observation were carried out with each implementing center and Woreda Bureau of Agriculture to obtain overview of different irrigation schemes and irrigation practice conditions. The collected qualitative and quantitative data both from primary and secondary sources were analyzed using appropriated statistical methods like SPSS. The study result showed that farmers have developed several indigenous knowledge of irrigation water management practices. Among these knowledge, most of farmers in both weredas use furrow irrigation method, farmers use soil moisture method and crop leaf wilt techniques to irrigate cropped land, Most farmers apply irrigation water at morning and night time, The respondents uses watering top ridge to determine irrigation water sufficient and watering bottom ridge and slow stream flow for irrigation water insufficient.

Calculating the Yield, Water Utilize Efficiency and Water Productivity for Carrot Crop under Climate Change Effects

The present work analyzed the yield, water utilize efficiency and water productivity for carrot Crop under climate change effects. In this research, river water was used with irrigation ratios with drain water to irrigate the carrots (Daucus carota L.) crop during the winter growing season 2021-2022 in free field and utilizing furrow irrigation method with calculation the water use efficiency and water productivity to three sites. The study was conducted in the three sites in the Babil province in Town of Sadat-AlHindya reached 80 km from Baghdad city. Site 1 was used 33% drain water and 67% river water while site 2 was used 83% drain water and 17% river water but the site 3 was used 100% river water. The reduction of yield in site 1 was 17.3% and in site 2 was 75%. The reducing of WUE in site 1 was 23% and in site 2 was 77%. The decrease of WP in site 1 was 22.98% and in site 2 was 82.28%. The value of water stress coefficient (Ks) because irrigation by water salanity and soil salanty was 0.83, 0.78 and 0.92 in site 1,site 2 and site 3, respectively, water salanity and soil salanty reduction in productivity by 9%, 14% and 7% in production of site 1, site 2 and site 3, respectively in every irrigating.

A Survey on Energy Use in Agricultural Irrigation and Determination of Saving Measures in Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir and Mardin Provinces in Turkey

The main objective of this study is to determine the necessary measures to reduce energy consumption and save energy in agricultural irrigation in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The primary data of the survey study consists of the primary data collected through face-to-face surveys with producers in Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir and Mardin provinces. In the survey, the number of questionnaires to be applied to the producers was determined as 300 in total and the farms to be surveyed were determined by using stratified random sampling method. Flood and furrow irrigation methods are commonly used (62%) in the region. About a quarter of the farmers apply sprinkler irrigation. Nearly four-fifths (78%) of the farmers in the region report that there is a loss-leakage in the irrigation system. A very high proportion (95%) of the farmers in the region apply non-pressure irrigation, and approximately three-quarters (76%) report that they do not know whether the pumps and irrigation systems used are working at the recommended flow and pressure. Almost all of the farmers in the region (98%) do not use solar energy systems. A very high proportion (94%) of regional farmers does not use engine drivers in pumps. The responses of the farmers to the survey questions were interpreted and discussed and suggestions were developed based on the responses of the farmers to the survey questions.

Crop Response to Different Mulch Type and Furrow Irrigation Methods in Major Irrigated Areas of Ethiopia: A Review

The paper was focused on reviewing of different documents and research findings from studies conducted on interaction effect of different mulch type and furrow irrigation methods on different crop types on major irrigated area of the country. The coverage of the research findings conducted on mulch type and furrow irrigation method was between 2010 and 2021. Approaches followed on reviewing the papers on different mulch type and furrow irrigation methods were through reviewing journals from websites and research output reports. On this paper review, achievements of different mulch type for different furrow irrigation under diverse agro-ecologies are highlighted based on the current knowledge from available sources. Based on different findings the use of plastic mulch type was best option for both crop yield increment and soil moisture conservation .So in current research findings in order to use mulch for crop production purpose was best practice method due to year to year climate change and drought occurrences key solutions to avoid crop yield collapse and failure. Keywords: mulch, furrow irrigation, crop DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/80-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Soil Salinity/Status Under Various Irrigation Systems in Arid Region of Jamshoro District

&#x0D; The agricultural lands are being affected due to groundwater (GW) quality issues. To address this worldwide problematic situation, various irrigation studies have been practiced to identify the effects on the soil conditions. The current study has been designed to assess the GW quality and soil salinity/sodicity by different irrigation techniques in the remote mountainous area of Jamshoro district at Gul Muhammad Khaskheli farm Thana Boula Khan. The experimental plot was designed under furrow, pitcher and poly ethylene bag irrigation system. These soil characteristics indicated that the drain-ability of the soil was high, with an infiltration rate of 1.60 cm/h and water holding capacity was low. Water samples were collected at each irrigation time from sowing to harvest. The soil understudy was non-saline (ECe &lt; 4.0 dS/m) and non-sodic (pH &lt; 8.0, SAR &lt; 7.5 and ESP &lt; 15.0) before crop sowing in all the three methods of irrigation at all the three sampling depths, i.e., 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-60 cm. Thus, the quality of water used for cultivation of ladyfinger/Okra crop under all irrigation methods was Class-I quality water.The investigated results shown that ECw (electrical conductivity of water) was &lt; 1.5 dS/m, pH &lt; 8.0, SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) &lt; 10.0 and RSC (residual sodium carbonate) were non detective. After crop harvest changed a little bit, change was observed in the soil, i.e., under furrow and pitcher irrigation method, the ECe, SAR. and ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) decreased in the wetted zone and increased at the wetted periphery. Under the polyethylene bag irrigation method, ECe, SAR and ESP decreased at depths 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm but these increased at lower depth, i.e., 30-60 cm after crop harvest. However, the soil remained non-saline and non-sodic.&#x0D;

Response of Onion( Allium Cepa L, ) to Different Irrigation Levels Under Drip and Convetional Furrow Irrigation With and Without Mulch at Melkassa , Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Water is a scarce resource in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia and is a major limiting factor for crop production. Onion is one of the major economically important vegetable crops grown under irrigation in central rift valley. The field experiment was conducted at Melkasa agricultural research center during the dry season to identify irrigation method and irrigation application level with and without mulch that maximizes productivity of onion per unit of water consumed and enhanced onion crop production. The experiment was carried out using split plot design inRCBD having twelve treatments with three replications.The FAO’s recommended allowable Manageable depletion level of onion is 100%. In this study 75%, 100% recommended and 125% were tested. The experiment consisted of two irrigation methods viz.,furrow irrigation and drip irrigation as main plot and three levels of Manageable allowable depletion viz., 125%, 100% and 75% with and without mulch as sub-plot.The analysis of variance revealed that irrigation methods and management allowed depletion levels had a significant and p&lt;0.05) effect on onion vegetative parameters like plant height, leaf height and yield parameters like bulb diameter, bulb height, total bulb yield, marketable bulb yield, and water productivity. The highest and lowest onion vegetative and yield parameters were obtained from drip irrigation and furrow irrigation method, respectively. Moreover, the highest and lowest onion vegetative and yield parameters were obtained from drip irrigation under 75% MAD with mulch and furrow irrigation under125% MAD without mulch, respectively. Further, their interaction had a significant effect on total bulb yield and water productivity. The maximum total bulb yield (37.1 ton/ha), marketable bulb yield (33.1 ton/ha), bulb diameter (5.6 cm), crop water use efficiency (0.78 kg/m 3 )and irrigation water use efficiency, (0.60 kg/m 3 ) were observed from drip irrigation method at 75% MAD with mulch application, while significantly lower as (30.5 ton/ha), (26.7 ton/ha), (5.0 cm), (0.53 kg/m 3 )and (0.40 kg/m 3 ) respectively were recorded from furrow irrigation method at 125% MAD with out mulch application. Generally, drip irrigation was working efficiently according to its design and economically acceptable. Among all tested treatments drip irrigation method under 75% MAD with mulch was the best practice because of its high yield and water productivity . Keywords : Drip irrigation, Furrow irrigation, MAD, Onion, Water Use Efficiency DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-15-02 Publication date: August 31 st 2021

Improving silage maize productivity using recycled wastewater under different irrigation methods

The contribution of wastewater irrigation with the improvement of irrigation practices to the productivity of silage maize is a priority issue to investigate considering the saving of scarce freshwater resources and the necessity to dispose wastewater. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation levels (L100, L67 and L33) of recycled municipal wastewater (RW) compared to freshwater (FW) using subsurface drip (SSDI), surface drip (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FI) methods on yield and some physiological traits of silage maize in semi-arid conditions at a high altitude. When the total daily reference evapotranspiration value reached 50 ± 5 mm, irrigation quantities corresponding to 100%, 67% and 33% of soil moisture deficit based on field capacity in fully irrigated plots with freshwater were applied in different irrigation levels. Crop actual evapotranspiration (ETa) values were found close in both water types. SSDI reduced ETa by 18.5% and 45.6% in L100 level, 15.2% and 38.9% in L67, and 11.6% and 32.6% in L33, respectively compared to SDI and FI. The highest fresh biomass yield was determined in the SSDI-RW-L100 combination as 77.55 t ha-1, and resulted in 5% and 12.9% higher values than in SDI and FI. Leaf relative chlorophyll and water contents, leaf area index and electrolyte leakage showed strong linear correlations with yield and evapotranspiration values. The highest water productivity was determined in the SSDI-RW-L100 combination as 21.48 kg m-3 and it was higher by 28.2% and 99.4% than those in SDI and FI, respectively. Improvement of productivity with increased irrigation quantities in SSDI delivered the high yield response factor of 1.70–1.77. Therefore, it is concluded that the SSDI method can be a successful practice to improve productivity by alleviating the need for water for silage maize especially under full irrigation with RW.

Effects of drip and alternate furrow method of irrigation on cotton yield and physical water productivity: A case study from farmers’ field of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India

With the growing irrigation water scarcity, the researchers and policymakers are more concerned to improve the irrigation water use efficiency at farmers’ field level. The water-saving technologies provide greater control over water delivery to the crop root zone and reduce the non-beneficial evaporation from the crop field. Water productivity is an important concept for measuring and comparing water use efficiency. The present study tried to estimate the irrigation water use and physical water productivity of cotton under alternate furrow and drip irrigation methods in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. Results suggest that crop yield and physical water productivity were higher for cotton irrigated by drip method than alternate furrow method during normal rainfall and drought year. The irrigation water use under the drip method of irrigation was lower as compared to the alternate furrow method. In the case of total water (effective rainfall + irrigation water) use, per hectare crop yield and physical water productivity were higher for the drip method of irrigation than the alternate furrow method of irrigating cotton crop during normal rainfall and drought year. In the case of total water use (effective rainfall + irrigation water), it was lower for drip irrigation than the alternate furrow method of irrigating cotton crop during normal rainfall year and drought year. While estimating total water (effective rainfall + irrigation water) use, it was assumed that there is no return flow of water from the cotton field in the study area under both irrigation methods.

Effects of wheat row spacing layout and drip tape spacing on yield and water productivity in sandy clay loam soil in a semi-arid region

Recent droughts and subsequent reduction of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions have highlighted the necessity of altering surface irrigation techniques to modern methods of irrigation. The present study compares drip irrigation tubes with 60 and 75 cm spacing with the furrow irrigation prevalent in Hamedan province, Iran and investigates the effects of the former form of irrigation on the productivity of wheat crops with various cropping layouts. This experiment was implemented as a field-scale experiment in sandy clay loam texture soil and consisted of the following treatments: 4 cultivated rows with 15 cm spacing on both sides of the drip tape, and 75 cm spacing between tapes (T1); 4 cultivated rows with 20-cm row spacing, and 75 cm drip tape spacing (T2); 3 cultivated rows with 20 cm row spacing and 60-cm drip tape spacing (T3); 4 cultivated rows with 15 cm row spacing and 60 cm drip tape spacing (T4); 2 cultivated rows with 30 cm row spacing and 60 cm drip tape spacing (T5); and furrow irrigation which consisted of 4 cultivated rows with 12 cm spacing on the ridge and 60 cm furrow spacing (F). The results showed that the maximum and minimum value of the two-year average grain yield and irrigation water productivity were those of T1 and F treatments at 7443 and 5996 kg ha−1 and 1.91 and 1.02 kg m−3, respectively. The maximum and minimum values of two-year average weight of 1000 kernels were also obtained from T1 and F treatments at 44.3 and 42.1 g, respectively. The mean irrigation water productivity obtained for drip and furrow irrigation treatments were 1.74 and 1.01 kg m−3, respectively. Results indicated that drip irrigation caused a 33% reduction in applied irrigation water use and a 72% increase in irrigation water productivity in comparison to the furrow irrigation method.

Correlation between the Soil Moisture Reading Obtained with Soil Moisture Sensors and Gravimetric Method for Scheduling of Irrigation in Maize

A field experiment was conducted at Water Technology Centre farm (WTC), College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad for studying the correlation between the soil moisture reading obtained with soil moisture sensors and gravimetric method. The experiment was designed in split plot with two main treatments comprising of surface furrow (M1) and drip irrigation (M2) methods and six irrigation schedules were assigned to sub treatments and replicated thrice. Significantly higher grain yield (7.05 t ha-1) of maize was observed with nano sensor (IITB) based irrigation scheduling over rest of the irrigation schedules except gypsum block. The results revealed that correlation between the tensiometer readings and gravimetric moisture content showed a negative non significant correlation before irrigation in surface furrow irrigation method and negative significant correlation for drip irrigation method. But in case of after irrigation a positive non significant correlation was observed in both drip and surface furrow irrigation methods. The gypsum block reading and gravimetric moisture content studies showed a negative significant correlation before irrigation in both surface furrow and drip irrigation methods, where as a positive non significant correlation between gypsum block readings and gravimetric moisture content readings were noticed after irrigation in both drip and surface furrow irrigation methods. Similar trend was recorded in nano sensor, except that it showed a positive significant correlation in both irrigation methods before irrigation. The correlation studies between the profile probe readings and gravimetric moisture content showed a negative significant correlation in surface furrow irrigation method at before and after irrigation, whereas, a positive significant correlation was observed after irrigation in drip irrigation method.

Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency Under Different Irrigation Levels and Furrow Irrigation Methods in Semiarid, Tropical Region

Water scarcity is the major limiting factor of agricultural production and productivity in the central rift valley of Ethiopia. Best use of limited water is necessary through water conservation practices. Field experiments were conducted during the dry cropping seasons of 2016 and 2017 on clay loam soil at experimental farm of Melkassa Agricultural Research Centre to evaluate the impact of irrigated furrow methods and deficit irrigation applications on maize (Zea mays) yield and water use efficiency. The study involved three furrow irrigation methods (conventional, fixed, and alternate furrow irrigation) and three irrigation application levels (100%ETc, 75%ETc, and 50%ETc). Furrow irrigation system as main plot and irrigation levels as sub-plot were arranged in split plot design with three randomized complete blocks each year. Greatest yield was obtained under conventional furrow irrigation supplied with 100%ETc of water. Water use efficiency under the same treatment was lesser and shows no significant difference with fixed furrow irrigation and 50%ETc application. Greatest water use efficiency of maize was obtained from alternate furrow irrigation under 75%ETc application and showed no significant difference with 100%ETc application. However, grain yield reduction under 75%ETc applications was very much higher than 100%ETc application. Water saved as a result of 100ETc and 75%ETc applications were 50% and 62.5%, respectively. Therefore, scheduling irrigation time for maize in the central rift valley of Ethiopia and similar semiarid environments could be 100%ETc or 75%ETc application using alternate furrow irrigation. The 75%ETc application has an advantage over 100%ETc applications in saving more water and hence could be applied when water availability is severely limited.

Verification and Demonstration of Low-cost Family Drip Irrigation System for Potato Production Under Smallholder Farmer’s Condition at Jimma Zone

s: Water scarcity is the major threats to global food production constraints as well as in Ethiopia. In addition river water is not accessible to all location due to topographic barriers. So, farmers far from river may accessible to hand dug wells, but its amount is low as compared to river water. Therefore, this low quantity of water requires effective utilization. Though, demonstration of low-cost and appropriate micro-irrigation system had been designed and carried out under agro-climatic condition of Jimma Zone, Dedo district, Waro-kolobo kebele at farmers field conditions for three consecutive years to evaluate the feasibility of drip irrigation system, efficiently utilize the scarce water resources and maximize potato yield. Drip irrigation and furrow irrigation methods were evaluated on 336 m², the area was divided equally into two parts, and each had an area of 168 m². The tuber yield data were collected and sorted into marketable and non-marketable yields. The maximum yield of potato was obtained from drip irrigation, while lowest from furrow irrigated fields. The drip irrigation had greater performance than furrow irrigations method in terms of yield. The higher water productivity was obtained from drip irrigation and lower from furrow. A total of 172 participants were attended training during three years, 132 male and 40 females. The maximum net benefit was recorded from drip irrigation. Therefore, drip irrigation method is better technology in study area where shortage of water exists or when source of water are limited as the case of shallow wells, and preferable in sloppy areas. So, for more accurate information and justifications it needs to be demonstrated and verified under varies climatic and soil condition of Jimma Zone.

Effect of Furrow Irrigation Techniques and Deficit Irrigation Levels on Yield and Water Productivity of Onion (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Allium cepa l.&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;) at Werer, Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia

Deficit irrigation is one of the techniques used to enhance water productivity without significant yield loss in semiarid areas. A field experiment was conducted at Werer, Middle Awash Valley during the dry season of the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 for three consecutive years to investigate the effects of deficit irrigation levels and furrow irrigation methods on onion yield and water productivity. Split plot design with three replications, in which the irrigation methods (Conventional, Fixed and Alternate Furrow) were assigned to the main plot and the three deficit levels (100% ETc, 75% ETc and 50% ETc), were in the sub-plot. Results indicate that marketable onion bulb yield and water productivity were highly affected by the interaction effect of furrow irrigation methods and irrigation levels (p<0.05). The highest bulb yield (17580.43 kg ha^-) and water productivity (11.79 kg/m³) were obtained from conventional furrow irrigation method with100% ETc and alternate furrow irrigation with 50% ETc respectively. Considering water saved and maximum yield, Onion irrigated by AFI 100% ETC resulted in 15% yield reduction with up to 50% irrigation water saving as compared to CFI 100% ETc. The present study suggests that, under water limiting conditions, adopting alternate furrow irrigation with 100% ETc can be an alternative to increase water productivity without significant yield reduction.