Furrow Irrigation Methods Research Articles

The Effects of Every Other Furrow Irrigation Systems on Water Use Efficiency and Yield of Onion at Adami Tulu Agricultural Research Center

Alternate furrow irrigation was believed to improve water use efficiency and labor without a significant tradeoff in yield. It leads to see the effect of alternate furrow irrigation versus every furrow and fixed furrow were evaluated at full crop water requirement. With the objective of to evaluate effect of alternate furrow irrigation with two irrigation intervals (5day and 3day intervals) on crop yield water productivity that might enable to save irrigation water and labor. The experiment has been under taken among AFI, FFI and CFI at Adami Tulu Agricultural Research Center of experimental site for onion production. A field experiment was designed as a two factor factorial experiment (3*2) in RCBD, replicated three times. The two factors were irrigation systems and irrigation interval. Irrigation was applied to furrows using Parshal flume from furrows head ditch with similar inflow rate. Results obtained revealed that alternate furrow irrigation method produced total yield of 25203kg/ha which was not significantly different with that obtained under every furrow irrigation (26469kg/ha). Total yield harvested from fixed furrow irrigation were 24024kg/ha, which showed insignificant difference between the three methods. High marketable yield of 26053kg/ha was recorded from every furrow irrigation and the marketable yield of alternate furrow irrigation were 24601kg/ha which showed insignificant difference between the two method. Water productivity of 7.6kg/m<sup>3</sup>, 7.3kg/m<sup>3</sup> and 5.9kg/m<sup>3</sup> were produced under alternate furrow, fixed furrow and every furrow irrigation respectively. It was found that alternate furrow irrigation method saved 26.61% of water as compared to every furrow irrigation as well as fixed furrow irrigation method saved 26.81% as compared with every furrow irrigation method. Alternate furrow irrigation method with appropriate irrigation interval that is three days of irrigation interval is suitable irrigation method; for semi arid areas where soil is dominated by loam soil and water is liming factor for crop production.

Pre - Extension Demonstration of Alternate Furrow Irrigation for Better Water Management Technologies at Dugda District

The agricultural sector is the main consumer of fresh irrigation water so any effort to improve WUE in this sector gets a lot of attention so, raising WUE through improved of modern irrigation techniques and increasing the capacity of soil output complementary to make better employ of irrigation water and saving water for other uses. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the most effective water-saving techniques and improve the water use efficiency of irrigated onions under limited agricultural water availability for better water management technologies. The treatment consists of conventional furrow irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation method with full crop water requirement in three replications on two farmers. Crop water requirement was estimated using actual daily climatic data. The result showed that conventional furrow irrigation method was the highest bulb yield and yield components when compared to alternate furrow irrigation method. Alternate furrow irrigation method produced total yield of 18.73 t/ha which was not significantly different with that obtained under every furrow irrigation (220.6 Qt/ha). It was also found that yield reduction may be low compared to the benefits gained by diverting the saved water to irrigate extra cultivated land. The result showed that decreasing WP with increased irrigation water from 50% crop water requirement (ETc) from alternate furrow irrigation (5.68 kg m-3) to conventional furrow irrigation 100% Etc (3.6 kg m-3). Increasing water deficit from 100 to 50% ETc led to an increase of onion WP up to 75%. For increasing marketable bulb yield of onion under no water stress scenario, irrigation of onion with conventional furrow irrigation methods could be used. However, under limiting irrigation water resource condition, irrigation of onion could be done with alternate furrow irrigation method to maximize water use efficiency of onion for similar agro-ecology and soil type.

Response of Durum Wheat to Deficit Irrigation

Deficit irrigation trial has been conducted to see the response of durum wheat to the extent of deficit irrigation at Debre Zeit research center for three successive seasons from 2016 to 2018. Establishment irrigations were given for all plots after swing and irrigation water application events were monitored using long term meteorological data and soil moisture readings. Irrigation water application depths (amount of water applied) were calculated from cumulative crop evapotranspiration (ETc) values in a given period and plots were irrigated with depths that was replenish 100 %, 75%, and 50 % of the cumulative ETc as per the treatment to be applied. Measured amount of irrigation water applied to every plot measured by using 3 inch Parshall flume. Results indicated those grain yields significantly affected by deficit irrigation levels and furrow irrigation methods. The highest mean grain yield of 5.8 t/ha attained from 75% ETc irrigation level with alternate furrow irrigation method while the lowest mean yield of 3.989 t/ha was obtained from treatment irrigated with 50% ETc and conventional furrow irrigation method. Therefore, based on the current findings, the highest grain yield was obtained at 75% ETc with alternate furrow irrigation system while the highest WUE was recorded at irrigating 100% ETc with alternate furrow system.

Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under Different Levels of Fertilizer and Vermicompost Grown under Every Furrow and Alternate Furrow Irrigation Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2021-22 at the Agronomy Research Farm of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar in a split-plot design with two vermicompost levels i.e., vermicompost @ 1.5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 3.0 t ha-1, two irrigation methods i.e., every furrow irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation method as the main plot treatments and three fertilizer levels at N40P20, N60P30 and N80P40 kg ha-1 as subplot treatments and replicated three times. Among the vermicompost levels, vermicompost at 3.0 t ha-1 recorded significantly higher no. of tillers; yield attributes i.e., no. of effective tillers (12.88%), spike length (14.49%), no. of grains per spike (13.85%), 1000-grain weight (10.57%) and yield i.e., grain yield (11.00%), biological yield (10.75%) than vermicompost at 1.5 t ha-1. Among methods of irrigation, every furrow irrigation recorded significantly higher in no. of tillers, yield attributes i.e., no. of effective tillers (13.68%), spike length (14.49%), no. of grains per spike (11.51%), 1000-grain weight (9.37%); yield (grain yield (17.15%), biological yield (22.08%) and economics (gross and net returns (15.52 and 25.66%) than alternate furrow irrigation. Among fertilizer level, application of N80P40 recorded significantly higher no. of tillers, spike length, no. of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight; yield (grain yield (13.02%), biological yield (15.81%), and economics (gross and net returns (13.72 and 24.49%) over other levels of fertilizer. Based on the study, it was found that vermicompost level, method of irrigation and fertilizer level has significant effect on no. of tillers, available NPK content in soil, yield attributes, yield and economics of barley.

Prospects of Solar Pump for Irrigation and Household Applications for Climate Resilience in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a climate vulnerable and agricultural country. Coastal region of Bangladesh is severely affected by climate change. To mitigate climate, change a solar pump of flow rate 180 liter per minute was designed and tested in farmers’ fields of Kalapara and Galachipa Upazila (sub-district) of Patuakhali district, Barguna Sadar and Amtali Upazila of Barguna district and Char Fasson and Lalmohon Upazila of Bhola district in the coastal region of Bangladesh for irrigating in high value crops like tomato and brinjal using pond/canal water. One solar pump was installed in each Upazila of off-grid area in 2018 and experiments were conducted during 2018-2021. Each solar pump was operated with 1300 Wp photovoltaic panels and the panels were also used for supplying electricity to home appliances and home water supply when the irrigation time was over. In farmers’ fields, water saving irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation were conducted. The water savings from drip and alternate furrow irrigation methods over famers’ practice (every furrow irrigation) for tomato were 48.79% and 30.39% and those for brinjal were 47% and 35%, respectively. The benefit cost ratio of the demonstrated solar PV system was found to be 1.62 which was higher than low lift diesel pump (1.30). A small solar pump of 0.8 kW reduced 1.76 ton of carbon emission per year than a similar diesel engine operated pump. The farmers in the project areas are using the solar panels for irrigation, lightings, operating fans, supplying drinking water, sanitation and other purposes. Therefore, solar pump is an environment friendly and climate resilient technology with multiple benefits for small holder farmers in the coastal region of Bangladesh.

Estimation of Crop Water Requirement and Determination of Irrigation Schedule for Tomato Crop by using CROPWAT 8.0 Model

A study was conducted to estimate the crop water requirement and also to determine the irrigation schedule of tomato crop using CROPWAT 8.0 model at College of Agricultural Engineering Madakasira, Andhra Pradesh. The experiment was carried out under two methods of irrigation scheduling (Traditional furrow irrigation method and CROPWAT irrigation scheduling method). The total volume of water applied to the crop under traditional furrow irrigation method and CROPWAT irrigation scheduling method was 73.188 m3 and 47.0611 m3 respectively. Hence 35.69% of water saved in CROPWAT irrigation scheduling method. It was observed that the yield of the tomato crop in CROPWAT irrigation scheduling method was 36.8% more than the traditional furrow irrigation method. The crop water use efficiency in CROPWAT irrigation method was 58.36% more than the traditional furrow irrigation method. Thus, the study concluded that it is capable for strategic planning on irrigation management and scheduling in the view of water saving technology.

Effect of crop diversification and sowing technique on productivity, economics, water productivity and soil properties of wheat (Triticum aestivum)-based cropping systems

Conventionally intensive tillage and sowing practices, and existing cereal crop-based system has been declining soil fertility resulting in poor grain yield and quality. In order to enhance system-based productivity and it becomes necessary to diversify cereal crop through legume-based cropping system with conservation technology-based tillage and crop sowing method. Hence, a study was carried out during 2018–2022 under Farmer First Project (FFP) at Morena district in Madhya Pradesh (Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh) to collate the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based four cropping systems with rainy (kharif) season crops i.e. pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.], pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.], greengram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] and clusterbean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub] and two crop sowing methods, viz. conventionally tilled and permanent broad-bed furrow irrigation were used. Significantly greater improvements were recorded in grain yield of wheat-based cropping systems, net returns, wheat equivalent yield, system protein production, water productivity, net energy gains, energy productivity and soil physico-chemical properties, while saving cultivation cost, total water- use and energy input under permanent broad bed-furrow over conventional tillage and sowing method. Likewise, system-based wheat equivalent yield, system protein productivity, additional net returns, net energy gains, energy productivity and parameters of soil physico-chemical properties were significantly enhanced with pigeonpea-wheat as compared to pearl millet-wheat cropping system. The results of experiment had suggested that cropping system of wheat based can be made more productive and remunerative with the inclusion of legume crops in rainy season and sowing of crop with permanent broad-bed furrow irrigation method.

Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Maize (Zea Mays L.) Crop Under Conventional, Fixed, and Alternate Furrow Irrigation for Effective Irrigation Water Management

A study was conducted with the objective of determining the effect of deficit irrigation on maize (Zea mays L.) under conventional, fixed, and alternate furrow irrigation. The experiment was conducted at Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 dry periods. Nine treatments of different deficit irrigation levels were factorial combined and randomized in plots, and all cultural practices were done. The crop water requirement was calculated using the CROPWAT8.0 program. Yield and growth parameter data were recorded, and analyzed using SAS software. The two-year over-all statistical analysis result showed that, different deficit irrigation levels had a significant effect (p<0.05) on grain yield, ear height, fresh biomass, 100 seed weight, girth, and water productivity. However, there was no significant effect (p > 0.05) on plant height and internode length. The result revealed that 100% ETc conventional furrow gave the highest grain yield (106.1 Qun/ha), followed by 75% ETc conventional furrow (101.23 Qun/ha) and 50% ETc conventional furrow (81.86 Qun/ha). The minimum yield of 55.64 Qun/ha was obtained at a fixed 50% furrow irrigation, and there was a 52.44% yield improvement. The maximum fresh biomass of 196.5 Qun/ha was obtained from 100% conventional furrow, and the minimum 103.40 Qun/ha was at 50% fixed furrow irrigation. The maximum and minimum water productivity of 8.007 and 2.8 kg/m3 were obtained at 75% conventional and 100% fixed furrow irrigation, respectively. Considering the water productivity, net economic benefit and sustainable production of the crop in the agroecology of the study area, combination of 55% up to 85% of deficit irrigation level with conventional furrow irrigation system could be recommended for the production of maize in a deficit furrow irrigation method. Based on the observations made and the statistical analysis done, fixed furrow irrigation was not recommended for the study area.

Evaluation of Furrow Irrigation System on Head Cabbage Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Arbegona Woreda, Ethiopia

Available fresh water resources are subjected to an ever-increasing pressure due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands. A long-term perspective in shortage of fresh water resources, especially in arid and semi-arid area, highlights an urgent solution for innovative irrigation strategies and agricultural water management. The experiment was conducted in Arbegona district, Sidama region of Ethiopia. This experiment was conducted to evaluate and demonstrate of Alternative, Fixed and Conventional furrow irrigations on Head Cabbage yield and water use efficiency. To achieve this objective the treatment were three furrow irrigation method (Conventional, Alternate and Fixed furrow) laid out in a random complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The result shows that there is no significant difference between alternative and conventional furrow irrigation on Head cabbage yield. But, fixed furrow irrigation system reduces the yield significantly. The maximum yield (48407kg/ha and 43840kg/ha) was obtained from conventional and alternate furrow irrigation method, respectively. The minimum yield (35242kg/ha) was obtained under fixed furrow irrigation. Furrow irrigation method has no significant effect on plant height, head weight and head diameter of head cabbage. The highest water use efficiency was obtained from alternate furrow irrigation and shows significant difference between the other treatments. Therefore, to save water, labour and time without significant yield reduction alternate furrow irrigation is recommended in water scarce area of Ethiopia.

Strategies for water productivity enhancement in maize—A comprehensive review

AbstractMaize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important cereal crop produced globally after wheat and rice and provides the basic raw materials for starch, oil, protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners and fuel. It is grown on an area of 201.98 Mha worldwide, with an average productivity of 5.75 t ha−1. Maize is mostly grown during the rainy season, but it performs better during the winter season with irrigation and resource conservation techniques. The average productivity of maize during the rainy and winter seasons is 4.3 and 6.2 t ha−1, respectively. The total production is as low as 2.7 Mt in Nepal to 362.78 Mt in the USA. Maize performs better under the furrow and drip irrigation methods, and the range of water requirements is between 425–789 and 351–685 mm, respectively. Plastic and straw mulching has enhanced irrigation water use efficiency up to 34.0–47.2 and 15.3–24.1 kg ha−1 mm−1, respectively. The crop coefficients, Kc values, for maize crops ranges between 0.2 and 1.2. Of the different methods of irrigation, the drip irrigation method enhances the maize yield by 28% and plays a great role in corn yield. This paper discusses various strategies for enhancing global maize yield.

Maize nitrogen uptake and use efficiency, partial factor productivity of nitrogen, and yield response to different nitrogen and water applications under three irrigation methods

AbstractThe effects of irrigation and nitrogen (N) on grain yield, actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa), N uptake efficiency (NUE), partial factor productivity of N (PFPN), and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) of maize (Zea mays L.) under centre pivot (CP), subsurface drip (SDI) and gravity (furrow) irrigation (FI) were quantified. Field experiments were conducted in two growing seasons under the full irrigation treatment (FIT), limited irrigation treatments of 80% FIT and 60% FIT and rainfed treatment (RFT). The highest NUE was observed under limited irrigation in the order of 80% FIT > FIT ≥ 60% FIT in non‐traditional treatment‐1 (NT‐1) in both the CP and SDI methods. NUtE increased with irrigation amount. There were strong correlations between NUtE and grain yield regardless of irrigation method. ETa increased with N amount, and the slopes of these relationships varied substantially between irrigation and N levels and irrigation methods. PFPN increased with irrigation amount across the irrigation methods and N treatments. A higher PFPN was observed in the lowest total applied N plots and in‐season split N application treatments. The pooled data for the CP and SDI methods showed significantly higher PFPN (20.3%) than the FI method, whereas the PFPN values in the CP and SDI methods were equal.

Cooling Effect of Different Irrigation Methods in the Growth Stages of Chili Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.)

Sufficient application of water contributes to cooling of the soil and plant surroundings. In such context, this study investigated the cooling effect of different irrigation methods, using chili pepper as test crop, in its growth and yield performance. Drip, sprinkler, and furrow irrigation methods, applied at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., and 4 p.m. were evaluated. The cooling effect of irrigation method was evaluated in terms of canopy and soil temperature reduction. In addition, the plant growth and yield performance were also measured and analyzed. The canopy temperature reduction of 2.40 ºC, 2.21 ºC, and 1.88 ºC during the vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages, respectively were obtained when water is applied at 4:00 p.m. using the sprinkler method. The significant reduction in canopy temperature which caused cooling effect by irrigation was attributed to the increased evaporation and relative humidity. Highest soil temperature reduction was achieved at 0.56 ?C using furrow irrigation. The significant change in furrow irrigation was caused by increased evaporation from the soil surface and the changes in the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of the soil. Plant height increase was highest using sprinkler irrigation which grew as high as 66.07 cm before the harvesting period. Stem diameter was bigger in furrow irrigated plants having a mean of 11.55 cm during the fruiting stage. Fruit yield was significantly highest (8.56 tons/ha) in sprinkler irrigation at 4:00 p.m. These results indicated that the cooling effect of irrigation contributes to growth and yield performance of chili pepper by delivering water through sprinkler irrigation method in the afternoon. These reported findings have practical implications for farm adaptation especially in high temperature environments. Finally, studies should be conducted by experimenting on crops belonging to different family to establish comparison.

Alternative Furrow Irrigation Combined with Topdressing Nitrogen at Jointing Help Yield Formation and Water Use of Winter Wheat under No-Till Ridge Furrow Planting System in Semi-Humid Drought-Prone Areas of China

Benefiting from the high–farmland construction program in China, one–off irrigation can be guaranteed in most fields in semi–humid drought–prone areas in China. However, little information is available on water and nitrogen (N) management in wheat production under this condition. This study aimed to explore the effects of alternative furrow irrigation (AFI) and topdressing N fertilizer (TN) on wheat productivity under a no–till ridge–furrow planting system in semi–humid drought–prone areas. The experimental design was as follows: two furrow irrigation (FI) methods, namely, EFI (every furrow irrigation) and AFI (alternative furrow irrigation) with 75 mm at the jointing stage were set as the main treatments. Two topdressing N (TN) patterns, namely, NTN (0 kg ha−1 of N) and TN (60 kg ha−1 of N) along with irrigation were set as the secondary treatments. Moreover, a traditional planting practice with no irrigation and no topdressing N (NINTN) was set as control. In 2018–2020, a field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects on soil water, leaf chlorophyll relative content (SPAD) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn), aboveground dry matter assimilates, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and economic benefit. We found that both FI methods and TN patterns significantly influenced soil water content. Compared with NINTN, the soil water content in each combination of the FI method and TN pattern was effectively improved at the booting and anthesis stages, leading to the significant increase in SPAD and Pn in leaves, post–anthesis dry matter accumulation (POA), grain yield, WUE and economic benefit of winter wheat. Compared with the EFI, averaged across years and TN patterns, the AFI technique increased the soil water storage at booting and anthesis stages and significantly improved the Pn at early milk (4.9%) and early dough (7.5%) stages, POA (40.6%) and its contribution to grain (CRPOA, 27.6%), the grain yield (10.2%), WUE (9.1%) and economic benefit (9.1%). In addition, compared with the NTN, the TN pattern significantly increased the water computation by wheat from booting to maturity, enhanced leaf Pn after anthesis and POA, and finally resulted in the increase in grain yield (14.7–21.9%) and WUE (9.6–21.1%). Thus, the greatest improvement in the leaf photosynthetic characteristics, aboveground dry matter assimilates, grain yield, WUE and economic benefit was achieved under AFITN treatment. Above all, it can be concluded that the AFITN with AFI of 75 mm and TN of 60 kg ha−1 at jointing was an alternative management strategy for optimizing yield formation and water use of winter wheat. This study provided new insights into improving wheat productivity in drought–prone areas where one–off irrigation can be guaranteed.

Evaluation of AquaCrop for potato yield and biomass simulation under different water amounts in drip and furrow irrigation methods

AbstractPotato is one of the most important crops for meeting food needs worldwide. The water requirement of this crop is high, and its yield is sensitive to the amount of irrigation water. Studying different amounts of irrigation water in irrigation methods is not only expensive but also time‐consuming, so it is necessary to use water‐driven crop models such as AquaCrop. This research aims to evaluate the accuracy of AquaCrop for simulating potato yield and biomass in Iran at three irrigation levels (full irrigation [FI] stands for 100%, I80 for 80% and I65 for 65% of the crop water requirement) via two irrigation methods (furrow irrigation and drip irrigation). For furrow irrigation, the normalized root mean square error values in the FI, I80 and I65 treatments varied between 17% and 28% for yield and 12% and 17% for biomass. These results for drip irrigation were 17%–22% (yield) and 9%–18% (biomass). For furrow irrigation, the average root mean square error values for potato biomass and yield were 0.89 and 0.68 t ha−1, respectively. The corresponding results for drip irrigation were 0.79 and 0.64 t ha−1, respectively. Based on all the results, the accuracy of AquaCrop was good for both irrigation methods, even though its accuracy under severe water stress conditions (I65) for the drip irrigation method was better than that for furrow irrigation.

Integrated Effects of Water Stress and Plastic Film Mulch on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Grain Maize Crop under Conventional and Alternate Furrow Irrigation Method

Water scarcity in arid regions increases the need for technologies to improve water productivity. The integrated effects of plastic film mulching and water stress on grain maize under conventional and alternate furrow irrigation methods are still poorly understood in Sindh’s climate. Therefore, field trials were conducted at Malir farm, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan, during the cropping season 2020–2021 to investigate whether mulching is practicable for grain maize production under the different furrow irrigation methods. The experiments involved two types of furrow irrigation, two water stress levels (sufficient and severe water stress), and plastic film mulching. Treatments were laid out in a randomized block design and three replications. The conventional and alternate furrow irrigation method was assigned to the main plot, while the water stress and plastic film mulching were in sub-plots. The results showed that different furrow irrigation methods significantly affected plant growth, grain yield parameters, and crop harvest index. Significant highest plant growth and grain yield of maize crop were observed with the conventional furrow irrigation (CFI) compared with the alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) method. However, grain yield and irrigation water productivity (IWP) were increased significantly by the plastic film mulching. The results revealed that sufficient water stress was more effective in sustaining grain yield and IWP than crop irrigating at several water stresses. The interaction effect of furrow irrigation and water stress, furrow irrigation, and plastic film mulching significantly impacted the IWP of grain maize. The IWP of the maize crop was significantly higher under the AFI than the CFI method if it was mulched with plastic film and irrigated at sufficient water stress level.

Effect of Zai Pit Technology on the Infiltration Capacity of the Soil

Increase in population and depletion of ground water resources are the major problems for food security and stability. Irrigated lands now produce only 4% of the food supply which doesn’t meet the required demand. Zai pit technology provides a window of opportunity for farmers to improve crop performance in harsh & changing climate by trapping rain water and retains moisture by allowing water long enough to infiltrate. The present study was carried out at the College of Agricultural Engineering, Madakasira, which was located in Anantapuram district, Andhra Pradesh. The methodology follows estimation of infiltration rate for both Zai pit technology and furrow irrigation method. The Zai pit consists of dug holes excavated in grids, with a diameter of 15-20 cm,70 to 80 cm spacing, and a depth of 10-15 cm or more, filled with manure. The spacing of pits within a row, as well as the space between rows of pits, varies between 60 and 100 cm. Pits were prepared and organic manure was placed at the beginning of rainy season. In Zai pit technology, infiltration rate of the soil increased from 1.45 to 2.25 cm/hr whereas in furrow irrigation, it was decreased from2.24 to 1.1 cm/hr. In Zai pit technology, the organic manure was decomposed properly and the micro-organisms present in the soil make way to reach the organic manure and thus the micro pores in the soil increased whereas in furrow irrigation the soil was compacted which decreases the infiltration rate. This may be the reason behind the increasing of infiltration in the Zai pit technology. Thus, Zai pit technology reactivates biological activities in the soil and eventually leads to an improvement in soil structure and converts barren lands to cultivated lands.

Row spacing and irrigation management affect soybean yield, water use efficiency and economics

Declining water levels in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer necessitates research on the management practices that can reduce irrigation water use and improve irrigation water use efficiency. A three-year field study from 2019 to 2021 evaluated the effects of row spacing and irrigation management on soybean seed yield and quality, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), water productivity (WP), and profitability. Soybean was planted in two row spacings [single- (SR) and twin-row (TR)] and irrigated with three different methods [every row irrigated (ERI), alternate row irrigated (ARI), non-irrigated (NI)]. Soybean yields were increased with application of irrigation either as ERI or ARI as compared to NI in all three years ranging from 20% to 79%. The ERI had 20% increase in yield over ARI in 2021, whereas no significant differences were found between ERI and ARI in 2019 and 2020. Averaged over row spacing, IWUE was 66–91% greater with ARI compared to ERI. Only 2021 showed an increase (34%) in WP with irrigation applied as ARI than NI. Differences in rainfall amount among years and amount of irrigation applied under different treatments affected the soybean yields. Soybean yield showed reduction by 0.37–1.2 kg ha−1 with each unit increase in cumulative stress (kPa-days) for soil moisture potential drier than the −40 kPa on very fine sandy loam soils. Twin-row soybean had higher expected returns in all cases except for the NI and ERI in 2021. The TR soybean produced the greatest average risk-return than other treatments. The ARI with TR had the second highest overall risk-return trade-off. The ARI resulted in an equivalent risk-return production system as ERI for SR soybeans. Alterations in furrow irrigation methods could be more beneficial than row spacing to improve soybean productivity and IWUE.

Profitability Assessment of Sprinkler Irrigated Maize Production in Semi-Arid area of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Water has been identified as one of the scarce inputs, which can severely restrict agricultural production and productivity unless it is carefully conserved and managed. Increasing the adoption of irrigation technology is an important requirement for increasing Nigeria’s agricultural productivity. Farmers use the furrow irrigation method and fixed irrigation interval schedule for maize production in this region. The irrigation method used by the farmers has become unsustainable due to low yield, low water use efficiency, low quality of maize kernels and low net farm income. Thus, there is a growing gap between the demand for maize and its production to meet the food requirement for the growing population. The aim of this study was to determine the profitability of sprinkler irrigation method for maize production in semi-arid environment of Nigeria. Two field experiments were conducted in the 2014 and 2015 seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, Borno State which is located in the semi-arid region of Northern Nigeria. The sprinkler irrigation system used consisted of a reservoir, mainline and six laterals spaced 12 meters apart. Each treatment was irrigated using two laterals and each lateral has a control valve for regulating the flow of water. Each lateral consisted of three double nozzle sprinklers spaced 6 meters apart along the lateral. The diameters of the mainline and the laterals were 101.6 and 31.75mm respectively. The area irrigated by the sprinkler system was cleared and marked out into plots of sizes 12m2. Scheduling was on the use of tensiometer, pan evaporation and fixed irrigation interval. Irrigation was conducted in the plots monitored by the tensiometer whenever the trigger level of 30cb is reached. The crops were irrigated at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio for optimum yield based on the evaporation pan method. The profitability analysis result revealed that Sprinkler irrigation was found to be a profitable irrigation method for maize production with net farm income of $460.8 and benefit cost ratio of 1.99. Based on the results, it is recommended that farmers in the semi-arid region of Nigeria should use the sprinkler irrigation method for improved maize production.

Evaluation and optimization of surge and alternate furrow irrigation performance in maize fields using the WinSRFR software

Low efficiency of irrigation is a major problem with surface irrigation methods, mainly due to poor management and improper design. The objective of this study was to evaluate and improve the performance of different surge and alternate furrow irrigation methods. A field experiment was conducted during the grain maize growing season in the Jayedar Plain of Poldokhtar City (southwest of Iran) in the years 2020 and 2021. Five different furrow irrigation methods including conventional furrow irrigation (CFI), surge irrigation with on/off cycle ratios of 1 and 0.5 (SFI1–1 and SFI1–2, respectively), fixed alternate irrigation (FFI) and variable alternate irrigation (AFI) were investigated. A total of 15 irrigation evaluations were performed at the initial, middle, and end of the growing season by measuring inflow rate, cutoff time, outflow rate, infiltration and advance time. The length and spacing of experimental furrows were 120 and 0.75 m, respectively, and the inflow rate of furrows and the flow cutoff times at the initial (3rd irrigation), middle (6th irrigation), and end (9th irrigation) of the season were 0.28 L/s and 240 min, 0.42 L/s and 360 min, 0.35 L/s and 300 min, respectively. The WinSRFR 3.1 software was calibrated and applied using field data based on the zero-inertia model. The results of the furrow irrigation sensitivity analysis with WinSRFR 3.1 software demonstrated that furrow irrigation in the studied area was most sensitive to the inflow rate, cutoff time and infiltration parameters, respectively. There were high correlations between the measured and simulated values of runoff, infiltration and advance time (coefficient of determination of 1.0, 0.94, and 0.97, respectively). The relative error values in estimating runoff, infiltration and advance time were 5.60 %, 5.09 %, and 2.14 %, respectively. Mean performance indices of different furrow irrigation methods under field experiments showed that the highest values of Application Efficiency (78.7 %), Potential Application Efficiency of the minimum (69.5 %), and Potential Application Efficiency of low-quarter (74.1 %) were observed under the AFI method. By optimizing the inflow rate and flow cutoff time, application efficiencies of 66.6–80.7 % were obtained for different irrigation methods. The results of this study show that AFI is a more suitable method for maize irrigation in the study area.

Effect of Furrow Irrigation Methods and Drip Irrigation System on Yield and Yield Components of Different Crops

This paper was focused on reviewing of different documents and research findings from studies conducted on furrow irrigation methods and drip irrigation methods on different crop types. The reviewing coverage of the research findings conducted on comparison of furrow irrigation and drip irrigation was between 2012 and 2021. Approaches followed on reviewing the papers on different furrow irrigation system type and drip irrigation methods were through reviewing journals from websites and research output reports. On this paper review, achievements of comparison of furrow irrigation and drip irrigation under diverse agro-ecologies are highlighted based on the current knowledge from available sources. Based on different findings the use of drip irrigation method was best option for both crop yield increment and water use efficiency .So in current research findings in order to use drip irrigation 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. But in order to use drip irrigation system the cost drip materials and awareness of farms are the key problem of different findings are indicated. Keywords: drip, furrow irrigation, crop DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/88-02 Publication date: October 31 st 2022