Water Deficit Irrigation Research Articles

Irrigation Scheduling Effect on Water Requirements

Irrigation scheduling techniques is one of the suggested solutions for water scarcity problem. The study aims to show the possibility of using practical and applicable irrigation scheduling program which was designed by Water Resources Department at the University of Baghdad by using Spreadsheet Formulas for Microsoft Excel program, version 2007, with some modification to generalize it and made it applicable to various climatic zone and different soil types, as a salvation for the shortage of irrigation water inside the irrigation projects. Irrigation projects which incidence of Tigris River basin will be taken as an applicable example. This program was based on water budgeting and programmed depending on scientific concepts which facilitate irrigation structures operation and ease the use by farmers. By using the abilities of this program, the monthly and annually water requirements and drainage water were estimated. Finally a comparison is made between the calculated discharges with the designers suggested ones. This comparisons showed that the use of this type of irrigation scheduling (i.e. predicted irrigation scheduling) with itsapplicable constrains require high attention when choosing the cropping pattern for each climate zone. Also it found that this irrigation program is a useful tool for saving water if cropping pattern has been chosen carefully.

Effect of Selenium on Growth, Physio-Biochemical and Yield Traits of Lettuce under Limited Water Regimes

Climate change has become one of the most complicated challenges of the twenty-first century. Water scarcity is a significant threat to food security, and climate change has adversely affected the likelihood of extreme events such as drought. Selenium (Se) has been reported to mitigate abiotic stress effects, such as drought, on various plant species. The purpose of the current study was to observe the effects of foliar-applied Se to minimize the detrimental effects of water-deficient conditions. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the exogenous application of Se at various levels (0, 3, 6 and 9 mg L−1) on the growth, physio-biochemical attributes and antioxidant defense system of lettuce plants growing under an irrigation water deficit from 85 ± 5% (control) to 35 ± 5% (drought stress). The results revealed that increasing water deficit stress linearly reduced plant growth and biomass by reducing relative water content (19.49%) and chlorophyll contents (23.95%) through increased electrolyte leakage (20.67%). However, foliar-applied Se significantly increased fresh and dry biomass under control and water-stressed conditions. Under drought stress, Se supply increased free proline content and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT in leaf tissues. The exogenous application of Se partly alleviated the effects of drought on lettuce by the upregulation of the antioxidant system and leaf soluble sugars and a simultaneous decrease in electrolyte leakage. This study further suggests that the upregulation of antioxidants and osmoprotectants is positively associated with the drought tolerance of lettuce. In conclusion, the exogenous application of Se (6 mg L−1) has more potential to improve lettuce growth, physiological attributes and modulation of enzymatic antioxidant potential, which can be recommended for use to maximize lettuce productivity and quality in a dry environment. This research provides a promising, technically feasible strategy for mitigating drought stress in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of good health and zero hunger.

Mesocosm Evaluation of the Safety of the Use of Reclaimed Water Regarding Emerging Pollutants in Murcia, Spain

The increasing shortage of conventional water for crop irrigation in arid and semiarid regions is encouraging the use of nonconventional water resources. Nevertheless, concern about the presence and possible negative effects of emerging contaminants in reclaimed water can cause individuals to avoid using these water sources. To clarify the guarantees that reclaimed water offers, a mesocosm study was carried out. Lettuce plants were cultivated in pots watered with three different types of water (distilled, reclaimed, and spiked with contaminants of emerging concern). The results showed low concentrations of contaminants in the leachates and plant tissues when the reclaimed water was used. However, their concentrations were high when the pots were watered with the spiked water; this was mainly true for carbamazepine, which reached a maximum of 2982 ng L−1 in the leachates and 45.2 ng g−1 in the plant roots. In the lettuce watered with the spiked water, carbamazepine was found in the edible part at very low concentrations that did not imply any human risk. Finally, an acute toxicity test was performed on the leachates, which were found to be only slightly toxic in the spiked water. This work indicates that with the current technical improvements in active sludge water treatment, reclaimed water can be used for irrigation without the risk of contamination by contaminants of emerging concern.

Adapting to climate variability for rice cultivation paddies in the lowland coastal regions of Kien Giang Province, Vietnam

Summary Globally, coastal cultivation regions (CCRs) are facing irrigation water shortages due to the impacts of climate change (ICV). CCRs have repeatedly suffered from saline irrigation water, increases in temperature, and reduced rainfall, resulting in irrigation water shortages. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the impacts of weather variables on the rice water requirement (RWR) in CCRs in Kien Giang Province. The response of rice grain yield to weather variables was estimated by simulating the AquaCrop model under different crop cultivation schedules (CCSs). These schedules involved advancing or delaying the sowing date by 30 days compared to the current common sowing date (baseline) for winter-spring (WS) and summer-fall (SF) vegetation seasons. The AquaCrop model demonstrated accurate simulation capabilities, as indicated by the high correlation values of statistical error indexes during the validation and calibration procedures. The findings revealed that rice grain yields would enhance up to 7.8% and 5.6% compared to the baseline when CCSs involve sowing 20 days earlier for WS vegetation season and are advanced by 20 days for SF vegetation season. Overall, modifying CCSs for coastal rice paddies in the study area, while considering weather variables, would have a positive contribution by mitigating the adverse effects of ICV.

Growth, Yield and Water Productivity of Tomato as Influenced by Deficit Irrigation Water Management

The deficit irrigation offers water savings potential that is becoming popular in arid and semi-arid regions reducing freshwater use over time. A two-year factorial experiment was conducted to evaluate growth, yield and water productivity of tomato under water deficit irrigation of the drip and furrow method. The experiment was carried out in a split-plot design with drip irrigation and furrow irrigation as main plot treatments, and soil moisture regimes (0, -10, -20, -30 kPa) as subplots. Data were collected on growth parameters, physiological traits, yield and water productivity of tomato. The results showed that physiological traits, yield, and water productivity were significantly influenced by irrigation system and soil moisture regime. The drip irrigation system with -10 kPa soil moisture regime reduced total water input by 22.6% and 19.8% and gave 28% and 22% higher fruit yields in 2020 and 2021, respectively, compared with furrow irrigation system. Plant growth was higher and flowering occurred earlier (3 days) with drip irrigation system than with furrow irrigation. When the soil water content was -10 kPa, drip irrigation performed significantly better than for other soil moisture regimes by improving physiological and phenological attributes, and thereby, advancing tomato growth and fruit yield. Thus, a drip irrigation system with soil moisture regime -10 kPa could reduce total water input through precise irrigation, maximizing tomato yield and water productivity.

Water use and soil water balance of Mediterranean tree crops assessed with the SIMDualKc model in orchards of southern Portugal

Orchards consist of complex agricultural systems, with a variety of characteristics (planting density, tree height, training system, canopy cover, irrigation method, interrow management) influencing crop evapotranspiration (ETc). Thus, irrigation water management requires finding crop coefficients (Kc) that represent the characteristics of local orchards, evidencing the need for site specific data. The main objective of this study was to derive the Kc of almond, olive, citrus, and pomegranate orchards in Alentejo, southern Portugal, wherein they became dominant over the last decade. Monitoring was carried out in nine orchards, which management decisions were performed by the farmers. The ETc was estimated from the soil water balance computed for each orchard using the FAO56 dual-Kc approach with the SIMDualKc model. The model successfully simulated the soil water contents measured in the various fields along two growing seasons, with root mean square error values lower than 0.005 m3 m−3 and modeling efficiencies from 0.363 to 0.782. The estimated basal crop coefficients (Kcb) for the initial, mid- and end-seasons were respectively 0.22, 0.58, and 0.50 for almond; 0.32–0.33, 0.35–0.36, and 0.33–0.34 for olive; 0.40, 0.40–41, and 0.40–0.41 for citrus; and 0.24, 0.60, and 0.52 for pomegranate. Small variations in olive and citrus Kcb values were found to be related to differences in the fraction of the ground covered by trees’ canopies and tree height. The single Kc values, which included the component relative to soil evaporation, were also estimated. Furthermore, evaluation of the soil water balance in the nine case studies showed salinity effects in one almond orchard, mild irrigation water deficits in olive systems, and large non-consumptive water use in citrus and pomegranate orchards. These results evidence the need for better management of orchards irrigation water in the region, and the current study provides for reliable information on the Kc of tree crops to support improving the management of local orchard systems and the preservation of soil and water resources. Aimed at these resources and the sustainability of their use, simulated alternative irrigation schedules were performed, which identified possible water savings of 20 mm in case of olives, up to 855 mm for citrus.

Water scarcity under global climate change: Ways of addressing water scarcity in the Amu Darya lower reaches

The global climate changes and their influence on agriculture in Uzbekistan were analyzed, including problems of irrigation water shortage on irrigated lands in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya with the greatest water shortage due to repeated dry years. Additionally, the recommendations for the effective use of water resources in the conditions of meadow alluvial soils salinization and shallow salinized groundwater were proposed to use subirrigation and drip irrigation to irrigate cotton, maintaining the pre-irrigation soil moisture of the lowest soil moisture capacity. The introduction of a science-based regime for cotton using subirrigation and drip irrigation methods provides conservation of water up to 1.596–1.757 (subirrigation) and 1.596–1.757 (drip irrigation) cbm/ha, an increase in cotton yield of up to 6.3 centner/ha.

Effect of water deficit irrigation and bio-fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of sugar beet

Effect of water deficit irrigation and bio-fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of sugar beet

Does rural livelihood change? Household capital, climate shocks and farm entry-exit decisions in rural Pakistan

Agriculture is a primary source of livelihoods in developing countries. The process of entry and exit of farming activities continues to play an important role in maintaining competition in agriculture and allocating resources between agriculture and other sectors. However, climate changes and other economic and social shocks have been severely affecting farmers’ livelihoods. This article examines rural household livelihood transition in the context of farm entry and exit decisions in rural Pakistan. Using 1867 rural household survey data, we brought insights into how livelihood assets, climate shocks, climate investment and locational characteristics affect their farm entry and exit decisions. The results indicate that the proportion of farm entry (24%) was higher than that of farm exit (15%). The major factors were crop inputs using as credit with a huge markup, crop inputs sold by farmers on net cash in financial crisis, climate shocks and poor climate investment that contributed to farm exit. They were household head characteristics, land ownership (family farm), and livestock ownership that increased the likelihood of farm entry decisions. Farm exit decisions were significantly and positively associated with household migration status, irrigation water shortage, off-farm income, crop input used as credit, crop diseases, climate shocks and lack of local government role in sharing climate knowledge. Furthermore, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) results found that the entry decision significantly decreases household income, while the exit decision significantly increases household income and food security status. These findings provide insights into farm entry and exit for those who are planning livelihood transition, and offer recommendations on how to overcome the constraints faced by farming businesses, agricultural sustainability, self-sufficiency and food security during the transition nationally and internationally.

Effects of Mine Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity and Winter Wheat Growth

HighlightsMine water irrigation can promote the plant height growth of winter wheat, but inhibit the growth of leaf area.High salinity mine water irrigation will inhibit the growth and development of winter wheat and reduce the yield.Mixed irrigation of mine water and clean water (the ratio is 1:1) is beneficial to the growth of winter wheat.Short-term mine water irrigation will not cause soil salinization.Abstract. There is a serious shortage of irrigation water in the overlapped areas of crop and mineral production in North China. The key to solve the problem is to utilize mine water safely and efficiently. The effects of mine water irrigation (MI), mixed mine water and clean water irrigation (MIMC), rotational mine water and clean water irrigation, irrigated with mine water first, then clean water (RIMC) and clean water irrigation (CK) on winter wheat growth and soil salinity were studied through two years of field trials (2012 to 2014). The results showed that different models of mine water irrigation had no difference in plant height, but had obvious inhibitory effect on leaf area of wheat. Compared with CK, MI increased plant height by 1.0% to 3.4%, and leaf area was 69.5% to 81.9% of that of CK. Compared with CK, the yield of MIMC was increased by 2.6% to 6.67%, and the yield of RIMC and MI was decreased by 3.4% to 21.1% and 10.4% to 11.2%, respectively. The MI with high salinity could inhibit the growth and development of winter wheat, and reduce the yield and quality, while the yield of MIMC was higher than that of CK, and could improve the quality of winter wheat. Long-term irrigation of using mine water with high salinity will increase the risk of soil salinization, but MIMC can improve soil fertility. Keywords: Growth, Irrigation, Mine water, Soil salinity, Winter wheat.

EVALUATION OF ARTEMISININ CONTENT AS AFFECTED BY SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES UNDER GRAVITY-DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM I SAMARU, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Malaria has been among the dangerous diseases not only in Nigeria but Africa as whole. Artemisia crop has an artemisinin, which is a strong anti- malaria drug. However, despite its importance in curing this disease, it is only produced under rain-fed but hardly produced under irrigation in Nigeria. The experiment consisted of three levels of irrigation water application at 100, 80, and 60% ETo (reference evapotranspiration); two mulch levels (rice straw mulch and no mulch) giving a total number of six treatments, replicated three times, totaling eighteen treatments laid in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The soil moisture was monitored throughout the crop growing season with access tubes installed at different incremental depth of 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm below the soil surface. The artemisinin content was determined in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The artemisinin content obtained ranges from 0.27 % w/w to 1.84 % w/w. The least artemisinin content was obtained from the treatment with irrigation at 60% ETo with no mulch. While the highest value was obtained with irrigation at 100% ETo with rice straw mulch. The artemisinin content of artemisia annua is affected by water stress. Irrigating the crop fully results in higher artemisinin content of artemisia annua followed by 20 % deficit. The least artemisinin content of artemisia annua was obtained at much water stress of 40 %. The study, recommends a full irrigation could be practiced for effective production of artemisia crop under drip irrigation. However, up to 40 % irrigation water deficit could be applied in areas of high water scarcity. Moreover, since rice straw is cost effective, it is recommended for use as mulching material for the cultivation of artemisia crop under irrigation.

Foliar application of chitosan zinc oxide nanoparticles on wheatproductivity and water use efficiency under deficit irrigation water

Foliar application of chitosan zinc oxide nanoparticles on wheatproductivity and water use efficiency under deficit irrigation water

The ways of using collector drainage waters for irrigation

For the conditions of Uzbekistan, it is necessary to maintain the reclamation condition of irrigated lands constantly and increase soil fertility. It is necessary to study the land reclamation condition in our region. An important factor is that collector-drainage waters are used for irrigation to pay off the shortage of water resources. The object of the study is the collector-drainage waters formed in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The article presents research on the method of statistical data processing, materials analysis, field research, and computer plotting curves and diagrams. As a result of the irrational use of collector-drainage waters, secondary clogging is observed in some areas. Data analysis was carried out from 2005 to 2020. The analysis of long-term studies shows that by 2020 there was a decrease in highly saline lands, which makes 83 thousand hectares. Whereas in 2005, saline lands made up 160 thousand hectares. Also, data analysis shows that areas with different mineralization are almost unchanged and need to develop scientifically based measures. The purpose and objectives of scientific research are to study irrigation with collector-drainage waters, their impact on the reclamation state of irrigation lands, and assess their suitability for irrigation. To increase the reliability of assessments of the quality of collector-drainage waters under various natural and economic conditions, it is recommended to use the relationship between water mineralization and the ratio of chlorine to sulfate. The dependence was built on the results of long-term data on the hydrochemical regime of collector-drainage waters. Estimates of our research have shown that at least 50% of the collector-drainage runoff is suitable for use in places of formation in Uzbekistan. Collector-drainage waters have mainly a sulfate type of salinity, and such waters with mineralization of 2-3 g/l, such waters with mineralization of 2-3 g/l can be used for repeated irrigation. To cover the shortage of irrigation water, drainage waters with increased mineralization by diluting them with fresh water will also be used for reuse.

Modeling of Sensor Enabled Irrigation Management for Intelligent Agriculture Using Hybrid Deep Belief Network

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and sensors have recently received significant interest in intellectual agriculture. Accelerating the application of AI technologies and agriculture sensors in intellectual agriculture is urgently required for the growth of modern agriculture and will help promote smart agriculture. Automatic irrigation scheduling systems were highly required in the agricultural field due to their capability to manage and save water deficit irrigation techniques. Automatic learning systems devise an alternative to conventional irrigation management through the automatic elaboration of predictions related to the learning of an agronomist. With this motivation, this study develops a modified black widow optimization with a deep belief network-based smart irrigation system (MBWODBN-SIS) for intelligent agriculture. The MBWODBN-SIS algorithm primarily enables the Internet of Things (IoT) based sensors to collect data forwarded to the cloud server for examination purposes. Besides, the MBWODBN-SIS technique applies the deep belief network (DBN) model for different types of irrigation classification: average, high needed, highly not needed, and not needed. The MBWO algorithm is used for the hyperparameter tuning process. A wide-ranging experiment was conducted, and the comparison study stated the enhanced outcomes of the MBWODBN-SIS approach to other DL models with maximum accuracy of 95.73%.

Deteriorating Harmful Effects of Drought in Cucumber by Spraying Glycinebetaine

In order to alleviate the shortage of irrigation water in dry regions, refining water use efficiency (WUE) is a key issue in sustainable productivity. Furthermore, glycinebetaine (GlyBet) is a vital osmoprotectant produced in crops for improving drought tolerance; however, little is known about its role in improving plant WUE under field conditions in non-accumulating plants such as cucumber. In order to elucidate the effectiveness of GlyBet concentrations (0, 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg/L) in mitigating the deleterious effects of drought (e.g., well-watered (1250 m3/fed), moderate drought (950 m3/fed), and severe drought (650 m3/fed)), field experiments were conducted at Elmia village, Dakahlia, Egypt in the 2020 and 2021 seasons on vegetative growth, some physiological attributes, as well as yield and quality. Drought considerably decreased vegetative growth, yield and its components, leaf relative water content, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations compared with well-watered plants while increasing electrolyte leakage. The most harmful causes were severe drought. However, exogenous spraying with GlyBet substantially boosted the mentioned attributes, but reduced electrolyte leakage within well-watering. Commonly 6000 mg/L contributed to the maximum growth and productivity, preserving cucumber plant water status above other concentrations or untreated plants. Under extreme drought, the application of 6000 mg/L GlyBet had a beneficial effect on moderating the damage of water deficit on cucumber plant growth and productivity. Overall, using GlyBet as a cost-effective and eco-friendly biostimulant six times (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days from sowing) has the potential to mitigate drought damage while also increasing yield; however, more research is needed to determine the optimal rate and timing of application.

Groundwater Management in an Uncommon and Artificial Aquifer Based on Kc Approach and MODIS ET Products for Irrigation Assessment in a Subtropical Island

Groundwater is a critical resource in remote and isolated islands where rainfall hardly provides a continuous and even water supply. In this paper, in a very rare and uncommonly found artificial aquifer on Miyako Island, far away from the main continent of Japan, with limited experimental results of evaluations of crop water requirement, MODIS ET together with crop ETc estimated from Kc coefficient from the nearest island were compared to determine the reliability of the MODIS ET and FAO-56-based ETc value. The testified Kc approach for sugarcane ET was used to assess the risk of irrigation water shortages using historical metrological data and to predict the future risk of irrigation agriculture under different scenarios of GCM models. It was shown that FAO-56-based ETc and MOD16A2 were both applicable for crop evapotranspiration on the island. Then, the response of groundwater storage to gross irrigation water requirement was analyzed to clarify the effect of irrigation on groundwater storage and the risk of groundwater depletion under current and future climatic conditions. Results showed that the construction of the dam efficiently secured the irrigation of sugarcane. Using historical climatic data (1951–2021), the influence of estimated irrigation water requirements on groundwater showed that in 296 out of 852 months, irrigation was heavily required. Over a 71 year period, there was absolutely no water for irrigation four times, or nearly once every 18 years. Under the future projected climate from four bias-corrected GCM models with two emission scenarios (2022–2100), the risk of groundwater depletion both in terms of frequency and duration will increase. Therefore, there is a need for either improvement of irrigation water management or additional construction of artificial aquifers on the island. The study proved the value of ET derived from remote sensing in areas lacking the support of experimental results. The methodology developed in the study can be potentially used to evaluate long-term irrigation demand and groundwater management over dry periods for engineering design or dam construction globally.

Dynamics of Water Quality and Deficit Irrigation on Residual Soil Micronutrients, Carbon Sequestration and Crop Productivity in a Greenhouse Environment

Dynamics of Water Quality and Deficit Irrigation on Residual Soil Micronutrients, Carbon Sequestration and Crop Productivity in a Greenhouse Environment

A spatial-temporal optimal allocation method of irrigation water resources considering groundwater level

The healthy and sustainable development of irrigation area not only serves as the guarantee of national food production security, but also shoulders the important task of regional ecological security, in which maintaining groundwater level plays an important role. Due to the close relationship between groundwater level and irrigation recharge groundwater, realizing rational use of water resources under strictly implementing the total limit of water use and holding reasonable groundwater level is of great significance to the healthy development of irrigated areas. Therefore, this study established a spatial-temporal optimal allocation regulation method of irrigation water resources by coupling groundwater numerical technology and the characteristics of hydrological cycle with comprehensively considering the dual constraints between total water consumption and reasonable groundwater depth. Besides, taking Helan County, a typical area of Qingtongxia Irrigation district in Ningxia as an example, a case study on optimal allocation of irrigation water resources was carried out. The results show that compared with the actual current water use situation, the total irrigation water shortage rate of Helan County Irrigation District (HCID) decreases from 21.61% to 21%. Under the combined control of total available water and groundwater depths, it is realized the fairness and balance of water use in different regions and periods by the allocation of water resources in spatial and temporal. Meanwhile, the area located in the reasonable groundwater depth range increased by 1.65% after optimization. Overall, the balanced and optimal allocation method of irrigation water resources with both total water use and groundwater depth control is not only improving the efficient and rational utilization of limited water resources, but also can regulate groundwater depth to guarantee regional ecological health and sustainable development.

Showcasing the multifaceted aspects of agricultural transformation: The example of mountain oases in Oman.

In the Anthropocene the consequences of land-use transformation on ecosystem services are of growing concern, particularly in fragile areas of mountain agriculture that often represent high nature-value farmland. This study uses a decadal repeated survey approach to analyse the effects of modernisation on oasis systems in the Jabal Al Akhdar region of northern Oman. This rugged mountain region at the north-eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula experiences a growing influx of regional and international tourists since the opening of a modern highway 15 years ago. In 2007, at the onset of transformation processes, a survey was conducted with all households (HH) located in three major settlements along the 1000-m-altitude gradient of the Wadi Muaydin watershed. The survey was repeated in 2018, including all remaining HH of the three settlements. This longitudinal approach allowed studying the consequences of social-ecological transformation processes on crop and livestock husbandry, agricultural labour use, product marketing, and perception of the region's future by its local residents. Though the village inhabitants are aging and declining in numbers, they still adhere to agriculture, largely because of tradition and identity. Fallowing and abandoning farmland increased over the investigated time span but was paralleled by increased application of agrochemicals and animal manure on fields, purchase of roughage and concentrate feeds for small ruminants, concentration on cash crop and meat production for sale, and increased employment of migrant workers. These indicators of modernisation of oasis agriculture are accompanied by predominantly pessimistic views on future prospects of oasis farming. Commonly perceived problems are shortage of irrigation water and profound societal change. Against these challenges, value chain generation and direct marketing opportunities for local agricultural produce are seen as prerequisites to keep the high nature-value farmland of these mountain oases alive.

Effect of nitrogen fertilizers on agronomic, essential and enzymatic properties of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) under normal and drought conditions

To investigate the effect of mineral and organic nitrogen fertilizers on some of the quantitative and qualitative reactions of marigold under normal and drought stress, a study was conducted in a split-plot factorial and based on a completely randomized block design with three replications. The first factor included irrigation (normal and water deficit) in the main plot and sub-factor included foliar application of nitrogen fertilizer (control, nitrogen (N), nano-chelate nitrogen (NC) and nitrogen fertilizer+ nano-nitrogen fertilizer (N+NC)) and biofertilizer (control, Azotobacter and Azospirillum) as factorial was placed in sub-plots. Although water deficit stress reduced plant height, flower dry weight, number of seeds per head, 1000-grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and essential oil yield, N + NC foliar application could moderate the adverse effect of water stress on the grain yield, biological yield and essential oil yield. In addition, inoculation of seeds with Azospirillum under water stress conditions could increase the number of seeds per head, 1000-grain weight and essential oil yield compared to the control treatment. NC foliar application and Azotobacter inoculation showed a synergistic effect on the content of proline enzymes and antioxidant activity. Also, simultaneous application of nitrogen + nano-chelate nitrogen foliar application along with seed inoculation with Azospirillum could have a positive effect on increasing flower dry weight, the number of seeds per head, 1000-seed weight, biological yield, grain yield, essential oil yield and proline content.