Yield And Water Use Efficiency Of Deficit-Irrigated Maize In A Semi-Arid Region Of Ethiopia
Scarcity of water is the most severe constraint for development of agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas. Under these conditions, the need to use the available water economically and efficiently is unquestionable. Based on the actual crop need, the irrigation management has to be improved so that...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | African journal of food, agriculture, nutrition, and development : AJFAND agriculture, nutrition, and development : AJFAND, 2010-01, Vol.9 (8) |
---|---|
Hauptverfasser: | , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | Scarcity of water is the most severe constraint for development of
agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas. Under these conditions, the
need to use the available water economically and efficiently is
unquestionable. Based on the actual crop need, the irrigation
management has to be improved so that the water supply to the crop can
be reduced while still achieving high yield. The purpose of this study
was to determine the water use efficiency of maize (Katumani cultivar)
under deficit irrigation practice and to identify crop growth stages
during which the crop can withstand water stress with limited effect on
yield.The field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of
Haramaya University located in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. The treatments
consisted of ten different levels/timings of irrigation water
application. Treatments T1 and T2 were respectively normal irrigation
and 75% deficit irrigation throughout the growing season. T3, T4, T5,
and T6 were stressed by 75% at a specific stage: initial stage,
development stage, mid season stage, and late season stage
respectively. T7, T8, T9, and T10 were stressed by 50% at the
respective four growth stages. The result showed that variation in
level (amount) of irrigation water application had a significant impact
on grain yield. In the case of stress by 75% deficit at a specific
stage, the effect of stress was severe during the mid season stage. The
mid season stage was the most sensitive to water stress. On the other
hand, water deficit during the early and maturity stage had a limited
effect on yield. Stressing the crop by 75% deficit throughout the
growing season resulted in the highest yield reduction. However, the
crop water use efficiency was the lowest (1.72 kg/m3) at optimum
irrigation water application and the highest (2.96 kg/m3) at stress of
75% deficit throughout the growth season. Although at individual
farmer's level, maximum yield is obtained when the entire crop
water requirement is fulfilled, practicing deficit irrigation could
increase the irrigated area as a result of high water use efficiency. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1684-5358 |