Irrigation, a Basic Technological Element, for Improving the Autumn Cabbage Yield in Crișurilor Plain, Western Romania

The researches were carried out at the Agricultural Research and Development Station, Crișurilor Plain, Oradea, during 1990-2016. They have demonstrated that irrigation is needed every year due to the extension of the drought regions in Romania. Irrigation has become a basic element in the technology of the autumn cabbage crop due to the yearly pedological drought. For cabbage, the minimum watering depth is considered 0-50 cm, while an irrigation average rate of 2,410 m3/ha, with a variation range of 1,330-4,900 m3/ha had to be imposed in order to maintain the soil moisture content on the watering depth between the easily available water content and the field capacity. Irrigation improved the microclimate conditions and the ratio water/temperature + light (Domuţa climate index) increased. Daily water consumption increased as well. As a result, total water consumption increased by 70%, with a variation range of 19-872%. Irrigation determined an yield gain of 153%; water use efficiency (kg/m3) increased by 60.0%; irrigation water use efficiency recorded an average value of 13.4 kg yield gain/m3, with variation range 6.7 kg yield gain/m3-24.2 kg yield gain/m3. The correlations quantified in the soil-water-plant system (number of days with pedological drought, yield, respectively yield gain; Domuţa climate index-yield; water consumption-yield) support irrigation for the autumn cabbage crop from Crişurilor Plain.