Influence of supplemental irrigation and soil surface furrowing on barley yield in arid areas affected by surface crust

The effects of supplemental irrigation and furrowed-soil surface on soil water distribution and storage, and barley yield were studied for a crust-forming soil at the University of Jordan Research Station near Al-Muwaqqar village during the 1997/1998 growing season. The furrows were trenches about 250 mm deep, 300 mm wide, 1·0 m apart, and 12 m long which were dug perpendicular to the slope direction. The experiment consisted of five treatments: N0: rain-fed cultivation with natural soil surface; F0: rain-fed furrowed soil surface; F1/3, F2/3, and F1: furrowed-soil surface with 26, 52, and 78 mm supplemental irrigation, respectively, in three applications. With 159 mm rainfall, barley consumptive use increased from 92·8 mm in the rain-fed natural treatment to 188·7 mm in the rain-fed furrowed soil surface treatment. Barley production was also a complete failure in the natural rain-fed cultivation. Furrowing the soil surface gave 0·087 and 0·747 ton ha−1of barley grain and straw yields, respectively. Supplementing the 159 mm rainfall with 26 mm irrigation water in the furrowed-soil surface significantly increased barley grain and straw yields by about 11 and 3 times, respectively. Barley is well adapted for production within furrows and the uncropped areas between the furrows can be prepared and used for water harvesting. Whilst the supplementary water can be used to produce grain it can be used most efficiently for the production of barley forage. A relatively late water application gives a considerable boost to forage production. Achieving rapid infiltration and storage deep in potential or actual rooting zones can maximize water utilization efficiency and minimize evaporation losses. The use of deep furrow techniques allows increased water intake rates and storage at depth within soil profiles. Furrowing the soil surface significantly increased the amount of rainwater stored in the soil profile as compared to an unfurrowed soil surface (natural) by about 72%.