Abd El-Naby, S. S. M.1 and M. A. Mahmoud 2( 2018). Enhancing Irrigation Water Productivity of Rice Using Irrigation Intervals, Transplanting Methods and Weed Control in North Nile DeltaJ.Soil Sci. and Agric. Eng., Mansoura Univ., Vol. 9 (1): 11- 20, 2018
Abstract: Water is the main limiting factor for agricultural expansion in arid and semi-arid regions as well as Egypt. So two field experiments were carried out during 2015 and 2016 summer season at the experimental farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Egypt to enhance water productivity of rice using irrigation intervals, transplanting methods and weed control treatments. Strip split-plot design with three replicates was used in infested weedy soils. Irrigation intervals were in the horizontal plots, it was irrigate every three days as a farmer practices (I1), every six days (I2) and every nine days (I3). Transplanting methods were located in vertical plots contained; transplanting in flat soil as a traditional method (M1) and transplanting in bottom of raised-bed (M2). While weed control treatments were assigned in sub-plots, it was penoxsulam (Granite) 24% SC (W1), penoxsulam + orthosulfamuron 50% WG (Kelion) (W2), thiobencarb50% EC (Citron) fb penoxsulam (W3), weedy check (W4) and hand weeding twice (W5). Results showed that treatment of I1 was the best in weed management, rice dry weight, number of panicles/m2, number of filled grain/panicle, 1000-grain weight and grain yield. Irrigation treatments of I2 and I3 saved about 20.7 % and 29.9 % of irrigation water compared to I1, while the highest productivity of irrigation water (PIW) were recorded by treatment of I2 compared to I1 and I3. The lowest fresh and dry weights of total weeds and the highest values of rice dry weight, number of panicles/m2, number of filled grains/panicle, 1000-grain weight were recorded by M1 as compared to M2, in addition rice grain yield of M1 was increased by 7.1 % compared to M2 as mean of the two growing seasons. Transplanting method of M2 saved about 21.2 % of irrigation water and increased PIW by 18.4 % compared to M1. The best weed management beside the highest values of number of panicles/m2, number of filled grain/panicle, 1000-grain and grain yield of rice were obtained by W3 compared to rest weed control treatments and it take the descending order W3 > W5 = W2 > W1 > W4 in the two seasons of study. The interaction of I2 X M1 X W3 was superior treatment for rice grain yield. But, under shortage of water, increasing irrigation water productivity of rice could be achieved by the superior interaction of I2 X M2 X W3 because it resulted in the highest irrigation water productivity of rice to be 0.98 kg m-3.
Keywords: (Rice, transplanting methods, weed control, irrigation intervals, water productivity)
