Moursi, E. A. and W. M. B. Yehia ( 2016). Towards effective irrigation management for cotton crop under different cultivation methods in the north middle Nile Delta RegionJ, of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering. Mansoura Univ. Vol. 7 (1): 21 -34
Abstract: A field investigation was conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station (310 07ˉ N Latitude and 300 57ˉ E longitude) with an elevation of about 6 metres above mean sea level, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate during the two successive summer growing seasons 2013 and 2014 to investigate the effect of cultivation methods and irrigation treatments (irrigation scheduling treatments) on seed cotton yield, some yield attributes, seed oil percentage and some water relations in the North Middle Nile Delta region. A split plot design with four replicates was used in this present investigation, where, the main treatments were randomly assigned by cultivation methods (A), where A1 (cultivation on normal furrows with width, 60 cm., normal cultivation) and A2 (cultivation on wide furrows with width, 120 cm., and cultivation process performed on two sides (raised-beds), while sub-main treatments were also randomly assigned by irrigation treatments (irrigation scheduling treatments), I0 (traditional irrigation, like to practise by local farmers in the studied area), I1 (irrigation with 1.4 Ep), I2 (irrigation with 1.2 Ep) I3 (irrigation with 1.0 Ep) and I4 (irrigation with 0.8 Ep).
The main results can be summarized as follows:-
The highest seasonal values for applied water, consumptive use and stored water in the effective root zone were recorded under cultivation method (A1) in comparison with cultivation method (A2) and the overall mean values through the two growing seasons are 3847.05 and 3636.48 m3/ fed. for seasonal applied water, 2629.18 and 2442.74 m3/ fed. for consumptive use and 2743.93 and 2612.73 m3/ fed. for stored water in the effective root zone under cultivation methods (A1) and (A2), respectively. Regarding, the effect of irrigation treatments (irrigation scheduling treatments), the highest mean values for the abovementioned three studied parameters were recorded under irrigation treatment (I0) in the two growing seasons comparing with other irrigation treatments I1, I2, I3 and I4. The highest overall mean values through the two growing seasons are 4309.37 and 4122.46 m3/ fed. for seasonal applied water, 2917.74 and 2760.81 m3/ fed. for consumptive use and 3125.44 and 2900.24 m3/ fed. for stored water in the effective root zone under cultivation method (A1) and (A2), respectively. Generally, the overall mean values for the abovementioned three studied parameters can be descended in order according to the effect of irrigation treatments as follows I0 > I1 > I2 > I3 > I4 .
Concerning the effect of cultivation methods and irrigation treatments on the studied irrigation efficiencies. The highest overall mean values through the two growing seasons were recorded under cultivation method (A2) comparing with cultivation method (A1) and the values are 72.10 and 71.43% for water application efficiency, 0.60 and 0.52 kg/ m3 for water productivity and 0.41 and 0.35 kg/ m3 for productivity of irrigation water under cultivation method (A2) and (A1), respectively. Meanwhile, for consumptive use efficiency, the highest overall mean values were recoded under cultivation method (A1) in comparison with (A2) and the values are 68.51 and 67.35% for (A1) and (A2), respectively. Regarding, the effect of irrigation treatments under the two cultivation methods on the abovementioned studied efficiencies. The highest mean values for water application efficiency and consumptive use efficiency were recorded under irrigation treatment I4 and the values are 74.04 and 76.37% for water application efficiency and 71.76 and 70.11% for consumptive use efficiency under (A1) and (A2), respectively. On the other hand, the other irrigation efficiencies water productivity (WP) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW), the highest mean values were recorded under irrigation treatment (I3) and the values are 0.66 and 0.78 kg/ m3 for (WP) and 0.45 and 0.52 kg/ m3 for PIW under A1 and A2, respectively.
Concerning, the effect of cultivation methods and irrigation treatments on seed cotton yield, some yield attributes such as plant height (cm.), ball weight (g), number of green balls/ plant and cotton seed oil percentage were recorded under cultivation method (A2) and irrigation treatment (I3).
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