Efficiency of irrigation systems under water deficit conditions in saline calcareous soils [electronic resource].

Includes references.

A field experiment was carried out during winter season 2005-2006 at Ras Sudr Experimental Station of the Desert Research Center, to evaluate the performance of five irrigation systems: continuous flow furrow (CF); surge flow furrow (SF); surface drip (D0); and subsurface drip (SDI) at two depths of 15 and 30 cm (D15) and (D30), respectively, using two different levels of irrigation water application (100 and 70% of crop water requirements) designated as (T) and (0.7T), respectively, to irrigate fodder beet crop in calcareous loamy sand soil. The source of irrigation water was ground well and the average water salinity was 4.36 dS/m. The experiment carried out in split plots design. The obtained results indicated that the maximum average values of AE% were 85.8, 88.1, 93.5, 97.4, and 97.1% obtained by applying 0.7T treatment under CF, SF, D0, D15, and D30 treatments, respectively. The maximum average values of DU were 0.52, 0.62, 0.88, 0.95, and 0.94 obtained by the same treatments, respectively. Maximum average fresh yield (roots and tops) was 38.34 ton/fed. obtained by (D15xT) treatment, the increment reached to 6.9% compared to D0 with non-significant differences compared with D30. Meanwhile, surge flow furrow SF treatment recorded 31.62 ton/fed. as maximum average yield companied with applying T treatment, with increment of 22.7% compared with CF. The average values of irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), obtained by D15 or D30 treatments, were superior to D0 treatment under the experiment conditions. Meanwhile, the highest average value of IWUE was 16.85 kg/m³ obtained by (D15x0.7T) treatment, and the lowest average value 10.86 kg/m³ resulted by (D0xT) treatment. In the same time, the average value 8.75 kg/m³ obtained by SF resulted from applying (SFx0.7T) treatment, with increment reaching to 48.6% compared with CF treatment.

Summary in Arabic.

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