Modernization drip irrigation systems to improve fodder crops production and rationalizing groundwater in North Sinai - Egypt [electronic resource]: Case study

Includes bibliographic reference.

Field experiments were carried out at Romana and Bir Elabd villages, North Sinai Governorate at three sites each village,
cultivated by forage pearl millet and fodder beet crops during summer 2015 and winter 2015/2016, respectively. To evaluate
the effect of updating drip irrigation system design (DI) with two water application levels:100 and 75% from actual crop
water requirements (ETc) designated T100 and T75, respectively, and comparing with the drip systems used by farmers for
irrigation (DC) under sites conditions. The parameters were statistical distribution of drippers flow rates,
water application efficiency "Ea%", low-quarter distribution uniformity "DUlq", fresh and dry yield seasonally,
water use efficiency upon fresh "WUEf" and dry yield “WUEEd”, and energy use efficiency upon fresh "EUEf" and dry yield “EUEd”.
The most important results were: good performance of DI through excellent functioning of a statistical distribution of dripper flow rates.
The highest mean values of Ea%, DUlq, IWUEf, IWUEd, EAEf, and EAEd were recorded by DIT75 treatments at both seasons, in all sites.
Total fresh and dry yield by DIT100 treatments recorded the highest mean values at both seasons, between all sites.
Also, the mean values of water-saving percentages compared with Dc treatment between all sites were 34.5 - 29.8% by DIT75
and 13.8 - 9.8% by DIT100 in summer and winter seasons, respectively, whereas, the mean values of operating energy saved
percentages were obtained 33.2 - 35.5% by DIT75 and 20.6 - 23.2% by DIT100.

Summary in Arabic.