Evaluation of surge flow furrow irrigation for onion production in a semiarid region of Ethiopia

The study was conducted to evaluate surge irrigation against continuous irrigation in terms of irrigation and water use efficiencies to produce onion. It was carried out at Mekelle Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia on 70 m long and 0.6 m center–center spacing furrows of 0.26% average slope on a clay soil. The treatments consisted of factorial combination of two discharges (Q ₁ = 1 l/s and Q ₂ = 2 l/s) and three-cycle ratios (CR₁ = 1/3, CR₂ = 1/2, and C = 1 for continuous irrigation). Surge flow treatments advanced faster than the respective continuous flow treatments with surge flow treatment SF₂₁ being the fastest. The best value of application efficiency (60%) was achieved for SF₁₁ and the least (46%) for CF₂. The maximum (87%) and minimum (68%) values of distribution uniformity were obtained for cycle ratios CR₁ and C, respectively. Storage efficiency was highest (89%) for CF₂ and lowest (78%) for SF₁₂. Onion yield was significantly affected (p < 0.05) by the interaction effect, the highest (14,400 kg/ha) and the lowest (13,363 kg/ha) yields were obtained for SF₁₁ and SF₂₁, respectively. The maximum irrigation water use efficiency (2.27 kg/m³) was observed for SF₁₁ and the minimum (1.68 kg/m³) for CF₂. Surge irrigation was found to be a promising irrigation practice for onion production in the study area as it saves water, reduces irrigation period, and increases the crop yield.