Effects of limited irrigation on lettuce and chinese cabbage yields

Summary Yield response of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. Group pekinensis) to eight different drip irrigation rates was determined in 1980–1984 at Lalamilo, Hawaii. Treatments were arranged in a gradient irrigation design replicated three times and were irrigated daily with amounts ranging from 0.76 mm to 6.09 mm. Yield response from a 0 treatment, equal to rainfall, was also measured. Marketable yield increased linearly with increased water application up to 49.7 Mg/ha for lettuce and 73.1 Mg/ha for Chinese cabbage with an associated seasonal evapotranspiration of 205 mm and 209 mm for lettuce and Chinese cabbage, respectively. The relationship between deficit relative yield (yield divided by maximum yield) and deficit relative evapotranspiration (evapotranspiration divided by maximum evapotranspiration) was linear with a deficit response coefficient of 1.07 for lettuce and 1.35 for Chinese cabbage. Marketable percentage of total potential biomass production decreased linearly with a decrease in marketable yield. Lettuce head size also decreased linearly with a decrease in marketable yield. Water use efficiency (yield divided by water applied) was 24 and 36 kg/m3 of water for lettuce and Chinese cabbage, respectively.     

Response of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) under different levels of irrigation on deep sandy soils

The growth and herbage and oil production of East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) in response to different levels of irrigation water (IW) [0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 times cumulative pan evaporation (CPE)] were evaluated on deep sandy soils at the research farm of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, from 1991 to 1993. In general, an increment in the level of irrigation increased the plant height up to 0.7 IW:CPE ratio. The response of irrigation levels on tiller production of lemongrass differed with the season of harvest. Maximum tillers/clump during the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th harvests were in response to irrigation levels 0.9, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.7 IW:CPE ratio, respectively. Oil content had an inverse relationship with the levels of irrigation, specially during the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th harvests. Significantly higher herb and essential oil yields were recorded at 0.7 IW:CPE ratio, irrespective of season of harvest. The maximum total herb (22.79 t/ha in first year and 33.11 t/ha in second year) and oil (146.2 l/ha in the first year and 205.3 l/ha in the second year) yields were recorded at 0.7 IW:CPE ratio. The quality of oil with respect to the major chemical constituents (Citral-a, Citral-b and geraniol) was not changed. At the optimum level of irrigation (0.7 IW:CPE ratio) the water used by lemongrass was 118.2 cm for first year and 123.8 cm for the second year. Water-use efficiency was found to be higher (1.66 l oil/ha-cm) in the second year than the first year (1.23 l oil/ha-cm). For optimum yield potential of lemongrass on deep sandy soils of sub-tropical climate, the crop received 17 irrigations in the first year and 14 irrigations in the second year of harvests. Irrigations were made during the dry winter and summer months. Received: 15 April 1999     

LEPA and trickle irrigation of cotton in the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) area in Turkey

This study was designed to evaluate the yield response of low-energy precision application (LEPA) and trickle-irrigated cotton grown on a clay-textured soil under the arid Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) area conditions during the 1999 growing season at Koruklu in Turkey. The effects of four different irrigation levels (100, 75, 50, and 25% of cumulative Class-A pan evaporation on a 6-day basis) for LEPA, and two irrigation intervals (3-day and 6-day) and three different levels (100, 67, and 33% of cumulative Class-A pan evaporation on a 3-day and 6-day basis) for the trickle system on yield were investigated. Water was applied to alternate furrows through the double-ended Fangmeier drag-socks in the LEPA system. Trickle irrigation laterals were laid out on the soil surface at a spacing of 1.40 m. A total of 814 mm of water was applied to the full-irrigation treatments (100%) for both irrigation systems. Seasonal water use ranged from 383 to 854 mm in LEPA treatments; and 456 to 868 mm in trickle treatments. Highest average cotton yield of 5850 kg/ha was obtained from the full-irrigation treatment (100%) in trickle-irrigated plots with 6-day intervals. The highest yield in LEPA plots was obtained in LEPA-100% treatment with an average value of 4750 kg/ha. Seed cotton yields varied from 2660 to 5040 kg/ha and 2310 to 5850 kg/ha in trickle irrigation plots with 3-day and 6-day intervals, respectively, and from 2590 to 4750 kg/ha in LEPA plots. Irrigation levels both in LEPA and trickle-irrigated plots significantly increased yield. However, there was no significant yield difference between 100 and 67% irrigation levels in trickle-irrigated plots. Maximum irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) were found as 0.813 and 0.741 kg/m³ in trickle-irrigated treatment of 67% with 6-day interval. Both IWUE and WUE values varied with irrigation quantity and frequency. The research results revealed that both the trickle and LEPA irrigation systems could be used successfully for irrigating cotton crop under the arid climatic conditions of the GAP area in Turkey.     

Economic feasibility of growing capsicum crop under drip irrigation in West Bengal, India

Drip irrigation system has been one of the technical means to improve water use efficiency. In India, this system is gaining popularity among fruit growers and in water scarced area but a substantial area is being covered annually under vegetables crops. One of the major concerns raised by farmers about this system is its economic viability. In present study, the economic viability of drip irrigation system for growing capsicum crop based on discounted cash flow technique (Net present worth and Benefit cost ratio) was explored. Eight irrigation treatments were laid under drip with and without plastic mulch. The irrigation levels were taken as 1, 0.8 and 0.6 of the crop evapotranspiration. The pan evaporation method was used for estimation of reference evapotranspiration and Water Balance Approach was used for irrigation scheduling. The average amount of water supplied under treatment VD (100% irrigation requirement supplied with drip) was found to be 415 mm for whole growing season of the crop. Similarly the amount of water was found to be 332 mm and 249 mm for the treatment 0.8VD (80% irrigation requirement supplied with drip) and 0.6VD (60% irrigation requirement supplied with drip) respectively. Highest yield was recorded in case of treatment VD + PM (100% irrigation requirement supplied with drip plus plastic mulch) followed by VD. Yield under treatments 0.8VD, 0.6VD, 0.8VD + PM and 0.6VD + PM were significant while treatments VD, VF and VF + PM were at par with the treatment VD + PM. Net Present Worth (NPW) was found to be positive for all the treatments. The highest NPW was obtained under treatment VD as Rs. 309,734.90 and lowest was in case of 0.6VD + PM as Rs. 144,172.24. The yield per mm of water used was reported to be at higher side as 35 in both the treatments VD and VD + PM. But the yield per mm of water used was found to be lowest as 18.07 and 19 in case of VF and VF + PM respectively.     

Water use and wheat yields in northern India under different irrigation regimes

Field studies were conducted during a 3-year period to determine wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield in response to irrigation scheduling and variable fertilization.Irrigation scheduling was done on the basis of cumulative pan evaporation. Irrigations were given at 25, 50 and 75% available water in the top 60 cm soil profile. The amount of irrigation water applied at each irrigation was equivalent to 75% of the cumulative open pan evaporation. The crop was fertilized at the rate of 0, 60, and 120 kg/ha nitrogen.The yield of wheat was significantly affected by irrigation water and nitrogen treatments. Maximum yield was obtained with irrigation at 50% available soil water and 120 kg/ha nitrogen addition (5092 kg/ha). Consumptive use of water was maximum when irrigation was applied at 75% available soil water. The irrigation at 50% available soil water, however, resulted in greatest yield per cm water use by the crop.     

Water use and yield response of wheat to irrigation and nitrogen on an alluvial soil in North India

Field studies were conducted for four years on alluvial soils of North India to determine the water use, water use efficiency and yield performance of a semi-dwarf high-yielding wheat variety (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to irrigation schedule and nitrogen fertilization. Irrigation scheduling was based on different ratios between irrigation water and cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE). Irrigations of 6-cm depth were applied on the basis of IW/CPE ratio of 0.45, 0.60, 0.75 and 0.90. Pan evaporation data were recorded daily using standard USWB-Class A Open pan (as prescribed by India Meterological Department) located at Research Farm, Selakui, Dehradun where the experiment was conducted. The CPE values were computed for each year individually. The crop was fertilized with nitrogen at the rate of 0, 60 and 120 kg/ha.The yield and yield attributes were highest and irrigation efficiency was maximum when irrigation was applied at an IW/CPE ratio of 0.75 in a normal-rainfall year and at 0.90 in a low-rainfall year. Water use efficiency decreased with increase in irrigation frequency. Nitrogen fertilization increased the yield of wheat linearly and was maximum at 120 kg nitrogen per hectare.     

Water stress imposed on muskmelon (Cucumis Melo L.) with subsurface and surface drip irrigation systems under semi-arid climatic conditions

In 2005 and 2006, a study was conducted to determine the effect of subsurface and surface drip irrigation systems and to determine optimum irrigation water using six different irrigation levels imposed on muskmelon (Cucumis Melo L. cv. Ananas F1) under semi-arid climatic conditions. Irrigation treatments received 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125% of class A pan evaporation rates. In 2005, average yield from subsurface and surface drip irrigation systems ranged from 16.2 (I ₀) to 31.1 (I ₇₅) t ha⁻¹ and from 16.2 (I ₀) to 43.8 (I ₇₅) t ha⁻¹, respectively. While in 2006, fruit yields for the same systems ranged from 8.2 (I ₀) to 40.4 (I ₇₅) t ha⁻¹ and from 8.2 (I ₀) to 38.9 (I ₁₀₀) t ha⁻¹. Regression analysis of the yield data indicated no significant (P > 0.05) difference between years and irrigation systems. The highest muskmelon yields from subsurface and surface drip irrigation systems were obtained at 83 and 92% of class A pan. Bigger fruits were obtained with optimum irrigation amounts for both of the irrigation systems. However, there was no clear indication of irrigation water amounts on total soluble solid and flesh thickness of muskmelon fruits.     

Effect of water shortage on yield, and protein and mineral compositions of drip-irrigated sweet corn in sustainable agricultural systems

Water is a natural resource of prime value that is very often limited and costly, particularly in semi-arid regions. While traditional irrigation methods increase the amount of surface runoff, drip irrigation provides efficient use of the limited water resources. This study was conducted to determine the water-yield relationship and the quality of sweet corn grown under deficit drip irrigation in 1998 and 1999 in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Irrigation treatments analysed in this study were full irrigation as well as 10, 20 and 30% deficiency of Class A pan evaporation. In both years, water use efficiency ranged between 1.18 and 1.36 kg m⁻³, and irrigation water use efficiency ranged between 1.36 and 1.62 kg m⁻³. The yield response factor (k_y) or the ratio of the decrease in relative yield to the decrease in relative water consumption varied from 0.82 to 1.43, and the water-saving rate ranged from 10.9 to 31.1%. The relationships between fresh ear yield and the irrigation treatments were statistically significant (P < 0.01), and the yield decreased with increasing deficit irrigation. Root dry matter increased with water shortage. Maximum values of leaf area index were obtained at full irrigation, whereas the lowest values were found at 30% water deficiency. The values of the deficit irrigation stress index increased with decreasing water application. Although the protein content increased, the Fe, Zn and Cu concentration of the kernels decreased with increasing water deficiency. Despite the reduction of fresh ear yield with deficit irrigation, the number of marketable ears at 10% water deficiency was still high and acceptable for sweet corn (var. Reward) in south-eastern Turkey.     

Varietal differences in the response of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) to irrigation strategies in a semi-arid region of Algeria

The response of three durum wheat cultivars (C: Chen’s, V: Vitron, W: Waha) to irrigation was studied during 4 years in semi-arid Algeria (Chlef). The four treatments were NI (unirrigated), EI (early irrigation, up to heading), LI (late irrigation, from heading) and FI (full irrigation, over the entire season). FI increased rainfed grain yield (1,300 kg ha⁻¹) by 270%, EI by 107%, and LI by 67%. The variety × irrigation interaction was significant each year. Under irrigation, cv. Vitron was generally the most productive cultivar while in rainfed conditions cv. Waha always resulted in the highest grain yield. Grain yield increased exponentially with seasonal evapotranspiration (r ² = 0.741) and harvest index (r ² = 0.873). Water use efficiency for grain ranged from 4.6–5.3 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ (NI) to 9.6–10.8 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ (FI) as a function of cultivar and irrigation, cv. Vitron and cv. Waha (full irrigation) and cv. Waha (rainfed) being the most efficient cultivars. According to the evaporation pan method, the seasonal crop coefficient (K _c) values for the three cultivars were 0.64 (V), 0.62 (W) and 0.54 (C). The corresponding peak K _c values were 1.0, 0.97 and 0.89, respectively. K _c was closely related to leaf area index (LAI) and specific logarithmic relationships were calculated for each cultivar. Irrigation scheduling should be adapted to the type of cultivar in relation to its potential yield and LAI development pattern.     

Yield and quality response of drip irrigated broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) under different irrigation regimes, nitrogen applications and cultivation periods

The experiment aimed at evaluating the yield and quality response of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) to applied irrigation water and nitrogen by drip irrigation method during the spring and autumn cultivation periods of 2007. Irrigation water was applied based on a ratio of Class A pan evaporation (k_cp = 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25) with 7 days interval. Also, the effect of four nitrogen levels (0 kg ha⁻¹, 150 kg ha⁻¹, 200 kg ha⁻¹ and 250 kg ha⁻¹) was compared with each treatment. The seasonal evapotranspiration in the treatments varied from 233 mm to 328 mm during the spring period and from 276 mm to 344 mm during the autumn period. The highest broccoli yield was obtained in the spring period as 11.02 t ha⁻¹ and in the autumn period as 4.55 t ha⁻¹. In general, there were statistical differences along nitrogen does with respect to yield and yield components while there were no statistically significant differences in the yield and yield components among irrigation regimes. Both yield and yield parameters in the spring period were found to be higher than that of the autumn period due to the low temperature and high rainy days in autumn. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) ranged from 3.78 kg m⁻³ to 14.61 kg m⁻³ during the spring period and from 1.89 kg m⁻³ to 5.93 kg m⁻³ during the autumn period. On the other hand, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) changed as 37.32-73.13% and 13.08-22.46% for spring and autumn season, respectively.     

Irrigation of Lucerne under semi-arid conditions in Cyprus

Summary Three amounts of water –1.0, 0.8 and 0.6 of the irrigation requirement — were used to irrigate lucerne at two frequencies of application — once or twice during each growth cycle. Screened Class A pan evaporation, adjusted by monthly crop coefficients, proved a dependable guide for irrigation. Irrigating once per growth cycle was sufficient, and the highest yield was obtained when the full irrigation requirement was applied. The average annual dry matter yield for the three amounts of irrigation water — 1390, 1110 and 829 mm per year — was 20 285, 16 353 and 12 952 kg ha^–1 respectively, i. e., yield decreased linearly with decreasing amount of water applied. As the water used was saline — with an electrical conductivity of 3 mmhos/cm^–1 — the main root zone became gradually salinized with the drier treatments, while with the wettest treatment salts accumulated below 80 cm depth. Yields were drastically reduced during the hot summer months, even when adequate water was available in the soil profile. This combined with the high irrigation requirement resulted in very low efficiency of irrigation during summer.     

Irrigation for crops in a sub-humid environment

Summary The water use of two soybean cultivars (Bragg and Ruse) was measured for three seasons for a range of irrigation treatments. The seasonal totals of plant and soil evaporation ranged from 450 to 750 mm or from 36 to 64% of class A pan evaporation for the same period. Both cultivars extracted approximately 60% of the total extractable soil water in the top 1.2 m of soil before actual evaporation (Ea) dropped below potential evaporation (Eo). Up to this point the ratio between Ea and class A pan evaporation averaged 0.8. Ruse used water at a faster rate than Bragg but Ruse was not as effective in extracting the deep (below 1.0 m) soil water as Bragg. Water use efficiency (kg seed ha^–1 mm^–1 water) showed a small but general increase with decreasing irrigation water application. Runoff losses varied from zero for non-irrigated Ruse in 1977/78 to 352 mm for frequently-irrigated Bragg in 1976/77, generally increasing with the number of irrigations.     

Yield,water use and root distribution of wheat as affected by pre-sowing and post-sowing irrigation

Irrigation water is a limited resource, and therefore irrigation practices must be rationalized for high water-use efficiency. Little is known about the influence of stored water in deep soils on the water needs and the post-sowing irrigation requirements of crops. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of combinations of light and heavy pre-sowing irrigations with two post-sowing irrigation regimes on yield, root growth, water use and water-use efficiency of wheat on a deep alluvial sandy loam soil. Post-sowing treatments consisted of (i) five 75-mm irrigations at five growth stages, and (ii) irrigations based on pan evaporation, i.e. at IW/PAN-E ratio of 0.75 (75 mm of irrigation water were provided as soon as the open-pan evaporation minus rainfall since previous irrigation was 100 mm).The latter regime required 175 mm less water than that with irrigation at growth stages. Profile water utilization was inversely related to post-sowing irrigation water. Where pre-sowing irrigation was light, post-sowing irrigations based on pan evaporation yielded significantly less than those based on growth stages. With heavy pre-sowing irrigation, irrigation based on the pan evaporation yielded as much as five irrigations at growth stages. The former decreased the mean water application by 153 mm and increased the water-use efficiency by 26%. Irrigation based on pan evaporation stimulated greater utilization of stored water by increasing the rooting density in deeper layers.It is indicated that for higher water-use efficiency and yield, wheat should be sown after a heavy pre-sowing irrigation, and post-sowing irrigation should be based on 0.75 pan evaporation.     

Sugarcane response to irrigation and straw mulch in a subtropical region

In Northern India, insufficient soil moisture and excessively high soil temperatures are reported to restrict growth of crops during the hot, dry months of April–June. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of three irrigation schedules based on ratios of 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 times pan evaporation, and two levels of paddy straw mulch of 0 and 6 tons/ha on yield and quality of sugarcane for a sandy loam. The differential irrigations were restricted to 10–12 weeks before the monsoon season.Both irrigation and straw mulching had favourable effects on plant height and yield. Cane yield increased by an average of 13.8% for the 1.00 over the 0.50 times pan evaporation. Similarly, yield averaged 13.8% higher with mulch than without it. Interestingly, the pan evaporation ratio of 0.50 with mulch gave a higher yield than the ratio 1.00 without mulch. For the same yield, irrigation under mulching averaged 34 cm less than under no mulch. These beneficial effects were attributed to better soil moisture and temperature regimes with mulching. Irrigation and mulching had no effect on the quality of cane juice. These results indicate that straw mulching and early season irrigation to sugarcane based on 1.00 times pan evaporation is a promising practice for increasing sugarcane production in subtropical areas.     

Determination of optimum irrigation water amount for drip-irrigated muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) in plastic greenhouse

This study was conducted to determine the optimum irrigation water amounts for muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) in plastic greenhouse. The irrigation water amounts were determined based on the percentage of field water capacity. On the same basis of irrigation start-point of 60% (the percent to comparing to the field water capacity), there were four different irrigation water levels 100% (T100), 90% (T90), 80% (T80) and 70% (T70) as the four different treatments. The results showed that plant growth, fruit production and quality were significantly affected under different irrigation water amounts. Plant height and stem diameter decreased as well as fruit yield from treatment T100 to T70. Fruit quality was the best in the T90 treatment. The irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) values found in this experiment showed that the lower the amount of irrigation water applied, the higher the irrigation water use efficiency obtained.Hence, based on the quality and quantity of muskmelon yield, the regime for 90% of field water capacity is the suitable soil irrigation treatment (T90) which can save irrigation water and improve the quality of fruit. Combined the crop yield, quality and pan evaporation inside greenhouse, obtained Kcp = 1.00 values can be recommended for the most appropriate irrigation scheduling, irrigation water amount is better between T100 and T90. Therefore, applying water by drip irrigation in relation to the amount of water evaporated from a standard 0.2 m diameter pan is a convenient, simple, easy, and low cost method inside a plastic greenhouse.     

不同灌水量和灌水频率对田间黄瓜耗水特性及产量的影响

【目的】确定大田黄瓜最适宜的灌溉频率和灌水量。【方法】试验于2018年在华北水利水电大学农业高效用水试验场进行,以20cm标准蒸发皿的累积蒸发量(E20)作为灌水依据,灌溉处理分为2个灌溉间隔(I1:3d;I2:6d)和3种水面蒸发系数(K1:0.5;K2:0.7;K3:0.9),共6个处理,对黄瓜耗水特性、产量构成和水分利用效率进行了分析。【结果】黄瓜整个生育期耗水量在380~570mm之间波动,黄瓜的产量在18.2~46.1t/hm2之间波动。从不同灌水频率组合来看,I2K3处理的产量最高,其中,K3处理的早期产量最高,而I1与I2处理的水分利用效率无明显差异。果实数与灌水量之间、耗水量与产量之间均呈正线性相关关系。【结论】建议对于田间黄瓜栽培,灌溉间隔设置为6d,蒸发皿系数选择0.9为宜。     

Evaluation of crop water stress index for LEPA irrigated corn

This study was designed to evaluate the crop water stress index (CWSI) for low-energy precision application (LEPA) irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) grown on slowly-permeable Pullman clay loam soil (fine, mixed, Torrertic Paleustoll) during the 1992 growing season at Bushland, Tex. The effects of six different irrigation levels (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20%, and 0% replenishment of soil water depleted from the 1.5-m soil profile depth) on corn yields and the resulting CWSI were investigated. Irrigations were applied in 25 mm increments to maintain the soil water in the 100% treatment within 60–80% of the “plant extractable soil water” using LEPA technology, which wets alternate furrows only. The 1992 growing season was slightly wetter than normal. Thus, irrigation water use was less than normal, but the corn dry matter and grain yield were still significantly increased by irrigation. The yield, water use, and water use efficiency of fully irrigated corn were 1.246 kg/m², 786 mm, and 1.34 kg/m³, respectively. CWSI was calculated from measurements of infrared canopy temperatures, ambient air temperatures, and vapor pressure deficit values for the six irrigation levels. A “non-water-stressed baseline” equation for corn was developed using the diurnal infrared canopy temperature measurements as T _c–T _a = 1.06–2.56 VPD, where T _c was the canopy temperature (°C), Ta was the air temperature (°C) and VPD was the vapor pressure deficit (kPa). Trends in CWSI values were consistent with the soil water contents induced by the deficit irrigations. Both the dry matter and grain yields decreased with increased soil water deficit. Minimal yield reductions were observed at a threshold CWSI value of 0.33 or less for corn. The CWSI was useful for evaluating crop water stress in corn and should be a valuable tool to assist irrigation decision making together with soil water measurements and/or evapotranspiration models. Received: 19 May 1998     

Scheduling irrigation of cabbages using pan evaporation

Summary A plot irrigator was used to develop a response curve relating cabbage yield to watering level on coarse sandy soils in Western Australia. The daily replacement of 120 to 150% of pan evaporation maximised yield of crops harvested during the late summer and early autumn. With summer harvested crops maturing under high moisture stress, watering twice daily at the same percentage evaporation gave optimum yields. Over-watering and too frequent watering were both found to reduce yields, although not as much as insufficient irrigation. The combined crop and pan factors relating actual crop water needs to pan evaporation were found to be much higher than factors hitherto published.Senior Research Officer, Research Officer and Research Officer, respectively     

Irrigation and drainage needs of transplanted rice in diked rice fields of rainfed medium lands

An experiment was conducted in diked rice fields with various weir heights (6 cm to 30 cm at an interval of 4 cm) for three consecutive years in the sub-humid climate of eastern India. The results reveal that about 56.75% and 99.5% of the seasonal rainfall can be stored in 6 cm and 30 cm weir height plots, respectively. Sediment losses of 347.8 kg/ha and 3.3 kg/ha have been recorded in runoff water coming out of 6 cm and 30 cm weir height plots, respectively in a cropping season. Similarly, total Kjeldahl nitrogen loss in runoff water from rice fields ranged from 4.23 kg/ha (6 cm weir height plots) to 0.17 kg/ha (26 cm weir height plots). The available K loss ranged from 2.20 kg/ha (6 cm weir height plots) to 0.04 kg/ha (30 cm weir height plots). Keeping in mind the aspects of conserving rainwater, sediment and nutrient and minimizing irrigation requirement, 22–26 cm of dike height is considered to be suitable for rice fields of the Bhubaneswar region during the Kharif (rainy) season. A lumped water balance model for diked rice field was developed and used for the present investigation. The computed values of runoff obtained from the simulation model are in close agreement with the observed values obtained in an experiment using higher weir heights (22 cm and above). The temporal distribution of runoff and irrigation requirement at fortnight intervals reveal that highest irrigation requirement is found during the first half of November followed by the second half of October and the first half of October. Rice fields up to a weir height of 18 cm produced about 20% of the total runoff in each of the first three fortnights. A gradual reduction in runoff was observed in the remaining fortnights. The least runoff was noticed in the month of November (during the first fortnight).     

The effects of different irrigation regimes on cucumber (Cucumbis sativus L.) yield and yield characteristics under open field conditions

A study was conducted to determine the effects of different drip irrigation regimes on yield and yield components of cucumber (Cucumbis sativus L.) and to determine a threshold value for crop water stress index (CWSI) based on irrigation programming. Four different irrigation treatments as 50 (T-50), 75 (T-75), 100 (T-100) and 125% (T-125) of irrigation water applied/cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio with 3-day-period were studied.Seasonal crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) values were 633, 740, 815 and 903 mm in the 1st year and were 679, 777, 875 and 990 mm in the 2nd year for T-50, T-75, T-100 and T-125, respectively. Seasonal irrigation water amounts were 542, 677, 813 and 949 mm in 2002 and 576, 725, 875 and 1025 mm in 2003, respectively. Maximum marketable fruit yield was from T-100 treatment with 76.65 t ha⁻¹ in 2002 and 68.13 t ha⁻¹ in 2003. Fruit yield was reduced significantly, as irrigation rate was decreased. The water use efficiency (WUE) ranged from 7.37 to 9.40 kg m⁻³ and 6.32 to 7.79 kg m⁻³ in 2002 and 2003, respectively, while irrigation water use efficiencies (IWUE) were between 7.02 and 9.93 kg m⁻³ in 2002 and between 6.11 and 8.82 kg m⁻³ in 2003.When the irrigation rate was decreased, crop transpiration rate decreased as well resulting in increased crop canopy temperatures and CWSI values and resulted in reduced yield. The results indicated that a seasonal mean CWSI value of 0.20 would result in decreased yield. Therefore, a CWSI = 0.20 could be taken as a threshold value to start irrigation for cucumber grown in open field under semi-arid conditions.Results of this study demonstrate that 1.00 IW/CPE water applications by a drip system in a 3-day irrigation frequency would be optimal for growth in semiarid regions.