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Improvement of water productivity in surface irrigation system by changing the plant spacing in sugar beet cultivation

Daryoush. F Taleghani1, Ghasem Tohidlou1, Javad Gohari1, Davood Habibi2, Yaghob Sadeghian1 and Mahmood Mesbah1

1- Sugar Beet Seed Institute: Mohamad-abad Road . Karaj, Iran. www.sbsi.ir Email taleghahi@sbsi.ir
2- Agricultural Faculty of Azad University Karaj, Iran.

Abstract

Water is the most important factor in agriculture in Iran. Surface Irrigation system (SIS) is used in most crops such as sugar beet. Irrigation Efficiency (IE) has been estimated about %30 and it is too low in Comparison with other systems. This study was carried out to improve IE in SIS in sugar beet crop during 1999-2001 in sugar beet seed Institute (SBSI) of Karaj – Iran. Six plant spacing & irrigation methods investigated as follow:
1-Single rows 60cm spacing, all furrows irrigated (SR 60 A) (check).
2-Single rows 60cm spacing, every other furrow irrigated (SR60 E).
3-Single rows 50cm spacing, all furrows irrigated (SR 50 A)
4-Single rows 50cm spacing, every other furrows irrigated (SR 50 E).
5-Double rows 100cm distance between furrows and row spacing 60 x 40cm (DR 100).
6-Double rows 90cm distance between furrows and row spacing 50 x 40cm (DR 90).

The results indicated sugar yield (8.17 t/ha) and water productivity (682 g/m3) in treatment No.6. In this treatment water consumption was about 12000 m3/ha. The lowest water productivity (530 g/m3) belonged to treatment No.1 (check), whereas sugar yield and water consumption were 7.4 t/ha and 14000 m3/ha, respectively.

Media summary

The study was conducted to improve water productivity in surface irrigation system in sugar beet crop in Iran. Using of Double rows, 90cm distance between furrows increased water productivity about 29% in comparison with usual method (check).

Key words

Sugar beet – surface irrigation system – water productivity – plant spacing.

Introduction

Surface Irrigation System (SIS) is usual in Iran, in which irrigation efficiency has been estimated about %30. Iran located in arid and semi-arid area, so any improvement in irrigation efficiency and Water Productivity (WP) is quite important. In spite of this fact that the governmental authorities are concerned to apply sprinkler and micro-irrigation systems in agriculture, as the systems necessitate an extraordinary investment, they turn to be impractical in the country. Consequently each factor which helps to improve irrigation efficiency in SIS achieves water resources preservation and could be beneficial for crop producers.

Materials and Methods

This Study was carried out in Sugar Beet Seed Institute (SBSI) of Iran in Karaj during 1999-2001. The experiment was conducted on a clay-loam soil with six treatments, applied on the basis of furrow irrigation system as follow:

1.

Single rows 60cm spacing, all furrows irrigated (SR 60 A).

2. Single rows 60cm spacing, every other furrow irrigated (SR60 E).

3. Single rows 50cm spacing, all furrows irrigated (SR 50 A)

4. Single rows 50cm spacing, every other furrows irrigated (SR 50 E).

5. Double rows 100cm distance between furrows and row spacing 60 x 40cm (DR 100).

6. Double rows 90cm distance between furrows and row spacing 50 x 40cm (DR 90).

Figure1. Schematic illustration of the treatments.

Six treatments were designed in regard to the existing mechanization technology in the country. In accordance with the farm conditions, the length of rows was considered to be about 120 meters. Water input and run-offs were measured by W. S. C. flumes during the growing season. In each treatment the distance between the plants on the rows was the same (20cm), so plant population in the treatments differed from 80,000 to 110,000 per hectare.

Results and Discussion

Figure2. Comparisons of treatments which irrigated form one and two sides.

The results showed that water consumption had a decrease in the treatments irrigated from one side in comparison with the treatments irrigated from two sides, which were naturally predictable (See fig. 2).

Sugar yield in the treatments No. 4 and 6 was more than 8 t/ha, whereas water consumption were about 13000 and 12000 m3/ha, respectively. In treatment 1 (check) sugar yield was about 7.5 t/ha and water consumption 14000 m3/ha (See table 1).

Table 1: Effect of treatments on sugar content, Root, top and sugar yield, Root/top, water consumption and water productivity of sugar beet crop in SIS

Parameters
Treatments

Sugar content %

Root Yield t/ha

Top Yield t/ha

Sugar Yield t/ha

Whit Sugar Yield t/ha

Root/Top

Water Consumption
m3/ha

Water Productivity g/m3

1-SR 60 A

12.85

57.71

22.83

7.41

5.16

2.99

13978

530

2- SR 60 E

13.80

53.30

21.71

7.32

5.39

2.73

13524

541

3- SR 50 A

13.21

63.45

21.45

8.44

6.35

3.37

14365

588

4- SR 50 E

13.21

66.92

26.93

8.83

6.39

2.95

13082

675

5- DR 100

12.63

52.85

22.78

6.67

4.69

2.56

12342

540

6- DR 90

13.06

62.59

27.29

8.17

5.91

2.52

11982

682

Therefore, the highest WPs were resulted from treatments 4 and 6 (675 and 682 g sugar/m3 water respectively) and the lowest WP (530g/m3) belonged to the treatment No. 1 (check) in which the major running irrigation method in Iran for sugar beet production was used.

Although the treatment No 4 indicated the highest sugar yield, but in practice cracking of the furrows was occasionally happened, so lack of uniformity in irrigation procedure was observed. In order to reach high sugar yield and WP for sugar beet production in SIS, our study offers the pattern of treatment No. 6 as the best.

Figure3. Check treatment (left) and recommended treatment (right)

References

Barker DM, Raine SR and Robertson MJ (1997). A Preliminary. Investigation of Alternate Furrow Irrigation for Sugar Cane Production. Proc. Aus. Soc. Sugar Cane tech. 20: 302 – 309.

Carbtree RJ, Yassin AA, Kargiugou I and Mcnew RW (1985). Effect of Alternate Furrow Irrigation: Water Conservation on the Yield of two Soybean Cultivars. Agric. Water Man. 10 (3): 253- 264.

Sepaskhah H and Haghighi K (1991). Comparison of Usual and Alternate Furrow Irrigation in Sugar Beet Crop. University of Shiraz, Iran.

Taleghani DF, Hashemi Dezfuli A and Majidi E (1999). Study of Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in two Plant Spacing of Sugar Beet. Research Report of Sugar Beet Seed Institute.

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