JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In the present study, the effects of different levels of irrigation, organic mulch and planting method on the mungbean yield in Badjgah were investigated. The experimental plan in the first year was full randomized block, while in the second year, it was full randomized split-split plot block design, in three repetitions. The results showed that in the FI treatments, the yield was increased up to 2% for the first year and 5% for the second year by changing the planting method from on over-ridge planting method to the in-furrow planting one. Also, the results of the first year showed that there was no significant difference between the yield in the fully-irrigated treatments without mulch and the treatment with mulch and 0.75 FI. The amount of the irrigation water could be decreased up to 25% by adding organic mulch in both planting methods, as compared to the fully-irrigated treatments without mulch. The maximum water productivity equal to 0.4 kg/m³ was observed in 0.5 FI, in-furrow planting method with mulch treatment. It can be, therefore, concluded that the water productivity may be maximized with the application of both deficit irrigation and mulching strategies.

Inefficient use of limited water resources, along with increasing population and increasing water demand for food production has severely threatened agricultural water resources. One way to overcome this problem is to improve water productivity by introducing new crops that tolerate water stresses such as quinoa. In this study, the effect of water stress at different stages of plant growth (vegetative, flowering, and grain filling) was studied on plant parameters, yield, and water productivity of quinoa (cv. Titicaca). This study was conducted under field conditions and the treatments were performed as a block experiment in a completely randomized design with four replications. Experimental factors were: treatment without water stress or full irrigation (F) and water stress treatment (D) at 50% of the need for full irrigation at different stages of quinoa growth. The application of deficit irrigation during different stages of plant growth decreased stomatal conductance, leaf area index, leaf water potential, seed yield, and water productivity, while deficit irrigation increased the green canopy temperature. According to the results of the present study, the flowering stage of quinoa was very sensitive to water stress leading to produce lower yield compared with the amount of yield obtained when vegetative and or grain filling stages are under water stress conditions.