Economical Operation of Drip Irrigation System With Rice Straw Mulching

Abstract

A field experiment has taken place in Wahet El-Nagah farm, Khatatba village, Menoufia governorate, Egypt in the year 2005, in order to use the ability of rice-straw mulching as cheap farm residue, to reduce the effect of deficit irrigation on highly sensitive crop for water deficit. Split plot design consisted of soil surface covering case (rice straw mulching (500g/m 2 ) and no-mulch) as main plot with four amounts of applied water 70, 80, 90, and 100% of ET c as sub-plot. Cucumber crop was irrigated by drip irrigation system under sandy soil conditions. Using rice straw mulch led to decrease the soil moisture reduction by 66, 57, 48.9, and 38 % compared with nomulch treatments for the 70, 80, 90, and 100% of ET c respectively. All rice straw mulch treatments showed a productivity increase compared to nomulch. The maximum crop yield 8.24 Mg/fed was obtained under rice straw mulching and 100% of ET c percentage causing a 29.6% increase in productivity compared with the crop productivity obtained at the treatment of same amount of applied water under traditional conditions. Rice straw mulch led to increase water use efficiency (WUE) the maximum value of WUE under rice straw mulch was 6.55 kg/m 3 with 90% of ET c while it was 4.37 kg/m 3 under the same conditions with no-mulch. Maximum benefit-cost ratio, 2.92 was obtained under rice straw mulch with 90% while it was 2.86 for nomulch with 100%. The study recommended using rice straw mulch with 90% of ET c to obtain the maximum product of unit of water and maximum economic benefit.

Effect of Mulching on Bulb Yield, Water Use Efficiency, Plant Water Status and Chemical Composition of Garlic Plants Grown Under Different Irrigation Levels

“…Many authors working on mulch materials on different crops as Wang et al (2004) who observed that straw mulch resulted in higher yield compared to polythene mulch (black or transparent) and no mulch. The increments noticed in water use efficiency by rice straw mulch might be to conserve soil moisture (Khalifa and El-nemr, 2011;Gouranga and Ashwani, 2007), depressed soil infiltration rate so, solution nutrients are available especially potassium and therefore, led to water and potassium use efficiency were increased. Similar information were published by (Abdul-Halim, 2000)…”

“…The use of rice straw mulch led to decrease the soil moisture depletion by 66, 57, 48 and 38 % compared with non-mulch treatment for 70, 80, 90 and 100 % of crop evapotranspiration, orderly. Also, the mulched treatments showed productivity increase compared to non-mulched treatments (Khalifa and El-Nemr, 2011) Accordingly, the current investigation was proposed in order to examine the impact of mulching on bulbs yield, water and potassium use efficiency, plant water status and chemical composition of garlic grown under irrigation levels.…”