Response of Maize Crop to Irrigation Under Different Rates and Doses of Nitrogen Fertilization in the North Nile Delta Region

Abstract

Two field trials were carried out at the Experimental Farm, Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate during the two successive summer growing seasons of 2012 and 2013. The research aimed to study the effect of irrigation at different soil moisture depletion (I1: at 45%, I2: at 60% and I3: at 75% depletion of available soil moisture, respectively), nitrogen rates (N1: 60, N2: 90 and N3: 120 kg N fed -1 ) and doses number of nitrogen application (D1: one dose, D2: two equal doses and D3: three equal doses) on maize yield and its components, nitrogen uptake by plants, N-use efficiency and some water relations. The experimental design was split split plot with three replicates, the main plots were for irrigation treatments, where the sub plots were for N-rates and the sub-sub plots were for doses number of N application. The main results can be summarized as follows:  Irrigation at 75 % depletion of available soil moisture (I3) decreased seasonal water applied, water consumptive use and water stored in the effective root zone by 18.08, 16.78, and 17.02%, respectively compared with irrigation at 45% depletion. Also, the highest means of water productivity (WP) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW) were 1.95 and 1.24 kg/m 3 , respectively with irrigation at 60 % depletion (I2).  Irrigation at 60% depletion (I2) recorded the highest mean of water application efficiency (89.60%), whereas the irrigation orders was I2> I3>I1.  Irrigation at 45% depletion (I1) recorded the highest mean for grain yield (3.363 ton fed -1 ), stalks yield (9.313 ton fed -1 ), weight of 100 grains (43.899g) and ear weight (316.119g).  Application of N-rate N3 recorded the highest means of grain yield (3.507 ton fed -1 ), straw yield (9.56 ton fed -1 ), weight of 100 grains (43.176g) and ear weight (310.948g), respectively.  Application of N-rate at three doses (D3), recorded the highest means of grain yield (3.585 ton fed -1 ), straw yield (9.216 ton fed -1 ), weight of 100 grains (43.466g) and ear weight (315.202g).  Irrigation at 45% depletion (I1) recorded the highest mean of N-uptake for grains and stalks.  Application of nitrogen rates increased N-uptake for maize grains and stalks up to N3.  Increased the doses number of N application increased N-uptake for maize grains and stalks up to D3 (three equal doses). The values of NUE increased by 15.65% with splitting N-rate into three doses compared with application at one dose, but decreased with increasing application N-rate and irrigation at 75 % depletion.  Most of interactions among irrigation, nitrogen rates and doses number of N application showed significant effect on grain yield and its components and N-uptake in both maize grains and stalks, and positive effect on N-use efficiency Aiad, M. A. et al.

Effect of Irrigation Intervals and Different Plant Densities on Faba Bean Yield, Some Water Relations and Some Soil Properties Under Drip Irrigation System in North Middle Nile Delta Region.

“…Increasing the overall mean values for the abovementioned studied parameters under irrigation treatment (I 1 ) in comparison with other irrigation treatments might be attributed to increasing number of irrigations under the conditions of this treatment because of decreasing intervals between waterings, so, increasing amount of water applied, consequently, amount of water stored in the effective root zone and water consumptive use. These results are in a great harmony with those obtained by El-Gibali et al,(1968); Miseha et al,(1971), Towadros et al,(1993a), Omer et al, (2008), Moursi et al, (2010), El-Saady et al 2011 2012, Moursi et al, (2013) and Aiad et al, (2014). Where: Cu = Seasonal water consumptive use (m 3 /fed.)…”

“…Increasing the overall mean values for the two studied efficiencies under water stress conditions comparing with non-stressed ones may be due to decreasing amount of seasonal water applied. These results are in a great harmony with those reported by Kassab and Ibrahim (2007), Moursi et al, (2010), El-Saady et al,(2011, Moursi et al, (2013) and Aiad et al, (2014).…”

“…Increasing the mean values of (Wp) and (PIW) under irrigation treatment (I 5 ) in comparison with other irrigation treatments I 1 , I 2 , I 3 and I 4 may be due to decreasing amount of seasonal water applied and water consumptive use. These results are in the same line with those obtained by Kassab and Ibrahim (2007), Moursi et al, (2010), El-Saady et al,(2011), Moursi et al, (2013) and Aiad et al, (2014). Where: Ecu = Water consumptive use efficiency (%), Wp = Water productivity (kg/ m 3 ), PIW = Productivity of irrigation water (kg/ m 3 ).…”

“…Also, Roshdy (1975) reported that seed yield increased with increasing the number of irrigations. Also, these findings are in a great harmony with those reported by Omer et al (2008), Younis et al (2009), Moursi et al (2010), Nahed, M. Rashed and Moursi (2012), Moursi et al (2013) and Aiad et al (2014).…”

“…So, increasing the mean values of straw yield. These findings are in a great harmony with those obtained by Roshdy (1975), Ainer et al (1994), El-Waraky and Wahba (1998), Omer et al (2008), Moursi et al (2010), Nahed, M. Rashed and Moursi (2012) and Aiad et al (2014). Regarding, the effect of plant densities on faba bean straw yield, data in the same table illustrated that the mean values of straw yield were clearly affected by plant densities in the two growing seasons.…”