Supplemental irrigation frequencies effects on the morphological and yield parameters of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is grown throughout the world thanks to its short cycle, its great adaptability to climatic conditions and its good digestibility. In Burkina Faso, agriculture is faced with irregular rainfalls, resulting in water stress on plants causing growth and yields reduction. This study aims at identifying supplemental irrigation frequencies that help good mung bean plant to grow and yield. So, four watering schemes were applied to plants aged 26 days, grown in pots on a sandy and silty substrate, in natural conditions of light and temperature during the wet season. The watering regimes concerned a batch of plants watered only by rain (0 day scheme) and three other batches, each watered with tap water in the absence of rain respectively every 5 days, every 10 days and every 15 days. A completely randomized three-replicate block system was set up and agro-morphology parameters were measured. The study showed that the 5 days diet resulted in plants with better growth and good pod yields compared to other watering schemes. These results confirm that supplemental irrigation applied early during drought po0063kets is resilience to the irregularity of rains in the wet season, which is accentuated by climate change.

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“…According to Hantz (2005), air, which is moisture-hungry evaporates a part of the available water while taking up the latent heat of vaporization which ultimately leads to cooling the soil. The lower soil temperature enables rhizobia bacteria to operate properly, which could explain the higher number of nodules in plants compared to other systems (Somasegaran and Hoben, 1994;Ouedraogo et al, 2021). Watering every 5 days without rain would help maintain soil moisture and lowers soil temperature, which favors nodule metabolism and rhizogenesis.…”

“…These conditions would enable rhizobia to mobilize atmospheric nitrogen for soil enrichment and improve, at plant level, not only for good plant water uptake, but also assimilate synthesis for pod production and grain filling (Kihindo et al, 2016). According to Vadez (2012) and Ouedraogo et al (2021), high root biomass improves plant water uptake to maintain an optimal rate of above-ground growth. Average temperatures measured during the experiment showed that the application of water regimes to the different plants coincided with a period of high temperature, at 2 p.m., which can reach 45 °C.…”