Simulation of water productivity for maize under drip irrigation.
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Date
2011
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Water has become increasingly scarce in most of the countries in the world. To use the
available water efficiently in crop production, agricultural water productivity (WP) need to
be improved. Drip irrigation systems and deficit irrigation practices are the most efficient
methods in improving WP. Availability of soil-water-crop simulation and climatic models
can also help in the efforts to improve WP. A study was conducted in Morogoro using
CROPWAT model to simulate water productivity of maize under drip irrigation by
supplying different water deficits. A completely randomized block design was used with
three replications and four treatments. The treatments were Tl, T2, T3 and T4
representing 60, 40, 20, 0 percent deficit of ETC (crop evapo-transpiration) respectively.
Biomass accumulation (at 45 DAP and 75 DAP), grain yield and harvest index were
determined for each treatment and experimental yield reductions were calculated. The
CROPWAT simulation was done for each water deficit level and yield reductions were
recorded. A comparison was made between experimental and simulated yield reductions.
The mean biomass production between the treatments at 45 DAP were not significant
different (P<0.05). At 75 DAP mean biomass production (0.684, 0.728, 1.049, 1.378
kg/m2 for Tl, T2, T3 and T4 respectively) were highly significant different (P<0.05). The
mean grain yield between treatments, mean water productivity (1.67, 2.2, 1.78, 1.72 kg/m3
for Tl, T2, T3 and T4 respectively) and harvest index values were significant different
(PO.Ol). Experimental and CROPWAT simulated yield reductions were not significant
different (P<0.01) at all stages for all the treatments. The CROPWAT model adequately
simulated the experimental yield response to water for maize (maize water productivity).
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Irrigation, Water harvesting, Soil water, Biomass harvesting