Optimal water productivity of winter wheat in an arid region

Irrigation needs to be scheduled properly for winter wheat, the main food crop in Iran where the water resources are limited. In the present study, a field experiment was conducted for three growing seasons to study the effects of seasonal water use on yield attributes and water productivity indices of wheat in a semi-arid region in Iran. Yield attributes were affected by deficit irrigation treatments although they are not statistically different in all cases. The grain and straw yields were significantly affected by treatments. The water productivity indices were influenced by irrigation strategies and deficit irrigation effectively boosted productivity of irrigation water (WI). The optimal WI was obtained at a seasonal irrigation water of 156 mm. WI ranged between 0.93 and 2.28 kg m-3. The data generated here suggest that under deficit irrigation, maximum water productivity (WET) would be achieved in 270 mm seasonal water use. The results indicated that wheat water productivity may be substantially improved as a result of the limited supplemental irrigation strategies under limited water resources. The findings will be helpful in policy planning regarding irrigation management for maximizing net financial returns from limited land and water resources in the study area.

Keywords:

Irrigation management , semi-arid region , wheat , water productivity , yield