Yield response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to deficit and regulated deficit irrigation under arid/semi-arid conditions | [Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences • 2017]

Author(s):

1. Muhammad Zain: Departmen of Agronomy, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

2. Imran Khan: Departmen of Agronomy, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

3. Muhammad Azam: Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

4. Qamar Zaman: Dalhousie University,Truro,Canada

5. Khalid Mahmood: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB),Faisalabad,Pakistan

6. Shafaqat Ali: Government College University,Faisalabad,Pakistan

7. Farhat Abbas: Government College University,Faisalabad,Pakistan

8. Wajid Ishaque: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan; Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Abstract:

The objective of present research was to devise irrigation management techniques/practices for improved water use efficiency (WUE) and optimum wheat yield in water scarce conditions. Investigations with different irrigation regimes including: optimal, deficit (DI) and regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) at different crop growth stages were carried out on a deep loam soil for four crop seasons (2010-2014). The results showed that early vegetative/ crown root initiation followed by flowering/anthesis stage are highly sensitive to soil moisture stress and irrigation stress at these stages may reduce the yield from 12 to 20%. However, deficit applied at late vegetative/booting stage may provide an opportunity to save irrigation water with relatively lower grain yield reduction (9%), higher harvest index (2%) and grain based water use efficiency (WUEg; 10%). The lower value of water production functions (ky = 0.51 ) in the treatment with water stress at booting/late vegetative growth stage also indicated recovery of the crop from stress, exhibiting less than proportional reductions in yield with reduced water use. Regulated deficit irrigation (50% of the crop water requirement) at grain formation may result in comparatively lower yield reduction (-6%) relative to full irrigation skipped at booting, the reduction in harvest index (-3%) without any substantial increase in WUEgmade it uneconomical.

Page(s): 135-144

DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/17.5395

Published: Journal: Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Year: 2017

Keywords:

Wheat , Water scarcity , soil moisture , water use efficiency , yield response factor

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