Performance of mungbean under deficit irrigation application in the semi-arid highlands of Ethiopia

Sissay Ambachew, Tena Alamirew and Assefa Melese

Agricultural Water Management, 2014, vol. 136, issue C, 68-74

Abstract: Knowing the performance of short season crops under deficit irrigation has a paramount importance for arid and semi-arid regions with limited access to on-farm water harvesting or other irrigation infrastructure. In this research, the performance of mungbean, a newly introduced crop into the cropping systems in Ethiopia, to stage-wise and uniform deficit irrigation was tested at Sekota Dryland Agricultural Research Center, Northern Ethiopia. Eight treatments – four stage-wise deficit and four uniform deficit irrigation applications were evaluated during the 2010/2011 dry season. Plant phenological variables, grain yield and irrigation water use efficiency were used for performance evaluation. The results showed that a uniform water stress shortened the dates to 50% flowering and maturity, but with proportionate reduction in yield. The yield obtained varied between 1366kg/ha under 331mm optimal seasonal irrigation to 492kg/ha when one-fourth of ETc (102mm) was uniformly applied though out the growing season. The flowering/reproductive stage was noted as the most sensitive growth stage with a 24.9% yield reduction compared to the control treatment. In all other stages, yield is linearly associated (R2=0.93) with the amount of irrigation water applied, over the range tested. IWUE values ranged from 0.248 to 0.304kg/m3. It can therefore be concluded that provided stress at the midseason stage is avoided and depending on the volume of water available, different deficit irrigation arrangements using on-farm pond water is possible.

Keywords: Deficit irrigation; Stage-wise deficit; Mungbean; Water use efficiency; Ethiopia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:136:y:2014:i:c:p:68-74

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2014.01.012

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