Integrating partial root-zone drying and saline water irrigation to sustain sunflower production in freshwater-scarce regions

Moazam Khaleghi, Farzad Hassanpour, Fatemeh Karandish and Ali Shahnazari

Agricultural Water Management, 2020, vol. 234, issue C

Abstract: Applying saline water resources for irrigating croplands requires serious attentions when sustainable agriculture is considered. A two-year field investigation was carried out in a drip-irrigated sunflower field under six irrigation treatments, including (i) full freshwater irrigation (FI), full irrigation with diluted seawater (DS) (SI), alternate DS-freshwater irrigation (FSI), freshwater-PRD (partial root-zone drying) irrigation with 25 % less water than full (PRD1), DS-PRD irrigation with 25 % less water than full (PRD2), alternate DS-freshwater irrigation under PRD with 25 % less water than full (PRD3), in three replicates. Compared to the FI treatment, crop yield was reduced by 3.1–32 %, with the lowest one under PRD1. Among the DS treatments, PRD3, resulted in the highest grain yield (4306 kg ha−1), grain nitrogen content (2.83 %), oil yield (1907 kg ha−1) and irrigation water productivity (1.10). PRD3 also saved freshwater by 20 %, and kept soil salinity of the rooting-zone below the maximum crop tolerance threshold. Based on the results, PRD3 might be a cost-effective pathway which guarantees the sustainable application of diluted seawater in the irrigated sunflower lands.

Keywords: Diluted seawater; Irrigation water productivity; Partial root-zone drying; Sunflower production; Salt accumulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:234:y:2020:i:c:s0378377419320931

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106094

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