Optimizing Water Productivity in potatoes crops through Comparative Irrigation Strategies under Scarce Water Conditions in Arid Environments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56027/JOASD.072026Keywords:
Irrigation systems, Potato varieties, plant growth, Yield, WUE, IWUEAbstract
The sustainability of potato production in arid regions can be significantly impacted by irrigation management decisions. In order to assess the effects of Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) and standard pivot systems on soil properties, plant growth, yield components, IWUE, and WUE of two potato varieties, "Spunta" and "Arizona," a field study was carried out in 2023 and 2024. Our findings show that the SDI system increased the soil water content by 10.30% compared to the pivot one, which produced the highest biomass weights of 146.83 g/plant and 148.93 g/plant, respectively, during the vegetative growth and sprouting stages. However, in 2023, the pivot system increased this characteristic by 28% more than the SDI system. Additionally, those responded differently during the growth stage, with the Pivot * Arizona interaction showing a higher correlation than the pivot * Spunta interaction for each of the three phases. Regarding yield and yield components, SDI resulted in a 35.5% increase in tuber weight and a 29.5% rise in tuber number per m². Using SDI instead of the pivot resulted in a 21.56% increase in the marketable tuber size. Significant variations were noted between Spunta and Arizona varieties across all yield parameters during the two growing seasons. Notably, Arizona had the highest yield/ha (around 33t/ha), average tuber weight (61g), and marketable tuber C2 (18.2/m²). Throughout the growing seasons, SDI-irrigated plants had a higher IWUE than the pivot system. WUE values ranged from 5.258 to 6.065 kg/m3, while IWUE varied from 3.725 to 4.694 kg/m3. According to these results, irrigation using the SDI system maximizes potato output and would increase water productivity because less water is needed, making these methods applicable in arid areas with limited water resources.
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