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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319319
Title: Effect of irrigation system uniformity and method on potato

Author
item AMER, KAMAL - Menoufia University
item SAMAK, ABDELLATEIF - Menoufia University
item Hatfield, Jerry

Submitted to: Journal of Water Resource and Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/14/2016
Publication Date: 3/17/2016
Citation: Amer, K., Samak, A., Hatfield, J.L. 2016. Effect of irrigation system uniformity and method on potato. Journal of Water Resource and Protection. 8:277-292.

Interpretive Summary: Increasing the efficiency of water use by crops in irrigated regions is becoming more critical to ensure stability of food and feed production to meet world food demands. Potatoes are a staple in many diets and increasing the efficiency of water use for this crop is critical in arid areas of the world. To address this problem, we conducted an experiment comparing the uniformity of different irrigation systems along the length of a row and related water distribution to potato growth, yield, and quality. Understanding these effects is necessary to be able to provide guidelines for irrigation managers and producers about the impact of changing irrigation methods. Potato yield and quality was affected by the uniformity of the water distribution of an irrigation event and within a growing season and irrigation methods which created the more uniform conditions produced the higher yields and increased tuber quality. Managing water with more water efficient systems, e.g., trickle or line source, reduced water use and increased production because water was used more efficiently. These results are of value to scientists, irrigation managers, and crop consultants because of the information on effective water management strategies.

Technical Abstract: Potato growth, yield, and quality under improved irrigation methods and water uniformity is important to enhance water management in arid regions. A field experiment was conducted in 2014 spring and fall growing seasons using potato (Solanum tuberosum) grown in northern Egypt at Shibin El Kom, Menofia, Egypt to evaluate potato response to furrow or trickle irrigation. A Randomized Split-Plot Design with irrigation method randomly distributed and water uniformity evaluated along either irrigation furrow or trickle lateral as dependent variables measured at the 1st, 11th, 21st, 31st, 41st, and 51st m along the 51 m irrigation line. Traditional (TF) and partial (PF) furrows as well as trickle point (TP) and line (TL) sources were used as irrigation methods. Each treatment was repeated three times. For an irrigation line, seasonal optimum water use by potato was 328, 234, 269 and 292 mm over 118 days in spring and 200, 164, 178 and 186 mm over 122 days in fall under TF, PF, TP, and TL irrigation methods, respectively. Potato tuber yield and quality were significantly affected by growing season (S), irrigation method (I), and uniformity (U). Tuber yield, TSS, and leaf area index were significantly affected by I and U, and their interaction (I*U), HI was not affected by I but U. Except for TSS by (S*I) and HI by (U*I) and (S*I), results showed that no significant differences. Moreover, tuber weight, number, and marketable yield were significantly affected by S, I, U, and (I*U) interaction, except medium tuber size and culls by S. A given 31st treatment under partial furrow and trickle irrigation, relative to that of traditional furrow, enhanced tuber yield and improved quality in both growing seasons. In non-uniform irrigation application over two growing season, potato crop response was developed under varied irrigation methods. Tuber yields were significantly affected in a linear relationship (r2=0.75) by either water deficit or excessive water under irrigation methods.