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Obineche, I. C.
Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Nigeria
Ahaneku, I. E.
Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Nigeria
Emeka-chris, C. C.
Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Sustaining irrigated agriculture with limited
water supplies requires maximizing productivity per unit of water. Relationship
between crop production and water consumed are basic information required to
maximize productivity, however this is lacking for Okra. A field experiment was
conducted on the sandy loam soil at Federal College of Land Resources
Technology, Owerri during dry season in 2015, to determine evapotranspiration
of okra crop, to relate evapotranspiration data to yield, and to evaluate the
yield response of okra under different regimes of deficit drip irrigation. A
plot measuring 5m by 6m was cleared from its old vegetation and subsurface drip
irrigation installed. Okra seed was sown 1.5cm to 2.5cm deep, a planting
distance of 30cm x 8cm was used and there were 16 crops per lateral. Each
treatment T1 100% T2 80%, T3 70% and T4 60% were connected to the same
reservoir, supplying water to the emitters under uniform pressure head of
1.5bar. The effects of four different irrigation water management levels on the
growth and yield response along each lateral were studied using randomized
complete block design (RCBD) with four treatment four replication, the results
show that during the first season of planting T2 irrigation rate recorded the
highest yield of 2.436 tons/ha, while T1, T3 and T4 had 1.954 tons/ha, 1.860
tons/ha and 1.576 tons/ha, respectively. This indicates that excess irrigation
water in the farm does not necessary increase crop yield, but its application
at the right time and in the right quantity. However, the water production for
okra yield based on ET was relatively linear. It implies that 20% of water can
be saved by irrigating okra under T2 irrigation regime. This is very relevant
as it could potentially contribute to the global water security.
Keywords: Deficit irrigation, okra, water use, yield, evapotranspiration
https://doi.org/10.33922/j.ujet_v7i1_5
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Published
Tuesday, June 01, 2021
Issue
Vol. 7 No. 1, June 2021
Article Section
GENERAL
The contents of the articles are the sole opinion of the author(s) and not of UJET.
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