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Evapotranspiration and water use of full and deficit irrigated cotton in the Mediterranean environment in northern Syria

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  • Oweis, T.Y.
  • Farahani, H.J.
  • Hachum, A.Y.

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important industrial and summer cash crop in Syria and many other countries in the arid areas but there are concerns about future production levels, given the high water requirements and the decline in water availability. Most farmers in Syria aim to maximize yield per unit of land regardless of the quantity of water applied. Water losses can be reduced and water productivity (yield per unit of water consumed) improved by applying deficit irrigation, but this requires a better understanding of crop response to various levels of water stress. This paper presents results from a 3-year study (2004-2006) conducted in northern Syria to quantify cotton yield response to different levels of water and fertilizer. The experiment included four irrigation levels and three levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer under drip irrigation. The overall mean cotton (lint plus seed, or lintseed) yield was 2502 kg ha-1, ranging from 1520 kg ha-1 under 40% irrigation to 3460 kg ha-1 under 100% irrigation. Mean water productivity (WPET) was 0.36 kg lintseed per m3 of crop actual evapotranspiration (ETc), ranging from 0.32 kg m-3 under 40% irrigation to 0.39 kg m-3 under the 100% treatment. Results suggest that deficit irrigation does not improve biological water productivity of drip-irrigated cotton. Water and fertilizer levels (especially the former) have significant effects on yield, crop growth and WPET. Water, but not N level, has a highly significant effect on crop ETc. The study provides production functions relating cotton yield to ETc as well as soil water content at planting. These functions are useful for irrigation optimization and for forecasting the impact of water rationing and drought on regional water budgets and agricultural economies. The WPET values obtained in this study compare well with those reported from the southwestern USA, Argentina and other developed cotton producing regions. Most importantly, these WPET values are double the current values in Syria, suggesting that improved irrigation water and system management can improve WPET, and thus enhance conservation and sustainability in this water-scarce region.

Suggested Citation

  • Oweis, T.Y. & Farahani, H.J. & Hachum, A.Y., 2011. "Evapotranspiration and water use of full and deficit irrigated cotton in the Mediterranean environment in northern Syria," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(8), pages 1239-1248, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:98:y:2011:i:8:p:1239-1248
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    6. Ying Jiang & Derong Su, 2018. "Models of turfgrass seed germination related to water content," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-13, October.
    7. Brar, Harjeet Singh & Singh, Pritpal, 2022. "Pre-and post-sowing irrigation scheduling impacts on crop phenology and water productivity of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in sub-tropical north-western India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    8. Rao, Sajjan Singh & Tanwar, Suresh Pal Singh & Regar, Panna Lal, 2016. "Effect of deficit irrigation, phosphorous inoculation and cycocel spray on root growth, seed cotton yield and water productivity of drip irrigated cotton in arid environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 14-25.
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    10. Fan, Yubing & Wang, Chenggang & Nan, Zhibiao, 2016. "Determining water use efficiency for wheat and cotton: A meta-regression analysis," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236059, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
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    13. Bai, Zhentao & Bai, Wenqiang & Xie, Cong & Yu, Jiang & Dai, Yulong & Pei, Shengzhao & Zhang, Fucang & Li, Yunxia & Fan, Junliang & Yin, Feihu, 2023. "Irrigation depth and nitrogen rate effects on seed cotton yield, fiber quality and water-nitrogen utilization efficiency in southern Xinjiang, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    14. Eric Njuki & Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, 2019. "Examining irrigation productivity in U.S. agriculture using a single-factor approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 125-136, June.
    15. Fan, Yubing & Wang, Chenggang & Nan, Zhibiao, 2018. "Determining water use efficiency of wheat and cotton: A meta-regression analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 48-60.
    16. Fan, Yubing & Wang, Chenggang & Nan, Zhibiao, 2014. "Comparative evaluation of crop water use efficiency, economic analysis and net household profit simulation in arid Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 335-345.
    17. Kaili Shi & Lili Zhangzhong & Furong Han & Shirui Zhang & Rui Guo & Xueying Yao, 2023. "Reducing Emitter Clogging in Drip Fertigation Systems by Magnetization Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-11, February.
    18. Wang, Haidong & Cheng, Minghui & Zhang, Shaohui & Fan, Junliang & Feng, Hao & Zhang, Fucang & Wang, Xiukang & Sun, Lijun & Xiang, Youzhen, 2021. "Optimization of irrigation amount and fertilization rate of drip-fertigated potato based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation methods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    19. Wang, Jingwei & Li, Yuan & Niu, Wenquan, 2021. "Effect of alternating drip irrigation on soil gas emissions, microbial community composition, and root–soil interactions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    20. Wu, You & Yan, Shicheng & Fan, Junliang & Zhang, Fucang & Zhao, Wenju & Zheng, Jing & Guo, Jinjin & Xiang, Youzhen & Wu, Lifeng, 2022. "Combined effects of irrigation level and fertilization practice on yield, economic benefit and water-nitrogen use efficiency of drip-irrigated greenhouse tomato," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    21. Campi, Pasquale & Mastrorilli, Marcello & Stellacci, Anna Maria & Modugno, Francesca & Palumbo, Angelo Domenico, 2019. "Increasing the effective use of water in green asparagus through deficit irrigation strategies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 119-130.
    22. Shareef, Muhammad & Gui, Dongwei & Zeng, Fanjiang & Waqas, Muhammad & Zhang, Bo & Iqbal, Hassan, 2018. "Water productivity, growth, and physiological assessment of deficit irrigated cotton on hyperarid desert-oases in northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1-10.

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