Due to water scarcity challenges, efficient management of irrigation water is becoming crucial. Wateruse efficiency (WUE) involves increasing crop productivity without increasing water consumption.This study was carried out to study the effect of hydrogel, deficit irrigation and soil type on WUE,soil hydro‑physical properties and lettuce productivity. For this purpose, four irrigation treatments(100%, 85%, 70% and 60% of full irrigation requirements), four hydrogel concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2and 0.3% w/w) and three soil textural classes (clay, loamy sand, and sandy‑clay soil) were conducted inpot experiment at open field during two consecutive seasons. The results revealed that crop growthparameters and soil hydro‑physical properties were significantly affected by hydrogel applicationrates. Hydrogel addition significantly enhanced head fresh and dry weights, chlorophyll content,number of leaves and WUE. Application of hydrogel at 0.3% and 85% of irrigation requirementsachieved the highest WUE without significant yield reductions. Changes in the studied hydro‑physicalproperties of soil were more dependent on soil texture and hydrogel application rate than on theamount of irrigation water. The significant decrease in soil saturated hydraulic conductivity andbulk density confirms that super absorbent hydrogels could be recommended to improve soil waterretention and enhance water use efficiency under deficit irrigation conditions. |
