Two field experiments were conducted in clay soil during the 2000 and 2001 seasons at the Agricultural Research and Experiment Center of the Faculty of Agriculture, Moshtohor, Kalubia.
The main aim of this study is (o evaluate long strips and long furrows of three lengths 50, 100 and 150 m, laser-leveled field compared with traditional land leveling on:
-Irrigation water requirements for maize.
- Water application efficiency, crop yield and its component and water use efficiency.
-Investment costs of methods.
The experimental results show that:
The amount of the applied water increased when the furrow or strip length increased for the same discharge rate.
The water application efficiencies (Ea) decreased by increasing the furrow length at constant flow rate. The 50m-furrow length for laser-land leveling had the best water application efficiency of 82.9%.
Ear weights, weight of grains/ear and grain yield/fed were significantly affected by different treatments under study in both seasons. Laser land leveling, furrowing and 50m-furrow length was the best treatments. Plant heights, ear length, number of rows/ear, number of kernels per row and 100-kernels weight were affected only by 50m-furrow length in both seasons. Ear length only in 2000 and plant height in 2001 increased by laser land leveling.
Water use efficiency (WUE) of maize increased by laser leveling, furrowing and 50m furrow length in both seasons.
The optimum economically treatment was including laser land leveling combined with furrowing and 50m furrow length, where the net farm return valued 1727.68 and 1793.40 LE/fcd in 2000 and 2001, respectively. |
