EFFECT OF FERTILIZATION WITH SURGE FLOW TECHNIQUE ON APPLICATION EFFICIENCY, WATER PRODUCTIVITY, YIELD AND IRRIGATION COST OF MAIZE CROP (ZEA MAYS L.)

Abstract

The development of equipment and management guidelines for surge flow irrigation has made it possible to save more irrigation water and enhance efficiency of fertilizers application. In the context, the experiment was carried out at Gharbia Province, Egypt during the growing season of 2017/2018. The overall aim was to improve management of fertigation through surge flow technique to reduce advance time, maximize fertigation application efficiency, water productivity and minimize cost of irrigation in comparison to continuous furrow irrigation under clay loam textured soil conditions for maize crop production in the Delta of Egypt. Treatments were three discharge rates of irrigation water mainly 0.56, 0.75 and 0.95L/s, with 4, 5 and 6 pulses and chemical injected surges of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in a 140 meters long furrows. The Results showed that surge flow irrigation technique with 6 surges reduced advance time by 8.7, 8.8 and 5.5% of continuous flow under different discharge rates of 0.56, 0.75 and 0.95L/s, respectively. The greatest value of chemicals application efficiency of 91% was obtained under discharge rate of 0.56L/s with 6 surges during the 4th fertilized injected surge. The highest water productivity value of 1.83kg/m3 was obtained by the treatment of 6 pulses with 0.95L/s flow rate at fertilization in the fourth pulse compared with all other treatments. The highest irrigation cost of 924.5L.E/fed/season was recorded under discharge of 0.56L/s with continuous flow irrigation compared with the lowest of 679.7L.E/fed/season which was noticed with 6 pulses treatment at discharge of 0.95L/s.