Yield,quality and irrigation water use of drip-irrigated silage maize with different irrigation techniques

In this two-year field experiment the effects of partial root-zone drying (prd) irrigation technique on yield,growth,yield quality and irrigation water use efficiency (iwue) of drip-irrigated silage maize were investigated by comparing them with the full root-zone wetting (fi) irrigation technique,under three different irrigation levels (w1: 115,w2: 100 and w3: 85% of class-a pan evaporation) at two different irrigation intervals (i1: 4-day and i2: 8-day). averaging data from both years,irrigation quantities were 209.5 mm in prd treatments and 372.5 mm in fi treatments. among fi treatments,total fresh and dry matter yields were the highest in fi-i2w1 treatment,48.6 mg ha-1 and 11.4 mg ha-1,respectively. in prd treatments,the highest total fresh yield (40.5 mg ha-1) was obtained in the prd-i2w1 treatment,while the highest dry matter yield (11.8 mg ha-1) was obtained in the prd-i1w2 treatment. the prd-i1w2 treatment had the highest iwue values. the treatments had no significant effect on plant mineral content,acid detergent fiber,neutral detergent fiber and crude protein. according to the results of this study,the prd treatment with 100% of class-a pan evaporation at the 4-day irrigation interval is the most appropriate treatment in regions with water scarcity due to its higher iwue. © 2015 university of agriculture. all rights reserved.