Response of surface-irrigated corn to regulated deficit irrigation
2016
Mendoza-Pérez,Cándido | Sifuentes-Ibarra,Ernesto | Ojeda-Bustamante,Waldo | Macías-Cervantes,Jaime
Abstract Corn is the basic input of the Mexican diet. It is grown in one-third of the national area, with Sinaloa being the leading producer of irrigated corn in Mexico, mainly by surface irrigation. Faced with competition from non-agricultural sectors for water resources, as well as the high spatial and temporal variability of annual volumes available for irrigation, it has become increasingly urgent to optimize the use of water. An alternative in dry years is to apply regulated deficit irrigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate this technique in surface-irrigated corn, with three deficit treatments and a control, to which the water requirement demanded by the crop was applied. The water deficit levels applied were: 10, 20, 30 and 0 %, for T1, T2, T3 and C (control), respectively. An irrigation scheduling system that uses the concept of degree days was used. The effect of water deficit levels was evaluated in terms of application efficiency, water productivity and yield. The treatment with the highest deficit generated the best application efficiency and water productivity. Yields were statistically similar in the treatments and the control. Results indicated that using the deficit irrigation technique is a viable option in critical water availability conditions, by having a reduced effect on yields obtained in relation to conventional methods.
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