RESPONSE OF SQUASH TO DEFICIT IRRIGATION AND POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION UNDER SOLAR – POWERED DRIP IRRIGATION

Document Type : Original Article

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Assoc.Prof. of Agric. Eng., Agric. Eng. Dept., Fac. of Agric.,Tanta Univ., Egypt.

Abstract

The availability of fresh water and energy resources in remote locations is a major challenge for agricultural crop production in many countries in the Middle East region. Using limited water resources efficiently is crucial to sustain rapidly population growth.  This research aimed to investigate the possibility of enhancing productivity and water productivity of squash crop through deficit irrigation technique. Two field studies were carried out to investigate the response of squash crop to deficit irrigation (DI) technique and potassium fertilization (K) over the spring and fall seasons of 2018. The irrigation treatments were based on the reference evapotranspiration (ETo). The results showed that the optimum squash seed yield could be obtained with K fertilizer level of 250 kg K2O ha-1 and irrigation with amount of water equals 75% of ETo using DI with laterals placed at 0.15m from crop row or 50% of ETo in the last stage using RDI techniques. Fully irrigated (1.0 ETo) treatments had the highest values of yield and yield components of squash and there were no significant differences with RDI and DI with 0.75 ETo. The application of RDI can save more than 20% of applied water with no significant reductions in squash yield. Potassium rates enhanced squash yield and water productivity with the greatest value at 250 kg K2O5 ha-1.

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