EFFECT OF MULCHING AND EMITTER SPACING ON WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND YIELD OF SQUASH

Hassan, Ahmed M.; Magdy, Ehab A.

doi:10.21608/mjae.2014.98925

EFFECT OF MULCHING AND EMITTER SPACING ON WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND YIELD OF SQUASH

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Assist. Prof., Ag. Eng. Dept., Faculty of Ag., Cairo Univ., Egypt.

10.21608/mjae.2014.98925

Abstract

Influences of two plastic mulch practices (transparence and black mulching) using trickle irrigation and three emitter spacings (35, 50 and 65 cm) on squash yield, soil water availability and WUE were assessed using experimental plots. In comparison to trickle irrigation and conventional surface irrigation, the transparence and black mulching significantly increased squash fruit yield, soil moisture storage (0–60 cm) and WUE. Results indicated that non-mulched treatments (trickle irrigation, DI, at emitter spacings 35, 50 and 65 cm and surface irrigation, SI, received an average of 328.5 mm for first three treatments and 698.6 mm for forth treatment, respectively to produce 21.754, 18.989, 17.336 and 16.054 t/ha squash, respectively, whereas treatments with transparent and black plastic mulching (TMD and BMD) consumed an average of 286.6 mm and 299.2 mm water for all emitter spacings (35, 50 and 65 cm), respectively, and yielded average of 33.445, 31.067, 22.816, 33.338, 29.065 and 25.434 t/ha, respectively at same emitter spacings.

Keywords

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