Irrigation management to improve smallholder’s incomes for saline conditions

Yıl 2017, , 51 - 58, 23.11.2017

Fathia El Mokh , Kamel Nagaz Mohamed Moncef Masmoudi Netij Ben Mechlia

https://doi.org/10.26558/ijcst.347891

Cited By: 2

Öz

Irrigation management to
improve smallholder’s incomes for saline conditions

 

Fathia El Mokh 1*, Kamel
Nagaz 1, Mohamed Moncef Masmoudi2, Netij Ben Mechlia2

¹Institut des Régions Arides, 4119 Médenine, Tunisia

²INAT, 43 avenue Charles Nicolle,  2083 Tunis, Tunisia

[*]

ABSTRACT

 

Abstract:  In the Mediterranean arid regions, the water limitation is the constraint major for agriculture development. Under this condition, one of the most common water quality concerns for irrigated agriculture is saline. The use of this saline water is increasing with the increasing of water scarcity. Its use without integrate management (soil, crop and water) poses high risks of land degradation and crop productivity reduces. Therefore, this study was considered in southern Tunisia to investigate farmer irrigation practices over two years. The impact of irrigation strategies with saline water (6 dS/m) on yield, soil salinity, water productivity and farmer net return were evaluated. Five crops were considered: barley, carrot, fava bean, pepper and potato. The irrigation strategies based on soil water balance method (SWB) which are full irrigation strategy (FI: restore 100% of the crop evapotranspiration) and deficit treatment (DI70: 70% of the ETc covered) were compared to farmer practice (FM). For both seasons, FM strategy caused a significant increase in soil salinity that affects considerably the yield produced for most of the crops compared to the full and the deficit (30%) water supply strategies. The water restriction of 30% improves the total water productivity without affecting yield significantly especially for barley and faba bean where the yield reduction was ranging from 2.5 to 9.5%. Results showed that the practice of cash crops (potato, carrot and faba bean) which have a short cycle improves considerably the farmer incomes compared to the barley crop. The pepper provides also high economic return for farmer but it consumes more water and has a long growing cycle. Based on this analysis, the farmer income can be improve considerably with better irrigation and crop management.

 

Key words: Water management, Salinity, Yield, Water
productivity, Farmer return.

 

---

[*] Corresponding author: [e-mail]

Anahtar Kelimeler

Water management, Salinity, Yield, Water productivity

Kaynakça

• El Mokh, F., Nagaz, K., Masmoudi, M.M., Ben Mechlia, N. 2011. Adaptation of irrigation and crop management under water deficit conditions of southern Tunisia. Proceedings of the XIV IWRA World Water Congress on “Adaptive Water Management: Looking to the future”, Enotel Resort, Porto de Galinhas PE Brazil, CD-rom, 25-29 September 2011.
• Erkossa, T., Awulachew, S. B., Haileslassie, A and Yilma, A D. 2009. Impacts of Improving Water Management of Smallholder Agriculture in the Upper Blue Nile Basin CP 19 Project Workshop Proceedings agronomy journal. Henrik H., Mark P., Erik, J. 2011. Faba bean in cropping systems, the magazine of the European association for grain legume research Issue No.56 April 2011.
• Horst, M.G., Shamutalov, Sh.S., Pereira, L.S., Gonc¸alves, J.M. (2005). Field assessment of the water saving potential with furrow irrigation in Fergana, Aral Sea Basin. Agric. Water Manage. 77, 210–231.
• Nagaz, K., Ben Mechlia, N. 2003. Etude de la consommation en eau et de la production de l’orge sous irrigation à l’eau salée. Revue des Régions Arides 14 (1): 17-29.
• Nagaz K., Ben Mechlia N. 1998. Barley production under different irrigation regimes with two water qualities. Agricoltura Mediterranea, Vol. 128(1), 28-33.
• Tanner, CB., Sinclair, TR. 1983. Efficient water use in crop production: research or re-Search. In Limitations to EfficientWater Use in Crop Production, Taylor HM, Jordan WR, Sinclair TR (eds). ASA, CSSA, SSSA: Madison, Wisc.(USA); 1-27.
• Webber, H. 2008. Department of Bioresource Engineering McGill University, Montreal Submitted March 2008. A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy