Abstract
Field experiments were conducted during consecutive spring seasons of 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, in subtropical India to find the best irrigation application parameters that lead to significant reduction in total water use and to characterize soil moisture spread along the furrow. The soil of the experimental site is categorized as Inceptisol neutral in reaction (pH 7.6), low in organic carbon (0.33%) and available N (187.5 kg/ha), medium in available P (19.7 kg/ha) and K (239.4 kg/ha). The treatment consisted of two length of furrows (F1-50 m and F2-75 m) and six discharge and cut-off length (D1: Furrow-8 L per second – lps + 75% cut-off length, D2: Furrow-10 lps + 75% cut-off length, D3: Furrow-8 lps + 85% cut-off length, D4: Furrow-10 lps + 85% cut-off length, D5: Border-75% cut-off length and D6: Border-85% cut-off length). Experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The number of millable canes (109.27 t/ha), cane length (169.21 cm), average cane weight (0.68 kg), cane yield (50.93 t/ha) and sugar yield (6.75 t/ha) were found significantly higher under longer furrow length (75 m). Significantly highest number of shoot counts (168.61 t/ha at 180 DAP), millable canes (106.61 t/ha), cane yield (54.02 t/ha) and sugar yield (7.03 t/ha) were recorded with discharge of 10 lps + 85% cut-off length. Moisture flow pattern showed a clear downward movement of water in all the furrow irrigation combinations methods with required water availability at tail end region. Significantly voluminous root (53.25 cc/clump), longer root length (33.90 cm), higher number of root hairs (918.9 cm), wider horizontal spread (27.0 cm) and root efficiency (22.84) were observed under discharge of 10 lps at cut-off of 85% discharge of water at 10 lps with 85 m cut-off length recorded highest IWUE (2239.71 kg/ha cm). Under conventional method of irrigation, IWUE was very low. Thus, it may be concluded that to conserve and save irrigation water, a cut-off at 85% furrow length and discharge of 10 lps are efficient to soak the soil at tail end of the field. Further, the length of the furrow may be kept up to 75 m under sandy loam alluvial soils having slope less than 1%.
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The authers are greatful to Dr. A. D. Pathak, Director, ICAR-IISR, Lucknow, India for providing the facilities to conduct the research work.
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Singh, A.K., Visha Kumari, V., Gupta, R. et al. Efficient Irrigation Water Management in Sugarcane Through Alteration of Field Application Parameters Under Subtropical India. Sugar Tech 20, 21–28 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-017-0514-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-017-0514-x