Investigation on Yield and Yield Components of Cotton in Drip and Furrow Irrigation Methods

Drip irrigation that is applicable in row crops leads to decrease in water use, changes the environmental and humidity conditions of root and increases water productivity. In order to compare drip and furrow irrigation methods, a research was conducted in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Khorasan for two years
(2002-2003). Statistical design was split plot adopting complete randomized block with three replications. Main plots were amount of irrigation water, 50, 75 and 100 percent of crop water requirement, and sub plots were irrigation methods drip (tape) irrigation and furrow irrigation. The results, showed that crop yield was not significantly different in any of the treatments in the first year, but it was significantly different in irrigation methods in the second year. Yield in drio irrigation (2821.2 kgha-1) was 16% less than that in furrow irrigation (3755.8 kgha-1), but water use efficiency in drip irrigation was 61% more in furrow irrigation method. Yield components such as number of plants per square meter, number of bolls per plant, weight of boll and number of branches were not significantly different in two irrigation methods. Total water used (mean of 3 irrigation water) in drip and furrow irrigation methods were 7002.38, 11464.9 cubic meter per hectare, respectively. It was concluded that irrigation water in drip irrigation was 50.4 percent less than that in furrow irrigation. The most and the least water use efficiency were 0.34 kgm-3 in drip and 0.21 kgm-3 in furrow irrigation.