Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Water use efficiency of summer sown chickpea in a tropical environment: Response to genotype and planting density
Author(s):
John Bob Ochanda Ogola *,
Nancy Mosibudi ThangwanaRecieved Date: 2013-07-20, Accepted Date: 2013-10-03
Abstract:Water use efficiency has important implications for crop productivity in dry environments that are characterised by low and unreliable rainfall. This study aimed at assessing the effect of genotype and planting density on the water use efficiency of chickpea in a dry environment in north-eastern South Africa. Six chickpea genotypes (ICCV97314, ICCV92337, ICCV88202, ICCV97031, ICCV201 and ICCV37) were sown at three planting densities (33, 25 and 20 plants m-2) in two field experiments conducted during summer 2006/2007. Crop water use (WU) was determined by monitoring soil water content at 7-day intervals using a neutron probe, and water use efficiency (WUE) was determined as a ratio of crop biomass/grain yield to WU. Planting density and genotype affected water use, water use efficiency of biomass production (WUb) and grain yield production (WUEg) in Experiment I. Crop water use ranged from 94.8 mm (genotype ICCV88202) to 120.9 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ICCV97314), WUEb ranged from 12.0 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ICCV37) to 41.1 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ICCV92337) and WUEg from 9.0 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ICCV37) to 20.9 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ICCV92337). Water use, WUEg and WUEb were respectively 10%, 95% and 44% greater at the high compared with the low planting density. WUEg and WUEb had highly significant positive relationship (P < 0.001; r2 = 0.98) with grain yield and crop biomass, respectively in Experiment I. Therefore use of cultivars and management practices, such as appropriate planting density, that enhance water use efficiency may be critical in improving productivity of chickpea in dry environments.
Keywords:Chickpea,
crop water use, desi, genotype, evapotranspiration, kabuli, planting density, soil water depletionJournal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 2689-2695
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