THE EFFECT OF IRRIGATION METHODS AND MAGNETIZATION OF WATER IN YIELD OF SUNFLOWER

Abstract

This experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of Field Crop Department, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad, Abu-Ghraib during two spring seasons of 2012 and 2013 to study the response of Sunflower cultivar Akmar to irrigation methods and water of magnetization technology on yield and yield components. The experiment was laid out as a split plot in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Four irrigation methods were used as a main plots: Furrow irrigation (I1), unfixed alternate furrow irrigation (I2), fixed alternate furrow irrigation (I3) and basin irrigation (I4), while four levels of magnetized water (0, 1000, 2000, and 3000) Gauss were used as sub-plot treatments. Results showed that unfixed alternate furrow irrigation method (I2) did not increase the yield of sunflower for both seasons and fixed alternate furrow irrigation method in the first season but it could reduce irrigation water by 40%. Yield reached 3.08 and 2.82 ton.ha-1 in the two seasons respectively 3.07 for fixed alternate furrow irrigation in the first season, were as irrigation water reduced from 425 to 259 mm per season in 2012 season and reduced from 362.3 to 320.3 mm per season in 2013 season were an increment of water use efficiency (WUE) by 63.5% to 61.4% for unfixed alternate furrow irrigation and 50.0 to 48.2 for fixed alternate furrow irrigation were accrued during growing seasons respectively in comparison with full irrigation treatment (I1). No significant effect was detected between I1 and I2 in yield components of sunflower. Results displayed a positive effect of using magnetized irrigation water on all measured traits. Yield was increased by and 30.7 to 43.2%, WUE increased by 44.9 to 55.5%, number of seeds per head increased by 45.8 to 23.5%, head diameter improved by 22.6 to 16.9 %, fertility percentage by 1.80 to 2.98% and harvest index by 16.96 and 27.7 % for both spring seasons respectively, and 100 seeds weight increased by15.5% in the second season. Interaction between two factors were significant in fertility percentage. There is compensational effect for irrigation water magnetization on yield and components.