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Effects of Drip Irrigation Frequency on Soil Wetting Pattern and Root Distribution of Potato in North China Plain

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Paper number  022282,  2002 ASAE Annual Meeting . (doi: 10.13031/2013.10301) @2002
Authors:   Yaohu Kang, Feng-Xin Wang, Shi-Ping Liu
Keywords:   Drip irrigation frequency, Potato, Soil water distribution, Root distribution, Water use efficiency

Field experiment of six different drip irrigation frequency treatments (once every day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every six days and once every eight days, denoted by N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, and N8 respectively) replicating three times was conducted to study the effect of irrigation frequency on soil water distribution, potato root distribution, potato tuber yield and water use efficiency. Total drip irrigation water applied during potato growing period was equal for different frequency. Traditional furrow irrigation was used as a control (CK). Our findings showed that drip irrigation frequency did affect soil water distribution. Its influencing range varied with potato growing stage, soil depth and the horizontal distance from the emitter. However, the wetting pattern developed under treatment N1 had a larger range than what had been supposed. Potato root growth had also been affected by drip irrigation frequency to some extent: the higher the frequency, the higher the root length density (RLD) in 0~60 cm soil layer and the lower the root weight density (RWD) in 0~10 cm soil layer. On the other hand, potato root had not been limited in a rather small range even it was irrigated at the highest frequency in our experiment. High frequency irrigation enhanced potato tuber yield and WUE. Yield and WUE under drip irrigation are much higher than those under furrow irrigation. As to total ETc, little difference was found among different irrigation frequency treatments.

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