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Response of Wheat to Supplemental Irrigation with Saline Water in Coastal Areas

A. R. Akanda
Chief Scientific Officer
IWM Division, BARI, Gazipur

D. K. Roy
Senior Scientific Officers
IWM Division, BARI, Gazipur

S. K. Biswas
Senior Scientific Officers
IWM Division, BARI, Gazipur

M. A. Rahaman
Scientific Officer
ARS, Benerpota, Shatkhira

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

An experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Benerpota, Shatkhira; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute during rabi season of 2013-2014 to investigate the response of wheat to supplemental saline water irrigation in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Two different sources of saline water, viz., best available fresh groundwater (BAW) and canal water, was used for irrigating wheat. Three irrigation given at crown root initiation (CRI), booting, and grain filling stages with BAW (T₁, control); two irrigation given at CRI, and booting stages with BAW (T₂); one irrigation at CRI stage with BAW (T₃); three irrigation at CRI and booting stage with BAW, and at grain filling stages with moderately saline canal water (T₄) were applied in the study. Wheat was irrigated using BAW and moderately saline canal water according to the treatments. Irrigation water with salinity level ranging from 2.8 to 4.3 dS/m for BAW (groundwater) and 4.6 to 6.4 dS/m for canal water did not significantly influence plant population per square meter, number of filled and unfilled spike per square meter, number of grains per spike, and 1000-grain weight. On the other hand, soil salinity had significant effect on plant height, number of spikelet per spike, grain and straw yield of wheat. Slight variations in grain yield among different treatments implied that irrigation water salinity had non harmful effects on growth and yield attributing characters of wheat. The highest grain yield (4.30 t/ha) was obtained from three irrigation with BAW (T₁) while the lowest was achieved from treatment T₃ where one irrigation at CRI stage was applied with BAW. The results also revealed that canal water (salinity level of 4.6 to 6.4 dS/m) irrigation at grain filling stage should be avoided for optimum production of wheat though BARI Gom-25 can still produce a reasonable grain yield. Groundwater in the study area was marginally saline (2.8 to 4.3 dS/m) and could be used to meet crop water requirement.

Keywords: Irrigation, Saline water, Wheat

Location: Agricultural Research Station, Benerpota, Shatkhira

Start Date: 00-00-2013

End Date: 00-00-2014

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Supplemental irrigation

Objectives:

To find out the potentiality of saline water irrigation to wheat
To determine the effect of salinity at different growth stages of wheat

Methodology:

The experiment was conducted during December 2013 to March 2014 at the experimental field of Agricultural Research Station, Benarpota, Shatkhira, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. The soil was clay loam with field capacity and bulk density of 27% and 1.34 gm/cc, respectively. Wheat variety BARI Gom-25 was used for the study. The irrigation treatments were:

T₁= Three irrigation each at CRI, booting and grain filling stages of wheat with best available fresh water (BAW)

T₂= Two irrigation each at CRI and booting stages with BAW

T₃= One irrigation at CRI stage with BAW

T₄= Three irrigation each at CRI and booting stage with BAW and at grain filling stage with moderate saline canal water

The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments replicated thrice. Two different sources of water were used for the study. Ground water was considered as the best available freshwater (salinity ranging from 2.8 to 4.3 dS/m) and the other source of water was moderately saline canal water (4.6 to 6.4 dS/m) for the study. The experimental blocks were separated by a distance of 2.0 meter and the plots in each block were separated by a buffer of 1.0 meter serving as a barrier to prevent lateral movement of water from one plot to another. The unit plot size was 4m × 3m. Recommended dose of fertilizer for wheat (N₁₂₀P₃₀K₅₀S₂₀B₁Zn_4.5 Kg/ha) in the form of urea, triple super phosphate, muriate of potash, gypsum, borax, and zinc sulphate was used. Decomposed cow dung was also used at the rate of 10 t/ha. Two thirds of urea and all other fertilizers were applied at the time of final land preparation, while remaining one third urea was applied at the time of first irrigation. Seeds of wheat were sown on 15 December 2013 with a row spacing of 20 cm. Intercultural operations were done according to the guidelines recommended for BARI Gom-25. The crop was protected against diseases and pests by spraying recommended dose of pesticides. Soil moisture was monitored prior to irrigation events and measured amount of water was applied according to the treatments. Data on growth and yield parameters of wheat were collected at different growth stages. Soil salinity was monitored at 10 days interval throughout the crop season. Finally, analysis of variance of the growth and yield parameters of wheat was done for the RCB design using MSTAT-C.

Source of Information: Annual Research Report, IWM Division, BARI, Gazipur 2013-14

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Plant population per square meter did not vary significantly among the treatments. However, the highest plant populations (542/m²) were observed in the treatment irrigated with BAW at CRI, booting and grain filling stages (T₁). Irrigation at only CRI stage with BAW (T₃) produced the lowest plant populations per square meter (419/m²). Irrigation water salinity significantly affected plant height and treatment T₄ produced the tallest plants (95.93 cm) whereas treatment T₃ produced the shortest plants (89.08 cm). The plausible explanation of this trend may be due to the fact that saline water irrigation does not have severe detrimental effect on the plant height of wheat. Spike length and the number of spikelet per spike were significantly influenced by irrigation water salinity. The best result was obtained in treatment T₁ followed by treatment T₄. In both cases, treatment T₃ produced the worst result. Although soil salinity was enhanced wherever saline water was applied and the increase in salinity is proportional to the amount of saline water applied, it was not high enough to affect germination and growth of wheat. The highest irrigation water productivity (3.80 kg/m³) was obtained from treatment T₃ while the lowest (2.36 kg/m³) was attained from treatment T₄. Total water used by the crop varied among different treatments and consequently grain yield of wheat was varied. It is clear from the table that both the amount and the quality (salinity) of water was the controlling factor. Water productivity of wheat increased because of the reduction in grain yield due to the effect of irrigation water salinity. The salt built-up was minimal at the time of sowing and gradually increased during the later growth stages in all the treatments. The soil salinity increased wherever saline water was applied and the magnitude varied with the salinity of water and the number of irrigation with saline water. On average, the highest salinity was observed at harvest due to the gradual built-up of salts as time progresses. Rainfall before the grain filling stage leached some of the salts but was not sufficient to reduce the salinity level of the soil.

Best available water (Groundwater) with a salinity of 2.8-4.3 dS/m is a good source to exploit for irrigation. However, available canal water with a salinity level of 4.6 to 6.4 can be applied for wheat irrigation reduction in grain yield. As saline water irrigation increased the soil salinity level, long-term increase in soil salinity should be monitored. It is also necessary to look at whether monsoon rain is able to leach the accumulated salts to enable the soil ready for cultivating wheat for the next year. The study reveals that available canal water of moderate salinity can be an alternate source of irrigation to upland crops in coastal areas.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings