Improvement in Water Use Efficiency of Corn Plant through Alternate Furrow Irrigation at its Different Growth Stages

Under the conditions of limited availability of water resources and the relative abundance of arable land (the conditions prevailing in most parts of Iran), the main objective should be to enhance production per unit of water used and the optimal use of the soil these resources. In this context, a deficit irrigation an alternate furrow irrigation, was investigated at critical stages of maize plant growth, of and their combined effects on dry matter accumulation and water use efficiency was assessed. This research was performed as a randomized complete block design with three replication consisting of six treatments: full furrows irrigation in growing season, alternate furrows irrigation in the entire growing season, full irrigation at the establishment stage and alternate irrigation at other stages, full irrigation at the flowering stage and alternate irrigation at other stages, full irrigation at establishment and flowering stage and alternate irrigation at other stages, full irrigation at flowering and ripening stages and alternate irrigation at the other stages. The highest dry matter accumulation was 257 gr per plant, which belonged to irrigation of all furrows during the entire growing season, and the lowest was 196 gr per plant, which belonged to the alternate irrigation during the the entire growing season. During the most biomas yield (18385 kg) belonged to the full irrigation of all during the entire growing season, bowever, the highest water use efficiency was 1.88’ which belonged to the full irrigation at the flowering stage and alternate irrigation other stages.