Evaluation of water productivity of surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation systems in barley production farms in Markazi province

This study was conducted with the aim of field measurement of water productivity and applied water in barley farms with different irrigation systems under the management of the farmer in Markazi province. For this purpose, 26 farms in the major barley production zones in the 1399-1400 crop year, in Markazi province were selected and the volume of applied water was measured. In this regard, first the amount of water source discharge was measured with a suitable device (flume and meter) in each of the selected farms. After determining the inflow of water to the farm by carefully monitoring the farm irrigation program, the applied volume water used for each of the selected farms during the growing season was determined. The results showed that the volume of irrigation water for barley fields in the Markazi province varied depending on the irrigation method, irrigation period and field management and its volume varied from 3783 to 7232 cubic meters per hectare. The efficiency of irrigation water application in the studied farms varied from 51 to 100% and its average was 73%. Water use efficiency for this crop in Markazi province fluctuated between 0.43 to 1.19 with an average of 0.75 kg/m3. In general, the results of measurements show that regardless of the irrigation method used, irrigation management by the farmer has an important role in the amount of water used in the study fields. The results show the superiority of drip irrigation method over surface and sprinkler irrigation in the barley production in Markazi province. Also, the results of this study showed that there is the ability to implement deficit irrigation in the province's barley fields, so promoting and training deficit irrigation in a correct and practical way to farmers can significantly increase water productivity in the barley production.