I r r i g a t i o n & D r a i n a g e S y s t e m s E n g i n e e r i n g ISSN: 2168-9768 Irrigation & Drainage Systems Engineering Meskelu et al., Irrigat Drainage Sys Eng 2018, 7:1 DOI: 10.4172/2168-9768.1000207 Open Access Research Article Volume 7 • Issue 1 • 1000207 Irrigat Drainage Sys Eng, an open access journal ISSN: 2168-9768 Integrated Effect of Mulching and Furrow Methods on Maize Yield and Water Productivity at Koka, Ethiopia Meskelu E 1 *, Tesfaye H 1 , Debebe A 1 and Mohammed M 2 1 Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Shashemene, Ethiopia 2 Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Keywords: Alternate furrow; Conventional furrow; Fixed furrow; Plastic mulch; Straw mulch; Water productivity Introduction Global population growth especially in developing countries forces to increase food production. Tis needs diferent strategies like an intensifcation of modern agricultural crop production and increasing farm area. However, this could not be only depend on rain-fed agriculture as the climate change scenario and limited area to produce a crop in only rainy season. Te challenge of crop production in rain-fed is aggravated by temporal and special variation of rainfall and further accelerated by climate changes [1]. Irrigated agriculture is currently supplying more than 40% of food and agricultural commodities within only 17% of the cropped land [2]. However, this is not without a compromise in the devastating the water resource as irrigated agriculture consumes more than 70% of water withdrawal from all sources and it is the most inefcient sector [3]. On the other hand, crop growth and yield majorly afected by environmental factors like drought which leads to a signifcant reduction in agricultural outputs [4]. Te target crop maize is the one of the major crop in Ethiopia with is the top crop by the number of farming community engaged and next to tef it is the highest in area coverage in the country [5]. Te study area is at central rif valley of Ethiopia where crop production in dry season is unexpected without irrigation. Moreover, it is characterized by having highly variable initial and conditional probability of threshold limit of 30 mm per decade rainfall in the main rainy season [6]. To improve crop production to feed the ever-increasing population under limiting water resource condition, strategies that conserve moisture in the soil and efcient irrigation techniques should be identifed and practiced. Diferent works have been done on irrigation water management for maize in diferent part of the world that revealed that yield and water productivity of maize enhanced through diferent irrigation water management methods like conventional furrow, alternate furrow and water conservation methods like application of straw and plastic mulching [7-9]. Application of irrigation water through conventional furrow method that irrigate all the neighboring furrow in two consecutive irrigation time leads to maximize yield under diferent crops including maize. However, productivity of irrigation water is maximized through defcit irrigation practice using diferent techniques like alternate furrow method by irrigating only one of the neighboring two furrows during the consecutive irrigation time. For example, Narayanan and Seid [8] reported that maximum maize yield was obtained under conventional furrow irrigation with irrigation water application of 100% crop water requirement than the alternate and fxed furrow irrigation method. Te same research revealed that with comparable yield penalty, alternate furrow irrigation method maximized water use efciency of maize. Panigrahi et al. [9] reported that alternate partial root-zone irrigation improves water use efciency of okra plant than the conventional furrow condition under diferent soil moisture depletion levels. Based on their fndings, Nasri et al. [10] concluded that alternate furrow irrigation as a way to save water in arid area where maize production relies heavily on repeated irrigation. Moreover, application of mulch for conservation of soil moisture leads to higher water productivity of maize integrating with defcit Abstract The study was conducted at Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Koka research station, Ethiopia, 8°26’ N latitude, 39 ° 02’ E longitude and 1602 m.a.s.l. based on the objective to select most effective water saving techniques and improve water productivity of irrigated maize (Zea mays L.). Three types of furrow irrigation methods (alternate, fxed and conventional furrow irrigation methods) and two mulch types and no mulch with three replications were used as two factors to evaluate the yield and yield component including water use effciency of maize in split-plot design. Different types of irrigation method highly signifcantly (p<0.01) affected all the studied parameters of yield and yield components of maize at Koka both season except number of grains per cob. Moreover, maize growth, yield and yield components were highly signifcantly (p<0.01) infuenced due to different mulch types used. However, there was no interaction effect due to the two factors studied (irrigation type and mulching type). Signifcantly a higher growth, yield and yield component of maize was recorded due to conventional furrow irrigation method than alternate and fxed furrow irrigation method. However, higher water use effciency was obtained due to alternate furrow irrigation method. Moreover, higher growth, yield and yield components including water use effciency were obtained due to plastic mulch than no mulch and straw mulch for maize at koka. Therefore, for maximizing grain yield under no water stress scenario, irrigation of maize with conventional furrow irrigation methods could be used. On the other hand, under limiting irrigation water resource condition, irrigation of maize could be done with alternate furrow irrigation method with plastic mulch application to minimize evaporation loss and maximize water productivity of maize at Koka and similar agro-ecology and soil type. *Corresponding author: Meskelu E, Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Shashemene, Ethiopia, Tel: +25146-119-07-02; E-mail: emeskelu@yahoo.com Received March 03, 2018; Accepted March 29, 2018; Published April 05, 2018 Citation: Meskelu E, Tesfaye H, Debebe A, Mohammed M (2018) Integrated Effect of Mulching and Furrow Methods on Maize Yield and Water Productivity at Koka, Ethiopia. Irrigat Drainage Sys Eng 7: 207. doi: 10.4172/2168-9768.1000207 Copyright: © 2018 Meskelu E, et al. 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