Comparison of the Effects of Subsurface Drip Irrigation and Bubbler Systems on Water Consumption Efficiency in Pistachio Trees (Case study: Irrigation of pistachio in Sirjan)

One of the important indicators in determining water use efficiency for agricultural productions is the index of water consumption efficiency. This study was conducted to determine the water use efficiency of pistachio in Sirjan city located in the southwest of Kerman province in 2015. To compare bubbler and subsurface drip irrigation methods, 27 pistachio orchards with an area of ​​1373 hectares were selected to determine water use efficiency, of which four orchards were equipped with the bubbler system and the rest were equipped with subsurface system. Bubbler discharge, irrigation time, area of ​​each irrigation plot and crop yield were studied. By measuring the volume of irrigation water after irrigating the field and the amount of water wasted along the route, the average gross volume of applied irrigation water was calculated. After harvesting, the average yield of pistachio per hectare was calculated. The results of this study showed that the subsurface drip irrigation method compared to bubbler irrigation method, not only significantly increases water use efficiency but also increases crop yield by 34%. Therefore, according to the results and also the current water shortage conditions in Sirjan city, the use of subsurface drip irrigation method is more appropriate than bubbler irrigation to irrigate pistachio orchards.