Effect of Deficit Irrigation and Partial Rootzone Drying on Yield, Yield Components and Water use efficiency of maize (Zea mays L.) SC 704

Deficit irrigation is an optimization strategy for water use efficiency in irrigation. This research was conducted to evaluation effect of deficit irrigation (DI) and partial root zone drying (PRD) on yield، yield components and water use efficiency of corn. Research was conducted on Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman in the spring of 2010 using a completely randomized block design with one control، 18 deficit irrigation treatment and three blocks. Deficit irrigation treatments were included: mild water stress (irrigation with درصد75 ETP)، high water stress (irrigation with %50 ETP)، fixed every other furrow irrigation and three partial root zone drying (Change the wet furrows in every irrigation، Change the wet furrows in every other irrigation and change the wet furrows in every second irrigations). Every treatment was applied at three growth stages of corn (all periods of growth، vegetative growth stage and reproductive growth stage). The highest biological yield obtained 32431 and the lowest was 17654 kg per hectare. The highest grain yield was 12115 kg per hectare and the lowest was 7163. Water use efficiency (km grain yield per cubic meter of water) for the control treatment was equal to 1. 16 and for partial root zone drying with change the wet furrows in every irrigation (14 days) in all periods of growth treatment was equal to 2. 13. Results showed that partial root zone drying with one interval irrigation (14-day) was the best choice to apply deficit irrigation on corn.