Evaluation of Maize Response to Salinity under Drip Irrigation and Irrigation Management

In addition of water shortage and high temperature, severe salinity of soil and water also causes problems in arid and semi-arid areas. In these areas, drip irrigation can overcome on environmental limitations for sustainable crop production. To study the response of maize to salinity under drip irrigation and irrigation management, was carried out an experiment at split plots based on randomized complete block design. In this research, main plots were both irrigation management strategies of blending and one-alternate of saline water (4, 5 and 6 ds/m) with Karoun river and subplots were treatments of water salinity. The results showed that by increase in salinity, maize yield, biomass, height, 1000-grains weight and irrigation water productivity decreased. The blending strategies of fresh and saline water improved grain yield and water productivity in levels of high salinity. Fainally, the rate of yield decrease for every 1 ds/m increase in salinity of soil was about 9 percent.