Challenges and Approaches for Enhancing of Water Use Efficiency in Field Crops in Iran

Crop’s water use efficiency (WUE) is one of the major indices for the efficient use of water for crop production in agriculture. Based on scientific literatures, the concept of WUE has been defined in all crop management, Farm/Field, and water Basin/irrigation network domains. Plant in particular, plays an important role in the efficient use of water and enhancement of WUE. Plant resistance to environmental stresses (e.g., drought, salinity, and heat stresses) and other plant physiological factors affecting biomass and yield in terms of water unit consumption, all could influence WUE in an individual plant scale. In this paper, the concept of crop WUE and associated challenges and approaches for enhancing WUE will be discussed through review analyzing of farmer’s fields and experimental result of WUE research projects in Iran. To enhance WUE crop plays a major role beside other water saving approaches. Therefore the related approaches and actions towards efficient enhancing of WUE should be linked and interrelated. Applying this kind of methodology is more practical and scientific achievements aiming food security with regard to limited water sources and development programs in Iran. In addition to the related technical concepts, field management and farmer’s knowledge and skills were considered key issues affecting WUE.