Improvement in Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Wheat in Downstream Lands of Kharkheh River Basin

Implementation of research findings and their application in the field is a prerequisite for any improvement in quantity and quality of agronomic products. To investigate the effect of research findings on the wheat yield, two benchmark sites were chosen in the downstream Lands of Kharkheh River Basin, one with drainage (site 1) and another without drainage (site 2) system during 2013-14 and 2014-15 cropping seasons. Treatments were application of some research findings such as leveling, certified seed, appropriate amount and application time for fertilizer and  proper irrigation method as Research Management (RM) and farmer management as "Traditional Cultivation" (TC). Results showed that application of recommended package in RM treatment in 2013-14 increased the grain yield by 14 and 44% in sites 1 and 2 compared to TC treatment, respectively. While the values of the improvement in grain yield in the same sites for 2014-15 were 44 and 52%, respectively. During these two years the mean grain yields for RM and TC treatments were 4178.5 and 3321.0 Kg ha-1 in site 1, and 2976.5 and 1999.0 Kg ha-1 in the site 2, respectively. Based on the balance of a cropping season in 2013-14, the increased net benefit in RM treatment were 1.2 and 1.98 times more than the TC treatment in the sites 1 and 2, respectively. Application of the recommended package in 2014-15 increased the net benefit in RM treatment by 1.69 and 1.86 times more than TC treatment in the sites 1 and 2, respectively.