Increasing Water Use Efficiency in Mechanized Wheat Cultivation Using in-Furrow Seed Drill in Saline Soils Conditions

The use of management strategies to increase the water use efficiency index in agricultural fields is one of the practical options to combat dehydration. Unconventional soils and waters are among the resources that can be used with proper management and full recognition of them. The aim of this study was to introduce the method of planting wheat in furrows 60 cm wide with a linear machine, flooring and furrow irrigation as a suitable alternative to conventional cultivation methods (manual sowing and field irrigation) in saline lands around Lake Urmia. To conduct research, both cultivation and irrigation methods were applied in two plots with saline soil. In each plot, crop yield components, grain yield, irrigating water consumption, water use efficiency, and soil salinity distribution were measured. Results showed that the method of seed planting into irrigation furrow by an in-furrow seed drill and furrow irrigation in saline soils instead of seed broadcasting and flood irrigation has increased seed yield at the rate of 381 kgha-1 and reduced water consumption by about 23% and consequently increased water use efficiency in wheat production by about 33%. So, due to the scarcity of agricultural water in the region and excessive water consumption in the flood irrigation method, wheat cultivation by an in-furrow seed drill and furrow irrigation is recommended especially in saline soils.