Investigation of Applied Water, Yield and Water efficiency of Potato Fields in the Conditions of Farmers in Razavi Khorasan Province

Due to water shortage in the country, improving the irrigation management of potato fields can reduce water consumption and increase the efficiency of this important product. For this purpose, it is necessary to have sufficient and accurate information about the status of applied water and water efficiency in the conditions of farmers' management. Therefore, the amount of applied water, yield, and water efficiency in the conditions of farmers' management in two major potato production areas in Razavi Khorasan province were investigated. The two areas of Fariman and Torbat Heydariyeh with the highest area of cultivation and production of potatoes were selected as pilots cities. The method of irrigation in all fields was the drip method. In experimental farms, irrigation and agronomic characteristics, water source and irrigation network characteristics, required meteorological data, applied water volume, potato yield, and water efficiency in the crop year 2019 were measured. Also, the volume of water used by farmers was compared with the estimated irrigation needs based on meteorological data from 2019 and the last ten years calculated by the Penman-Monteith method. The amount of applied water based on meteorological data in 2019 was about 26% and to 10-year statistics was about 15% more. The results also showed that the volume of applied potato water in the studied farms varied from 9888 to 14573 m3/ha and its average was 11885 m3/ha. Potato yield in selected fields varied from 28600 to 60000 kg/ha and the average was 40399 kg/ha. Water efficiency varied from 2.22 to 5.25 and the average was 3.42 kg/m3