The effect of Irrigation management under farmer conditions on irrigation water productivity of pistachio trees

Due to the quantitative and qualitative reduction of water resources and also to maintain existing agriculture, the only solution is to increase yield per unit area by changing the cultivation pattern, correct use of inputs, optimal irrigation management and ultimately increase irrigation water productivity. In this regard, a study was conducted in a pistachio garden of Ahmad Aghaei cultivar in Sarvestan city during the 2018-2019 crop year with the aim of comparing the volume of applied water, irrigation water productivity and machine efficiency in different water distribution substrates in surface irrigation method. The experimental design was performed in the form of randomized complete blocks with 4 treatments of irrigation management in three replications. The treatments were: conventional flooding method with a strip width of 6 meters (Control treatment), the creek created on both sides of the tree row (Ditcher), reducing the strip width through the border created in the middle of the row of trees (Border) and the bed of Sine-Morghi created on both sides of the rows of trees (Kadval). The amount of irrigation water according to the inflow to each treatment and the time of cut off based on the management applied by the gardener in control, border, kadoul and ditcher treatments was 8400, 4648, 4200 and 3080 cubic meters per hectare, respectively. The results showed that in all treatments, irrigation water productivity increased compared to the control treatment. So that the rate of increase in ditcher, kadoul and border treatments compared to the control treatment was 120, 91 and 62%, respectively. Finally, ditcher and Kadval treatments with reduction of irrigation water by 63 and 50%, respectively, and no significant yield compared to the control treatment were suggested as the best irrigation treatments for pistachio trees in the tested garden.