Investigating the Yield and Water Productivity of Wheat in Different Planting Arrangements in Drip Irrigation (Case Study of Torbat Heydarieh)

Wheat is one of the most important strategic agricultural products. One of the most important policies of the country is to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production. The relatively large area under cultivation of this crop has caused a large volume of water resources to be consumed for wheat production. One of the solutions to further increase water productivity in wheat production is to use the drip irrigation method (Tape). This study aimed to investigate the effect of planting arrangement and lateral spacing on wheat water productivity at the Jolghe-Rukh Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station in Khorasan Razavi Province during the years 2016 to 2018. This study was conducted using a T-test design and the samples were compared in pairs. Six treatments including a combination of planting arrangement (15, 20 and 30 cm) and lateral spacing (60 and 75 cm) and a furrow method were compared. The results of statistical analysis showed that the drip-Tape irrigation method with a spacing of 60 cm along with a regular planting arrangement of wheat rows with a spacing of 15 cm was superior to the other treatments implemented, and the difference in the studied traits was clearly evident compared to the furrow irrigation treatment. The highest yield and water productivity were obtained from this treatment (8500 kg/ha and 1.63 kg/m3), while the irrigation water consumption in this treatment was 21% less than the furrow irrigation method in the first year and 35% less in the second year.