Investigation of quantity and quality characters of sugar beet crop under furrow and micro irrigation systems in Hamedan

Water is the most important factor for agriculture development in Iran. Accordingly the optimal consumptione of water is very important. Using pressurized irrigation system is one of the methods to improve agricultural water management. The objecttives of this research were to compare two irrigation methods of furrow and trickle irrigation systems impacts on quantity and quality characters of sugar beet yield. The experimental deign was randomized complete blocks with four treatments and three replications in Hamedan province during 2002 to 2003. The treatments consisted of trickle (tape) irrigation of crop water requirement with three irrigation levels of %50, %75 and %100 and another treatment was furrow irrigation with irrigation level of %100 crop water requirement. Combined analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences between years for sugar content, α– amino nitrogen, alcality, amount of sugar in molasses, root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield. These characters, therefore varied dute year to year effects. Significant differences among treatments were only observed for K and alkality. However, the interaction of year with treatments was significant for sugar content, α – amino nitrogen, root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield. The maximum and the minimum water use efficiency was related to trickle irrigation with 50% crop water requirement and furrow irrigation which were 1.19 and 0.6, kg/m3, respectively. Mean water consumption in furrow and trickle (Tape) irrigations of %100,%75 and %50 were 14886, 8932, 7309 and 5679 m3/ha respectively. The water consumption in trickle (Tape) irrigation of %100 decreased about %40 as compared to furrow irrigation But the root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield of those treatments werenot different significantly. In conclusion, considering acceptable level of root yield and white sugar yield in sugar beet agronomy and regarding the decrease in water consumption and increase of water use efficiency trickle (Tape) irrigation under %100 and %75 crop water requirement seem to be recommended.