Investigation on the effects of the sprinkle irrigation time on the yield of cotton and its components

Abstract

Sprinkler irrigation is one of the irrigation systems used for cotton. In this research study an extensive experiment was carried out on cotton in split plot form with four treatments and three replications during the years 2004 and 2005 in the Gorgan Agricultural Research centre. The amount of irrigation was set to be equal to 70% of the evaporation of the class A evaporation pan. In order to evaluate the effect of irrigation time on yield and its components four irrigation treatments were considered including: T1(06:00 to 9:00 ), T2 (09:00 to 13:00), T3 (14:00 to 20:00) and T4 (20:00 to 05:00). Comparison of the average value of results showed that the yield for the T4 treatment was superior. The same results were also obtained for the weight of cotton-pod, plant height and the number of branches. Although there was not any meaningful differences between the years 2004 and 2005, but the minimum yield was measured for the T3 treatment. It was not found any significant difference on the cotton pre-maturity for all treatments. In order to increase the cotton yield it is proffered to manage sprinkle irrigation time for morning or night.

Keywords

• sprinkle irrigation
• cotton
• shedding