Abstract:
This study was conducted to determine the effect of different supplemental irrigation rates on chickpea grown under semiarid climatic conditions. Chickpea plots were irrigated with drip irrigation system and irrigation rates included the applications of 0 (I 0) 25 (I 25), 50 (I 50), 75 (I 75), 100 (I 100), and 125 % (I 125) of gravimetrically measured soil water deficit. Plant height, 1,000 seed weight, yield, biomass, and harvest index (HI) parameters were determined in addition to yield-water functions, evapotranspiration (ET), water use efficiency (WUE), and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). Significant differences were noted for plant height (ranging from 24.0 to 37.5 cm), 1,000 seed weight (ranging from 192.0 to 428.7 g), and aboveground biomass (ranging from 2,722 to 6,083 kg ha-1) for water applications of I 0 and I 125. Statistical analysis indicated a strong relationship between the amount of irrigation and yield, which ranged from 256.5 to 1,957.3 kg ha-1. Harvest index values ranged between 0.092 and 0.325, while WUE and IWUE values ranged between 1.15-4.55 and 1.34-8.36 (kg ha-1mm-1), respectively. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.