Influence of Alternative Irrigation Applied Water on Water Productivity of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.)

A field experiment was conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate. The site is located at middle North of Nile Delta with 30°-57' N latitude, 31°-07'E longitude and altitude of about 6 meters above mean sea level,  during the two growing seasons 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 to study the conjunction use of rainfall with irrigation on water productivity (WP) of faba bean. Irrigation treatments were; treatment A (rainfall i.e. given only the sowing irrigation and left to rainfall during the growing season (control), treatment B (given one irrigation following the sowing one), treatment C (given two irrigations after the sowing watering) and treatment D (given three irrigations following the sowing irrigation traditional irrigation) for faba bean cv. Giza 843 in a complete randomized design with three replications. The highest average values of water applied and consumptive use were 465 mm and 442 mm under treatment D in the two growing seasons, respectively. The contribution percentages of rainfall to water applied (Wa) were 36.4% and 55.8 % for treatments D and A, respectively. Given only sowing irrigation (rainfall treatment) produced about 70% from that received 3 irrigations following the sowing one. To get nearly maximum yield, only two irrigations after the planting watering could be applied with saving water 206.5 m3 fed-1 or 10.6%. On the other hand, the highest mean values of water productively (WP) and productivity of water applied (PWa) were recorded under treatment B in the two seasons and the values were 1.23 and 1.12 kg m3, respectively. For faba bean; seed yield, harvest index, plant height, 100-seed weight and No. pods/ plant gave the highest values under irrigation treatment D. Results also showed that all characteristics of faba bean were significantly affected by irrigation treatments in both growing seasons.