VARIETAL RESPONSE OF IRISH POTATOES TO IRRIGATION SCHEDULING IN THE NORTHERN GUINEA-SAVANNAH ZONE OF NIGERIA

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Date
2000-04
Authors
DIBAL, JIBRIN MUSA
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Abstract
The study examined the response of four potato varieties (Pakistan, Nicola, SP, and Dual) to four levels of irrigation scheduling in terms of growth, yield, crop water use and crop water use efficiency. The levels of the irrigation schedules were irrigation at cumulative pan evaporation(CPE 20 mm), CPE 30 mm, CPE 40 mm and irrigating at fixed interval of 7 days. The treatments were laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design on a loamy soil. Irrigation treatments were imposed 35 days after germination. Neutron probe was used to monitor the soil moisture throughout the study. In general, no significant difference was found among irrigation scheduling in terms of total yield, total number of tubers, tuber size less than 25.4 mm, tuber size between 25.4 mm and 50.8 mm and tuber sizes between 76.2 mm and 101.6 mm in diameter, respectively. However, irrigating at cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) 20 mm had resulted into early flowering, early tuberisation, highest total yield, largest tuber sizes, heavier tubers and highest total number of tubers than all other irrigation scheduling treatments studied. Using CPE 20 mm as threshold to schedule irrigation has however resulted into very short irrigation interval of 3.17 days, highest seasonal crop water use of 551 mm and highest crop water use efficiency (CWUE) of 48.85x10-3 (t/ha-mm). Generally, the CPE-based scheduling exhibited better performance when compared to the fixed 7- days (a rotational method of water supply). Variety Dual, which tubered earlier than all other varieties studied, appeared to be promising as it generally showed better performance. However, when emphasis is placed on largest tuber sizes, Pakistan demonstrated best performance.
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BEING A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA; IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF M.Sc. DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING APRIL,2005
Keywords
VARIETAL RESPONSE,, IRISH POTATOES,, IRRIGATION,, SCHEDULING,, NORTHERN,, GUINEA-SAVANNAH,, ZONE,, NIGERIA.
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