Iranian Water Research Journal

Iranian Water Research Journal

The impact of irrigation systems on productivity and some of the morphophysiological characteristics of four varieties of wheat.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rahim Alimohammadi nafchi 1
Sam Safari 2
1 Agricultural Engineering Research Department, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Shahrekord, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Seed and Seedling Registration and Certification Research Institute
10.22034/iwrj.2026.14828.2617
Abstract
Introduction:
Food security in the community and a negative water balance in most plains have necessitated the optimal and sustainable use of water resources. Wheat is one of the most important and strategic products in ensuring food security, having been cultivated and produced in all parts of the world for a long time. Ensuring food security in society and the negative water balance in most plains have made the optimal and sustainable use of water resources essential. However, the rate of growth of production per unit area and its productivity, especially the productivity of wheat irrigation water in Iran, has not yet reached its optimal level. The need to increase production and physical water productivity in this strategic product through the use of different techniques and methods is evident. The area under wheat cultivation in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province accounts for 44 percent of the province's cultivable land, with a net irrigation requirement of 400 mm and a water requirement of approximately 5,000 to 8,500 cubic meters per hectare.

Materials and Methods:
To increase productivity and production indices, a split-plot experimental design in the form of a randomized complete block statistical design was used, with the main factor of irrigation systems (sprinkler, tape and subsurface tape), the sub-factor of wheat cultivars (Heidari, Pishgam, Mihan and Orum) conducted with three replications in Chahartakhteh research station, Shahrekord, Iran. In this project, the amounts of water for irrigation (according to FAO Publication No. 56 and the soil characteristics of the root zone) were applied to surface and subsurface tape irrigation systems using a volumetric flow meter, and to sprinkler irrigation systems by measuring and calibrating the sprinklers. The yield of the product under different irrigation systems, along with the amount of irrigation water, was measured and calculated. To calculate plant evapotranspiration (ETo), the FAO-Penman-Monteith equation (No. 56) is used, taking into account the characteristics of the reference plant. In this method, the reference plant is assumed to be a grass cover with a height of 0.12 m, a constant surface resistance of 70 s/m, and a reflectance coefficient (albedo) of 0.23, representing evaporation from a large surface of green grass with uniform height, active growth and access to sufficient water. This relationship is independent of the type of plant and cultivation environment management issues, and is only affected by the climatic data of the region. Cropwatt software calculates the water requirement (CWR) of the wheat crop based on the (CWR = ETO×Kc) equation. The plant coefficient (Kc) for wheat is considered to be from 0.25 to 1.15 during the growth stages (initial, development, intermediate, and final). The amount of irrigation requirement (ICWR) is obtained from the ratio of the net requirement (wheat water requirement- CWR) to the efficiency or effectiveness of the irrigation system in percentage (Ea). The water productivity index is a function of the amount of water used (applied water, cubic meters per hectare) and grain yield (kilograms per hectare).

Results and Discussions:
The results showed that the effect of irrigation systems on 1000-seed weight, biological yield, grain yield and water productivity index at 1% at the 1% significance level was significantly different. Water productivity index in tape, subsurface tape, and sprinkler irrigation systems with values of 1.57, 1.24, and 0.93 kg/m3, respectively, and in Heidari, Pishgam, Mihan, and Orum wheat cultivars, 1.33, respectively, were 1.29, 1.28, and 1.09 kg/m3. Based on the results Heidari cultivarwas suggested as the best among the cultivated wheat cultivars to continue projects. Among the three irrigation systems (sprinkler, surface tape, and subsurface tape) in wheat cultivation, the surface tape irrigation system was superior to the other two. Subsurface tape irrigation systems were damaged due to the location of all pipes and fittings underground, and sometimes due to pressure changes or rodent damage. Their repair and maintenance caused damage, wasted time, and imposed costs on the project. Moreover, the placement of the tapes at a depth of about thirty centimeters below the ground combined with the effect of gravity on the upward transfer of moisture sometimes required additional irrigation to provide the necessary moisture. This issue reduced the efficiency and productivity of this method. As a result, water consumption in the surface tape irrigation method was lower than in other methods (rain and subsurface tape). Wheat crop yield (grain production) in surface tape irrigation systems was higher than in other irrigation methods. The Heidari cultivar had a significantly higher yield than the other tested cultivars (Mihan, Orum, and Pishgam). The highest and lowest water productivity index values among the irrigation systems were surface tape irrigation (1.556 kg/m3) and rain irrigation (0.925 kg/m3). However, among the wheat cultivars, Heidari, Pishgam, Mihan, and Orum had the highest water productivity, respectively. The highest harvest index value was obtained from the surface tape irrigation systems. Among the cultivars, the Heidari cultivar had the highest thousand-grain weight.

Conclusion:
The minimum volume of irrigation water used in surface tape irrigation and the maximum amount of water used in sprinkler irrigation, and the amount of water used in the subsurface tape irrigation system were between the latter two systems. This result is also due to the efficiency and performance of surface tape systems, and in the subsurface tape system, due to the transfer of moisture from a depth of thirty centimeters to the ground surface, the distribution of moisture and the direction of a significant portion of moisture towards the force of natural gravity, the consumption in this system is slightly higher than in the surface tape irrigation system.
Keywords
Biological yield
Grain yield
Irrigation systems
Water productivity
Subjects
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Iranian Water Research Journal
Volume 20, Issue 2 - Serial Number 61
(Is completing ...)
Summer 2026
Pages 35-48

  • Receive Date 28 December 2025
  • Revise Date 07 April 2026
  • Accept Date 11 April 2026
  • Publish Date 22 June 2026