Irrigation and Nitrogen Requirements of Wheat under Shallow Water Table Conditions of Asmara, Eritrea

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum astivum L.) is traditionally rainfed in Eritrea. Yields are low because of poor soil management and low water and nutrient inputs. A field experiment was conducted in Akria farm, located in the outskirts of Asmara. The soil was clay loam associated with non-saline shallow water tables fluctuating from 0.4 to 1.2 m depths during the crop season. Wheat variety Wedel Nile was planted in split plot design with four levels of supplementary irrigations (SI) viz. I1 (rainfed, 0 SI), I2 (1/3 of full SI), I3 (2/3 of full SI), and I4 (full SI) in main plots and three levels of nitrogen viz. N1 (18 kg N ha−1), N2 (50 kg N ha−1), and N3 (100 kg N ha−1) as sub-plots in three replications. Full SI refers to amount of water necessary to replenish soil moisture deficit in the root zone from field capacity to 50% depletion of the available soil moisture. Groundwater table was constant around 0.4 m depth for 32 days from planting and declined slowly thereafter. Wetness around 0.3 m