Effect of Appropriate Furrow Length and Flow Rate for Potato ( Solanum tuberosum L) Production Using Furrow Irrigation Under Smallholder Farmers Condition at Kersa, South Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Furrow length and water flow rate had a significant effect on crop yield, crop water use efficiency and irrigation performance indicators. Therefore, objective the study was to determine optimum combination of furrow length and flow rate to enhance irrigation efficiency. Field experiment was carried out at Kersa woreda, Jimma Zone, South Western part of Ethiopia, during cropping season of 2019, 2020 and 2021 for three consecutive years using Belete potato variety as a test crop. The treatment comprised three furrow length (50, 30 10 m) and three flow rates (0.45, 0.67, and 0.89l/s) laid out in split plot design with three replications where furrow length used as the main plot and flow rate as sub-plot. Results of over year analysis showed that tuber yield, biomass yield and tuber diameter significantly affected by different furrow length and flow rates. The highest and lowest tuber yield was obtained from L2Q1 (39.49 t/ha) and L3Q2 (29.09t/ha) respectively. The highest Biomass yield of 35.75 ton/ha was obtained from L2Q1 treatments whereas the lowest (20.34t/ha) recorded from L1Q3 treatment. Interaction of furrow length and flow rate does not affect water productivity, water application efficiency and deep percolation ratio. Similarly furrow length was not significant (p>0.05) on water productivity of potato. However flow rate influences water productivity significantly (p<0.05). The water productivity for both furrow length and flow rate ranges from 0.41 to 0.45 Kg/m 3. Both furrow length and flow rate had significant (p<0.05) impact on irrigation water application efficiency. The maximum water application efficiency was obtained from 30m furrow length (29%) and 0.67l/s flow rate (27%). Based on the current finding potato belete variety resulted in maximum yield at combination of 30m furrow length and 0.89l/s flow rate (L2Q1) using furrow irrigation.