The interactive effects of water magnetic treatment and deficit irrigation on plant productivity and water use efficiency of corn (zea mays L.)‎

Abstract EN

A maize (Zea mays L.) field experiment was conducted in Sulaimania Governorate, Iraq to study the influence of water magnetism under full and limited irrigation schemes on actual evapotranspiration ETa, growth and yield of corn.

Drip Irrigation system was used to apply water for all treatments to bring the soil moisture content of the 0-90 cm layer up to the field capacity.

Three different irrigation treatments (I0, I1 and I2) were applied depending on soil water depletion replenishments.

Symbols I0, I1 and I2 refer to treatments receiving 100%, 75% and 50% soil moisture depletion successively which were applied right after the emergency stage.

The results showed that the growth and productivity of corn were increased by water magnetism under both full and limited irrigation.

Both of water use efficiency WUE and irrigation water use efficiency IWUE increased when irrigation water was magnetized particularly under water deficit condition.

The growth and productivity parameters of corn were directly proportional to actual ET starting from the minimum values of ETa up to maximum ET (ETm) level.

Maximum WUE and IWUE were obtained when ETa/ETm ratio were between 0.65-0.85.

Average values of crop ET (ETc) calculated by Blaney-Criddle and Hargreaves equation can be used to estimate the amount of applied irrigation water because of the closeness of ETc values from ETa values.

Crop response factor for corn decreased when magnetized water was used for irrigation.

The best magnetic flux density was 50-100 mT to give the best response for corn crop.

Most measured physical and chemical properties of water were slightly affected by magnetism