نوع مقاله : مقاله کامل علمی پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه زراعت و اصلاح نباتات، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران.
2 زراعت و اصلاح نباتات دانشکده کشاورزی دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان
3 دانشیار گروه زراعت و اصلاح نباتات، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and objectives: Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) as an important source of plant protein, is cultivated in Iran and many semi-arid regions of the world, and play a crucial role in the country’s food security and economic stability. The escalating challenges of climate change and improper management of rainfed farming principles have significantly affected the sustainable production of this valuable crop in recent years. To address this challenge and improve lentil productivity under rainfed conditions, several innovative approaches have emerged. Among these, soil moisture conservation techniques, including the strategic application of different mulching materials and supplemental irrigation systems, have shown promising potential for improving crop performance. This research aims to comprehensively evaluate and compare different soil moisture management strategies and their subsequent effects on both quantitative and qualitative parameters of rainfed lentil production.
Materials and Methods: A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of mulch on the lentil yield and its components under supplemental irrigation conditions. The study was conducted in 2022 in a farm located in Nasirabad village, Varzeghan district, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The experiment was implemented as a split-plot design based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with twelve treatments and three replications. The main factor consisted of three supplementary irrigation levels: no irrigation (rainfed), irrigation at flowering stage, and irrigation at two stages of flowering and seed-filling and the sub-factor mulch with four levels: without mulch (control), polyethylene mulch, crop residues (straw and stubble at 8.5 tons/ha) and sawdust mulch at 4 tons/ha. Yield and its components were measured at physiological maturity, when the lentil pods had turned yellow and reached full maturity. Data analysis was performed using Minitab software (version 17) for primary statistical analyses, while treatment interaction effects were analysed using SAS software (version 9.2). Treatment means were compared using Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level (P ≤ 0.05). To determine the correlation coefficients based on all studied traits, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used in Minitab software version 17.
Results: The results showed that supplementary irrigation combined with mulching practices significantly improved lentil productivity under rainfed conditions. The application of two supplementary irrigations at critical growth stages (flowering and seed-filling periods) proved to be significantly more effective than a single irrigation either at flowering or no-irrigation on pods and seed number per plant, 1000-seed weight, biomass, seed yield, harvest index, and seed protein content. Among the different mulching treatments, straw and stubble mulch proved to be the most beneficial, significantly improving all the parameters studied. The optimal treatment combination was identified as supplemental irrigation at flowering + seed-filling stages combined with straw and stubble mulch, which maximized both yield (955.5 kg ha-1) and its components (13.3 seed plant-1, 55.1 g 1000-seed weight, 5744.3 kg ha-1 biomass, and 23.6% seed protein content). While other mulch materials also showed significant yield improvements over the control (no mulching), they were not as effective as straw and stubble mulch. This finding highlights the importance of mulch selection in dryland lentil production. Under dryland conditions, the integration of supplementary irrigation and mulch proved effective in mitigating the effects of drought stress, resulting in improved seed yield and protein content.
Conclusion: Considering the environmental stresses affecting rainfed lentil cultivation, supplemental irrigation combined with straw and stubble mulch significantly was able to improves lentil productivity under rainfed conditions. This integrated approach of strategic irrigation timing and appropriate mulching practices provides an effective strategy for sustainable lentil production in water-limited environments, particularly in regions experiencing irregular rainfall patterns and drought stress conditions.
کلیدواژهها [English]
)