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Chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus Boeck.) is an important vegetable crop in Valencia (Spain), where its tubers are used to produce a refreshing drink called 'horchata'. Water is relatively inexpensive, there are no data regarding the volumes of water used to grow chufa, and the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) has neither been determined. The aim of this research was to compare the productive responses of the chufa crop to two irrigation strategies (IS). The volumetric soil water content (VSWC) was monitored with capacitance sensors. Trends in VSWC were used to determine the in situ field capacity (FC), beginning each irrigation event when the VSWC reached either approximately 45% (H1) or 60% (H2) of the FC at a soil depth of 0.10 m. The experiments were conducted over three consecutive seasons. An area velocity flow module measured the water flow. The yields, the water volumes used, and the IWUE were calculated. Plants were periodically sampled and the harvest index and relative growth rate were determined. The yield was affected by the year and by the IS. The greatest yields were obtained with the H2 strategy (on average 2.18 kg m-2 for H2 vs. 1.94 kg m-2 for H1; p≤0.01), and the average tuber weight (ATW) was affected (p≤0.01) by the year and IS interaction. IWUE was affected by the year, and none of the considered factors affected the harvest index (p≤0.05). It can be concluded that maintaining a higher VSWC would increase both yield and ATW without affecting IWUE.

Chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus Boeck.) is a traditional crop in the Mediterranean region of Spain, where it is only furrow irrigated. This article analyzes the irrigation performance for this crop, conducting field studies over three consecutive seasons in Valencia (Spain). Irrigation schedule was based on the volumetric soil water content, which was measured with capacitance sensors. Infiltrability was measured with blocked-furrow infiltrometers. An area velocity flow module measured the water flow, the cross-sectional geometry of furrows was determined using furrow profilometers, and times for advance and recession were recorded. WinSRFR software was used to analyze every irrigation event, determining the application efficiency (AE) and distribution uniformity of the minimum (DUmin), and to optimize the combination of furrow inflow (q) and cut-off time (Tco). Average values obtained for AE were 30.1%, 25.6%, and 26.7% in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively, and the corresponding DUmin values were 0.54, 0.61, and 0.67. Optimized results showed that it is possible to reach AE and DUmin values up to 87% and 0.86, respectively. However, understanding the q-Tco relationship that maximizes both AE and DUmin is more important than knowing the specific values. A function that related q and Tco was obtained for the typical plot dimensions, and this was validated in 2011. Therefore, this function can be used in most of the plots in the cultivation area.