Grain Yield, Yield Components And Water Use Efficiency Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Varieties Under Three Irrigation Regimes On A Clay-Loamy Soil In Semi-Arid Zone Of Southern Niger Republic

Wheat is among the most important crops in the world and its consumption in Niger republic is increasing rapidly. Adequate irrigation management practices as well as choice of improved varieties can significantly increase yield of wheat. In southern Niger republic farmers grow wheat in dry and cold season under irrigation. They apply irrigation at diverse regimes without having technical recommendations on irrigation patterns suitable for their area. To alleviate this constraint, a field experiment was conducted during 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 dry seasons at Djirataoua (13°25’59’’N, 7°8’12’’E) in southern Niger Republic. The aim of the study was to determine the appropriate regime of irrigation for highest yield and water use efficiency of wheat varieties. The treatments consisted of three irrigation regimes (7, 10 and 14 days interval at 30 mm) and four wheat varieties (El-Kodaraoua as local check, Sokoll/3/, Norman and Reyna-28). The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Data collected on grain yield, yield components and water use efficiency were subjected to the analysis of variance and mean comparison was done using Fisher’s LSD. The water use efficiency was calculated to determine the optimum irrigation regime for economic production. The results showed that irrigation at 7 and 10 days interval and 30 mm resulted in higher grain and straw yields. Significant interactions between the studied factors on growth and yield characters were observed. The highest grain yield was achieved by interaction of Reyna-28 and Sokoll/3/ with 7 days irrigation interval. In contrary the water use efficiency was highest at 10 and 14 days of irrigation intervals. Based on these findings, irrigation at 7 days interval of 30mm and using Reyna-28 or Sokoll/3/ is recommended for maximum grain yield. But in conditions of water scarcity, irrigation can be applied each 10 days for economic yield.