Effect of Partial Root-Zone Irrigation and Biochar on Drip Irrigation System Performance and Water Consumption of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Crop in Gypsiferous Soil
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: An experiment was conducted in the field aiming To examine the impacts of alternate drip irrigation on partial root-zone management and the use of biochar regarding the performance of the drip irrigation system, water conservation, and water usage for sunflowers cultivated in gypsiferous soil. The experiment was conducted at the Research Station affiliated with the Department of Soil and Water Resources Sciences using RCBD design (randomized completely blocks) with 2 factors. The first one includes two irrigation treatments: (1) traditional drip irrigation system (2) alternative partial root-zone drip irrigation. The second factor involved three levels of biochar application: 0%, 1%, and 2%, with three replications for each treatment. Sunflower seeds were sown on July 15, 2024, and harvesting was done on November 10, 2025. The results showed that water consumption ranged from 752 to 821 mm/season under conventional irrigation, while it was reduced to 486–525 mm/season under alternative partial root-zone drip irrigation. This method of irrigation also improved efficiency of water use, which ranged from 0.88 to 1.10 kg/m 3 , and achieved water savings of 36.06% to 40.80%.
Authors: Mohammed Faeq Alwi, Awss Mamdouh Khairo
Institution: University of Tikrit
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416993003