Conjunctive Effects of Supplemental Irrigation and Planting Date on Rainfed Lentil in Qazvin Plain, Iran

Abstract

Rapid population increases, along with water resources deficiency, have made agricultural experts and researchers use various management techniques to improve water productivity. The term, “more crop per drop” has since came to the center of attention. One of the primary objectives in Iranian national agricultural policies is providing food security, which can be reached via this approach. There is a crucial need for improvements in production of rain-fed agriculture since there are huge rainfed cultivated areas that suffer from low yields. Hence, in this research, supplemental irrigation and sowing dates, which are two effective factors on productivity of rainfed lentils in Qazvin Plain, are investigated. The treatments included two sowing dates and four irrigation levels. The sowing dates were April 4 and April 14, and the irrigation treatments were: no irrigation, single irrigation at seedling stage, single irrigation at pod filling stage, and double irrigation at both of these stages. A factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with three replications was conducted in agricultural research field of Imam Khomeini International University for two cropping seasons in 2011–2012. The results showed that the effects of the two factors on grain yield and biomass were highly significant at the 1% level, both separately and simultaneously. The sowing date of April 4 led to a rise in yield components. Although the double irrigation treatment with