Document Type : Articles

Authors

• Mohammed D.Y. El-Jubouri ¹
• Mohammed Al-Dharob ²
• Saadi Sattar Shahadha ¹
• Saddam H Cheyed ³

¹ Environmental Science, College of Energy and Environmental Sciences, Al-Karkh University of Science, Baghdad, Iraq

² Renewable Energy, College of Energy and Environmental Sciences, Al-Karkh University of Science, Baghdad, Iraq

³ Field Crops, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

In light of the water scarcity for most Iraqi agricultural areas, especially after the decline in the water level of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to nearly a third. Solutions become necessary to improve water-crop productivity and achieve the sustainable cultivation of strategic crops through using soil amendments, which reduces the soil water loss. Therefore, this research was conducted at, Al-Raeeid Research Station, Baghdad, Iraq, to study the effect of adding compost fertilizer (7500 kg ha-¹) and perlite (250 kg ha-¹) to wheat and barley crops that were irrigated with two irrigation levels (when exhausting 30% and 50% of the available soil water). The results showed that wheat growth and productivity decreased with increasing water stress of 50%, while opposite results were obtained from the barley crop. The wheat crop showed more sensitivity to the 50% level, but this level did not appear stressful for the barley crop. Also, adding compost and perlite improved wheat growth and yield indicators, which showed a greater response to compost, while barley responded to perlite more than to compost. This study concluded that the combination of compost and irrigation level of 30% presented the highest water-wheat productivity. In comparison, the combination of perlite and irrigation level of 50% presented the highest water-barley productivity.

Keywords

• Water stress
• soil conditioners
• organic compost
• perlite
• Iraqi strategic crops