Evaluation of Barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.) Productivity under Rainfed Conditions in Wadi Hashem (East Matrouh)

INTRODUCTION

Rainfed agriculture plays and will continue to play a dominant role in providing food and livelihoods for an increasing world population (Rockstrom et al. 2010). Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) considered one of the most important cereal crops grown along North Western Coast of Egypt under rainfed conditions. Also, it is grown in the newly reclaimed lands. Barley had been recognized as an adapted crop to adverse conditions and could survive and grow satisfactory under such conditions than several other crops. The major use of barely in North Western Coast of Egypt is for many purposes such as malting, brewing industry, animal feeding and many other uses. However there is recent interest by using the crop in human food (Said, 1998). Rainwater harvesting, based on the collection and storage of rainfall runoff, has been widely used for domestic use and agricultural production in arid and semi arid regions (Jiang et al., 2013). In arid and semi arid regions agriculture development processes where water irrigation is a scarce and costly input for successful crop production, water management studies has become an important aspect. However, water harvesting system is one of the most important asses all over the world. A preliminary survey indicated that a conservation estimate of the area which is currently under runoff irrigation is about 500000 hectares. The problem of water shortage in arid and semi-arid regions is one of low rainfall and uneven distribution through out the season, which makes rainfed agriculture a risky enterprise. Therefore new interests came up in recent decades to evaluate traditional water management techniques, most of them being simple, sure to implement and of low capital investment (Prinz and Wolfer, 1999). The classical sources of irrigation water are often at the break of overuse and therefore untapped sources of (irrigation) water have to be sought for increasing agricultural productivity and providing sustained economic base. Water harvesting for dry-land agriculture is a traditional water management technology to ease future water scarcity in many arid and semi-arid regions of world. Water harvesting based on the collecting and concentration of surface runoff for cultivation has been practiced in different parts of the world for thousands years (Reiz et al., 1986). Micro catchments water harvesting (MCWH) which collects runoff from short slops is especially useful in arid and semi arid regions where irrigation water is not available or costly (Boars et al., 1986). Small catchments basins in rainfed valley-bottom filled were allowed. Cost method of generation runoff and increasing grain yields within the cropped areas. The proportions of water catchments area to cropped area (within a given plot) investigated by AZRI had been 1: 1, where half the area was water catchments, half is planted; 2: 1, with two thirds water catchments one third planted, and as the controls the traditional practice, in which the entire area planted (Rees et al., 1989) for nomenclature of water harvesting methods. About 70 % of the fresh water consumed world-wide is used for irrigation, while 20 % is used by industry and 10 % for drinking and residential purposes (Brown, 2000). Rainfed areas cover about one million hectares in the North Western Costal of Egypt (with 500 km long and 20 km width). The rainfall in the growing season is highly variable and less than barley requirements, consequently water conservation is essential to stabilize the water availability for maximizing crop production and increase yield. Water harvesting systems are mainly practiced in arid and semi-arid areas with annual rainfall ranging from 100-600 mm. In the point of view on Egyptian North Western Coast it can be observed that the term of water harvesting is used to describe the process of collecting and storing water for later beneficial used from an area that has been modified or treated to increase production runoff, the collected water can be used for most purposes of domestic uses and growing of plants. Yield of rainfed barley is much lower not only due to less moisture availability in soil but also on account of poor nutrients (Sawarkar and Goydani, 1996). Amount of N applied to barley had to manage to insure that N is available throughout the growing season due to its important role in enhancing both vegetative and reproductive development. Under dry land conditions, barley fertilization considered as vertical factor to maximize yield and to water use efficiency. Also, the productivity of barley is affected by biofertilization most prominent. Utilization of associated bacteria to help increase nitrogen amounts in the barley rhizosphere appears to be a possible route for sustainable barley production in low rainfed areas. The increase in barley grain yield following inoculation with Azospirillum spp. was attributed to one or more of the following factors 1- Bacterial nitrogen fixation, 2- Bacterial production of growth hormones and 3- Increase in plant nutrient uptake. Therefore, the aim of this study was to enhancing barley productivity in North Western Coast of Egypt under rainfed conditions by using optimum relationship (portion) between catchment and cultivated areas with mineral nitrogen and biofertilization. It is hoped that the obtained results with the present study would help to obtain barley grain production by using the avoimentioned factors under rainfed conditions of Egypt.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two field experiments were carried out in flood plain of Wadi Hashim, Raas El-Hekma Region, at East Mersa Matrouh, Matrouh Governorate, North Western Coast of Egypt, during two winter growing successive seasons (2011/2012 and 2012/2013) to study the effect of strip size of water harvesting (catchment): cultivated area and (mineral nitrogen and biofertilization (microbein)) on yield, yield attributes and water use efficiency of Giza 126 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar under rainfed conditions. The ratios of catchment to cultivated area as water harvesting treatment, were 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 by leaving alternate strips bare for surface runoff to cropped area as well as flat soil cultivated (without leaving catchment area) as a control. The slope percentage was measured by contour map. For land preparation, cultivated area plowing to rectangular time the catchment area was prepared by cleaning surface soil, plowing, and compact the soil surface using special rolling. A level terrace, constructed a gently sloping (3%) catchment area serves as the cultivated area which stores the harvesting water. Each strip was divided into two parts: The upper part, referred to as the catchment area and the lower, down slope part called cultivated area using as collector area when rain intensity exceeds the infiltration rate (IR) in the uncultivated, some of the water flows downhill into the cultivated grain where it is stored in the root zone. The cultivated area of the experimental unit was 6 m x 6 m (36 m²) and the catchment area was different according to the different treatment i.e. 36, 72, 108 and 144 m² as shown in Table (1). Barley grains were sowed in 23 November 2011 and 29 November 2012 at a rate of 30 kg/fed. in the first and second season respectively. Grains were sowed with certain rate of the cultivated strip and the grains were covered. Small earth dikes were conducted between the strips to prevent rainoff water movements from the strip to another. The area of the experimental plot was 36 m² (6 m length and 6 m width, every plot with 6 rows, with wetness 15 cm between row to another) Barley was harvested on 12 May 2012 and 24 April 2013 in the first and second season respectively. Soil samples were taken just before the sowing date for physical and chemical analysis as shown in Table (2).

Table (1). Strip size of water harvesting (catchment): cultivated area (m²)

 H = Harvesting (catchment) area (m²) and C = Cultivated area (m²)

Strip water harvesting (catchment): cultivated area

Five treatments for the relationship between harvesting (catchment) and cultivated area as shown in Table (1). The cultivated area of the experimental unit was 6 m x 6 m (36 m²), the catchment area was differed according to the following treatments i.e. 36, 72, 108 and 144 m².

Mineral nitrogen and biofertilization (microbein)

-Without mineral nitrogen and uninoculation.

-10 kg N as NH₄NO₃ (33.5 % N)/fed.

-20 kg N as NH₄NO₃ (33.5 % N)/fed.

-Biofertilizer [Microbein (Psedomonnas sp. + Azotobacter sp. + Azosprillum sp. + Bacillus megaterium)].

-10 kg N as NH₄NO₃ (33.5 % N)/fed. with biofertilization (microbein).

-20 kg N as NH₄NO₃ (33.5 % N)/fed. with biofertilization (microbein).

Source of bio-fertilizer (microbein): Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

Grains were inoculated with microbein at the rate of 0.8 kg/fed. The welted barley grains were inoculated with microbein just before planting. Arabic gum (5%) was used as an adhesive agent.

               Table (2). Some physical and chemical properties of the experiment soil

 Table (3). The received precipitation (mm) during the two growing seasons

 Source: Weather Under Ground, Best Forecast from http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. (2011/2012 and 2012/2013).

Meteorological Data

Meteorological data were obtained from Weather Under Ground, Best Forecast from http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov., for the two growing seasons (temperature, relative humidity, dew point and wind speed) had shown in Table (4) for the first and second season respectively.

                    Table (4). Meteorological data of Mersa Matrouh location through out 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 growing seasons

At harvest, number of tillires/m², number of spikes/m², 1000 grain weight (g), biological yield (kg/fed.), grain yield (kg/fed.), straw yield (kg/fed.), harvest index (%)   and water use efficiency (kg/m³) were estimated.

 Harvest index (%) = Grain yield (kg/fed.) / Biological yield (kg/fed.) x 100.

 Biological, grain and straw yield were calculated from the whole weight of the experimental plot.

Water use efficiency (kg/m³) = Grain yield (kg/fed.) / Et_a (m³/fed.) according to (Giriappa, 1983).

Et_a = precipitation (mm) X 4.2

Statistical analyses

Data were arranged and analyzed as a strip plots design according to (Cochran and Cox, 1963) with four replicates, whereas the vertical strips were occupied by strip harvesting water and the horizontal strips were devoted to mineral nitrogen and biofertilization treatments. New L.S.D. test at a level of 5 % of significance was used for the comparison between means according to (Waller and Duncan, 1969). 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Effect of strip size of water harvesting system (catchment): cultivated area:

Results in Table (5) showed that catchment area ratios had a significant effect on all the studded characters except number of tillires/m² in the first season. Maximum values were obtained by using catchment area ratio of 4: 1 (four times of cultivated area), while minimum values were recorded by control (without leaving catchment area). Different characters witch mentioned in Table (5) had the similar trend concerning the effect of catchment area on yield and yield components (number of tillires/m², number of spikes/m², 1000 grain weight, biological yield, grain yield, straw yield and harvest index) and water use efficiency. These results were true in the two growing studied seasons i.e 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. Data in Table (5) indicated that the measurements values of yield, yield components and water use efficiency could be sequenced in descending order as follows: water use efficiency, grain yield, biological yield, straw yield, 1000 grain weigh, harvest index, number of spikes/m² and number of tillires/m² for first and second season respectively, as affected by decreasing of size of catchment area. The increasing percentage above control treatment (without leaving catchment area) up to four times of cultivated area were 57.4 57.4, 40.6, 33.4, 32.1, 12.1, 8.2 and 2.3 % respectively, in the firs season, while it were 59.2 59.0, 40.1, 33.1, 32.8, 13.1, 8.8 and 3.1 % respectively, in the second season. The different effect on the studied characters might be due to the effect of increasing the catchment area increased the precipitation area accompanying an increasing in water yield for cultivated area subsequently increasing the soil moisture content in barley root. zone.These results were in harmony with obtained by Abelardo (1996) who mentioned that weather harvesting can be increased the soil moisture content by holding more run-off water  from  catchments  area  for  the  cropped  area which reflected on increasing plant growth due to increasing in think capacity. Micro catchment water harvesting can improve soil moisture storage and prolong the period of moisture availability (Li et al., 2000). Also, Attia (2005) studied the effect of strip size of water harvesting system on yield, yield components and water use efficiency of wheat in flood plain of Wadi Medour, El-Qasr Region, West Mersa Matrouh, Matrouh Governorate, North Western Coast of  Egypt. He reported that the strip water harvesting system had a significant effect on yield and its components i.e. number of tillers per plant, number of spike per m², 1000 grain weight, biological yield, grain yield, straw yield, harvest index and water use efficiency. The lowest values were obtained by control treatment, while the maximum values were obtained by using the largest catchment area (5: 1) (five times of cultivated area).

Table (5). Effect of catchment area ratios and (mineral nitrogen and biofertilization) on yield, yield attributes and water use efficiency of barley plant Giza 126 at (2011/2012 and 2012/2013) growing seasons at East Mersa Matrouh under rainfed conditions

Effect of mineral nitrogen and biofertilization:

Data in Table (5) showed that the effect of mineral nitrogen and biofertilization were significant on yield and yield components (number of tillires/m², number of spikes/m², 1000 grain weight, biological yield, grain yield, straw yield and harvest index) and water use efficiency in both seasons. Highest value of number of tillires (172.3 and 149.0/m²), number of spikes (142.7 and 117.7/m²), 1000 grain weight (39.4 and 35.1 g), biological yield (2433 and 1914 kg/fed.), grain yield (833.6 and 605.2 kg/fed.), straw yield (1599 and 1309 kg/fed.), harvest index (34.1 and 31.5 %) and water use efficiency (168.5 and 159.8 kg/m³) in the first and second season respectively, were obtained as barley plants were fertilized by the interaction treatment (20 kg N/fed. with biofertilization). Application of 80 kg N/fed. gave highest barley straw yield and yield components (Barsoum, 1994). These results were in harmony with those pointed by Rahim et al. (2013), who reported that there was a significant effect on barley yield and related characters by using chemical fertilizer. The effect was significant on grain yield, harvest index and biological yield by using bio-fertilizer, the  traits  of consumer  interest  such  as  highest  grain  yield,  harvest  index and  biological  yield were obtained with the application of (Azotobacter + Pseudomonas)as compared with noninoculation treatment. The traits such as grain yield, harvest index and biological were affected by interaction effects of both chemical and biofertilizers, the highest grain yield was thus due to the use of chemical fertilizer with Azotobacter Pseudomonas. Since,  we  can  accept  grain  yield  of  barley  by using  75%  chemical  fertilizer  and  inoculation  with (Azotobacter + Pseudomonas). In general,  the  result  of  this  investigation  showed  that  the  use  of  75%  chemical  fertilizer along  with  dual  inoculation  (Azotobacter + Pseudomonas)  could  produce  satisfactory yield of barley. Nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 80 kg/ha. with both (Azotobacter + Azospirillum) inoculations was found to be the most responsive, with significantly increased in the maximum number of tillers and grain yield of barley. Azospirillum inoculation, Azotobacter inoculation and uninoculated control significantly differed between each to other (Tarun, 2013).

Generally, the increasing in parley yield and its attributes by mineral nitrogen and microbein inoculation might be due to: Azospirrillum brasilens which improve growth of plants and produce high growth parameters, nutrients content, protein content (Sawarker and Goydani, 1996). The counts of Azospirrillum spp. increased with increasing the growth period to reach their maximum values during the grain formation stage decreased (Zaghlloul et al., 1996). The grains inoculation with Azospirrillum brasilens increased the growth, leaf area and its duration, photosynthesis, transpiration stomatal conductance and grain yield compared with uninoculation (Panwar et al., 1990). Biofertilization which is low cost was beneficent with balanced fertilization system, save fertilizers, give additional increase in barley yield and protect the age ecosystem from pollution (El-Akabwy et al., 2001 and Berhanu et al., 2013).  

The interaction between strip size of water harvesting system (catchment): cultivated area and (mineral nitrogen and biofertilization):

Concerning the effect of the interaction between catchment area ratio and (mineral nitrogen and biofertilization) analyses of variance showed a significant effect on yield and yield components i.e. number of tillires/m², number of spikes/m², 1000 grain weight, biological yield, grain yield, straw yield,

Table (6). The interaction between catchment area ratios and (mineral nitrogen and biofertilization) on yield, yield attributes         and water use efficiency of barley plant Giza 126 at (2011/2012 and 2012/2013) growing seasons at East Mersa          Matrouh under rainfed conditions

Table (6). Cont.