Modelling Water Productivity of Selected Grain Crops in Rain-fed and Surface Irrigated Fields in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

: Field trials of selected grain crops (rice, wheat and maize) were conducted for three years under rain-fed and surface irrigated systems to evaluate their water productivity and model same. A completely randomized design (CRD) experiment was used at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa, Kano State. Rice yield was 11.6, 9.9 and 5.3 tons/ha; wheat yield was 1.46, 1.92 and 2.0 tons/ha, while Maize yield was 0.8, 0.4 and 0.91 tons/ha in the 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 cropping season, respectively. ANOVA revealed a highly significant difference in the yield of paddy rice, wheat and maize at both 1 % and 5% significant levels (Fcalc>Ftab), with p-value of 0.0002, 0.004 and 0.001 for rice, wheat and maize respectively. Crop – water productivity models developed revealed that optimum crop yield of 12.8 tons/ha of paddy rice, 2.7 tons/ha of wheat and 0.94 tons/ha of maize is achievable with 58.3 cm of rainfall, 34 cm and of 29.8 cm of irrigation water respectively. 2.7 of of shelled is achievable with 58.3 of 34 and of of irrigation revealed