EFFECT OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATION TREATMENTS ON YIELD, QUALITY AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY FOR SOME FLAX (LINUM USITATISSIMUM, L.) VARIETIES

Abstract

: Two field experiments were carried out at the experimental farm of EL-Gemmiza Agricultural Research Station, EL-Gharbia Governorate, Agricultural Research Center (ARC) Egypt during the two successive seasons of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 to study yield, quality and water use efficiency of four flax varieties viz., Giza 12, Giza 11, Sakha 6 (local dual purpose type varieties) and Iriana variety (introduced fiber one) as responded to three different irrigation treatments (1, 2 or 3 irrigations) added during growing season after sowing irrigation. A split plot design with four replicates was used in each experiment. Each experiment included 12 treatments, which were a combination of the three irrigation treatments and the four tested flax varieties. The main plots were assigned to the three irrigation treatments. The subplots were devoted to the four tested flax varieties. All the experimental plots received sowing irrigation similarly on the next day of sowing and 1, 2, or 3 irrigations were subsequently added to the plots during the growing seasons. The most important results as the average of the two growing seasons could be summarized as follows: Significant increases in all straw and seed yield characters were achieved with the third irrigation treatment (sowing irrigation added with three irrigations) followed by the second irrigation treatment (sowing irrigation added with two irrigations), without significant difference between them in most characters. However, the first irrigation treatment (sowing irrigation added with one irrigation) recorded the lowest values for all characters, under study. Significant varietal differences were observed for all studied characters. Giza 12 variety exceeded significantly all other three tested flax varieties in all straw characters. However, Sakha 6 variety followed by Giza 11 variety surpassed significantly the two other flax varieties i.e., Giza 12 and Iriana in all seed characters. Moreover, the Iriana variety recorded the highest values of fiber yield and quality, without significant differences between the Iriana variety and the Giza 12 variety in the most studied characters. A significant interaction effect was observed between the three studied irrigation treatments and the four tested flax varieties on straw characters i.e., total plant height, main stem diameter, straw yield fed -1 , fiber yield fed -1 , total fiber %, and fiber fineness. The highest values of total plant height, main stem diameter, straw yield fed -1 , fiber yield fed -1 , and total fiber % were obtained from the Giza 12 variety when irrigated with three irrigations adding with sowing irrigation. However, the finest fibers were recorded for the Iriana variety when irrigated by applying three irrigations adding with sowing irrigation. Also, a significant interaction effect was detected for seed characters i.e., number of capsules plant -1 , seed yield plant -1 , seed yield fed -1 , and oil yield fed -1 , whereas the highest values of these traits were obtained from the Sakha 6 variety when irrigated with three irrigations adding with sowing irrigation.