Effect of Installation Depths and Emitter Spacing on Water Productivity and Yield of a Subsurface Drip Irrigated Sugarcane

In the present investigation the effect of drip lateral installation depths and emitter spacing on sugarcane crop water productivity and yield was studied by installing laterals at 15, 20 and 30 cm depths from surface, while the emitters were spaced at 50, 60 and 75 cm. A factorial experiment in the form of randomized complete block design was carried out at the Sugarcane Research and Training Institute of Khuzestan in South-West of Iran. Sugarcane quantity specifications results showed there was significant difference between treatments in terms of drip emitter spacing and lateral installation depths and their interactions at 1% probability level. Similar trends were also observed in case of quality traits of sugarcane. Investigating the water productivity index for sugarcane and sugar yield it showed that treatments were significant in terms of the space between emitters at 1% probability level. The maximum sugarcane yield was observed in the treatment with a space between emitters of 50 cm, and 20 cm of installation depth. At 60 cm space the emitters of 60 cm and the installation depth of application of 20 cm, the highest water productivity was obtained, reaching 7.18 and 0.87 kg/m3 for produced sugarcane and sugar respectively.