Abstract

INZUNZA-IBARRA, Marco Antonio et al. Model of wheat production under different water depletion in two stages. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2010, vol.28, n.4, pp.335-344. ISSN 2395-8030.

The scarce water available for agricultural irrigation lands of the world, especially Mexico, caused by a constantly increasing demand of a growing population, together with uncertain rainfall, makes it necessary to conduct studies that look for new technologies to optimize irrigation water use, mainly in arid lands. This study was conducted in the CENID-RASPA-INIFAP experimental station located in Gomez Palacio, Durango. The objectives were to determine models that best relate grain yield with soil water deficits and with crop water consumption. The study consisted of 13 combinations of soil moisture levels expressed as soil water potential, or matric potentiall, through two growth stages of wheat. Treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block experimental design with four replications. The variables evaluated through the study were grain yield, soil matric potential and leaf area index. Results showed that the highest grain yield of 7.1 Mg ha-1 was obtained when the wheat was developed under -0.58 and -0.33 MPa of soil matric potential for vegetative and reproductive wheat growth stages, respectively. Using a polynomial water production function, it was found that the water consumption of 33.1 and 42.1 cm in vegetative and reproductive growth stages of wheat maximize its grain production. The highest value of leaf area index reached by this crop coincided with the treatment developed under no soil water restriction.

Keywords : Triticum aestivum; soil matric potential; polynomial model; leaf area index.