Precision Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Water Management in Maize Cultivation: Impact on Yield and Water Use Efficiency

Arnab Kundu; Sadia Waris; Shagufta Sanam; Hira Aslam; Buhram Khan; Sindhu Kumari Bogati; Muhammad Rizwan; Muhammad Jamshed; Muhammad Saad Majeed; Mohammad Ashfaq

doi:10.70749/ijbr.v3i1.399

Authors

Arnab Kundu Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, India.
Sadia Waris Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Shagufta Sanam Department of Microbiology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
Hira Aslam Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
Buhram Khan Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Sindhu Kumari Bogati Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China.
Muhammad Rizwan Agronomy Agriculture Science, Institute of Agronomy, Bahaudin Zakriya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad Jamshed Agronomy Agriculture Science, Institute of Agronomy, Bahaudin Zakriya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad Saad Majeed Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.
Mohammad Ashfaq Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment Science, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i1.399

Keywords:

Precision Irrigation, Maize Cultivation, Water use Efficiency, Crop Yield, Agricultural Technology

Abstract

This research aims at evaluating the effectiveness of precision irrigation systems in increasing yield and water productivity in maize production. While it is well understood that the technology offers the ability to apply water selectively and, therefore, be resource-saving, the potential benefits in practice have not been researched adequately. Quantitative data was obtained through survey administration with 50 maize farmers on the use and perception of precision irrigation. Descriptive and inferential analytical tools such as Chi-Square tests, t-tests and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis that precision irrigation practices has positive effects on crop yields and water use. The results suggest that precision irrigation technologies do not increase crop productivity or water use efficiency in the sample analyzed. The correlation and regression tests showed no meaning co-efficient and there were no correlations for most variables and no impacts were found in variance analysis either, moreover, the R-squared in regression analysis was very low, thus there might be other factors that could be possibly more important for defining the results of maize production The research also finds that despite the potential advantages of precision irrigation systems, their implementation does not improve crop yield or water use in the examined scenario. This underlines the fact that agricultural systems are highly differentiated and that is why it is necessary to take into account the local conditions in order to use such technologies.

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