Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Water and Irrigation Systems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
2
Department of Soils and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
Abstract
Modern engineering techniques play an important role in rationalizing the irrigation water use and increasing its production efficiency and thus increasing the productivity of the unit of area. Therefore, the study was conducted by treatment of irrigation water with magnetic and electrostatic fields and follow up the effect of irrigation with them on growing barley seeds (Hordeum vulgare L.) (Giza 123) under the hydroponic system, in terms of the utilization extent of some nutrients, the yield of barley fodder and the water use efficiency. Treated and untreated irrigation water samples were analyzed before planting and after each three days of placing seeds in the planting trays to determine the nutrients content. Some measurements were taken daily to determine the amount of irrigation water discharged from each tray to calculate the amount of water used. Also, some measurements were taken on fresh barley fodder at the end of the experiment to calculate the moisture content, plant length, fresh fodder mass, dry matter mass and irrigation water use efficiency. The results showed that the treated irrigation water with magnetic and electrostatic fields increased the available NPK in growth media, whereas, the mean percentages of decrease in nutrients content in irrigation water were about of 77.35% nitrogen, 29.60% phosphorous and 40.52% potassium for magnetic treatment (MTW), 74.03% nitrogen, 37.44% phosphorous and 29.81% potassium for electrostatic treatment (ETW), and about of 58.51% nitrogen, 16.26% phosphorous and 40.52% potassium for untreated irrigation water (UTW), which lead to an increase in plant absorption of these nutrients by using magnetic and electrostatic treatments, and thus increasing in fresh and dry barley fodder mass compared to the untreated irrigation water. Moreover, the development of seeds were faster, plant growth was statistically significant and finally irrigation water and unit of area productivity increased by using magnetic and electrostatic fields treatments, whereas, the mean values of irrigation water productivity were about of 774.49, 709.74 and 519.99 kg/m3, while, the mean values of unit of area productivity were about of 34.33, 32.76 and 24.31 kg/m2, for MTW, ETW and UTW, respectively. Therefore, the results recommend to use magnetic and electrostatic treatments of irrigation water to increase the plant utilization extent of some nutrients dissolved in irrigation water and to increase the productivity of both irrigation water and unit of area.
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