PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE AT AMBOMESK IRRIGATION UNIT IN KOGA IRRIGATION SCHEME, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This research was conducted to introduce the concept of evaluating water saving, yield and water productivity of potato (solanum tuberosum l.) by using wetting front detector and different levels of fertilizer application at Koga irrigation scheme Ambomesk farmer’s farm Mecha, woreda during 2016 irrigation season. The necessary data to calculate with nine replication were collected which were measurements of discharge, irrigation time, moisture content and total yields. This was done by two factorial water management systems and fertilizer application that was irrigation with wetting front Detector and farmer irrigation practice combined with recommended fertilizer and farmer’s fertilize. The result of the analysis shows that the yield and water productivity contributing characters in the wetting front detector treatments irrigation were significantly higher compared to those in the farmer’s irrigation practice treatments. Additionally the yield and water productivity in both irrigation methods the recommended fertilizer treatments were significantly higher compared to those in the farmer’s fertilizer practice treatments. The highest yield for irrigation wetting front detector (34.06 t/ha) for recommended fertilizer and (32.86 t/ha) for farmers fertilizer and lowest yield for farmer irrigation practice (31.15 t/ha) for recommended fertilizer and for farmers fertilize (30.78 t/ha) were obtained. The highest water productivity of 3.42 kg/m3 was obtained with irrigation wetting front detector with recommended fertilizer and the least 2.52 kg/m3 was obtained with farmer’s irrigation practice with farmer’s fertilizer. The overall findings of this experiment are that Wetting front detector irrigation water management system can save 18.5 % water and labor that is (18.3 %) time save more over (7.5 %) yield increment. The same water management method and different fertilizer wetting front detector with recommended fertilizer (3.5 %) more than farmer’s fertilizer. The study is that wetting front detector with recommended fertilizer has explicit role in increasing the yield and water productivity of potato.