Abstract:
This study investigated the combined effects of deficit irrigation under drip irrigation system
and mulches on yield and water-use efficiency on tomato production at Miawa Farmer
Training center, south Wollo, and Kallu worda during 2016 irrigation season. A factorial
combination of three levels of water (namely 70%, 80% and 90% ETc) combined with three
mulch treatments (namely, without mulch (WM), sugarcane mulch (SM) and bulrush mulch
(BM)) with three replications. The yield and yield-contributing all parameter in the mulched
treatments for all levels of irrigation there is significantly difference compared to those in the
un-mulched treatments. The yield of tomato increased with the increasing amount of
irrigation water in un-mulched treatment. The trend was reversed when drip irrigation was
coupled with mulches. The highest yield for each mulch (44.04 t/ha for sugarcane and 30.19
t/ha for bulrush) was obtained when 80% and 90% of water requirement was applied
respectively. With 90% water application, sugarcane-mulched treatment produced lower yield
than the bulrush-mulched treatment. The highest head volume and plant height recorded on
80% ETc with sugarcane mulch (54.67 cc and 84.33 cm, respectively). The highest water use
efficiency was obtained 142.96 kg/ha/mm with 80% water application under sugarcane mulch.
The study thus reveals that drip irrigation with mulch has an explicit role in increasing the
yield and water productivity of tomato.
