Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Water Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz,, Iran
2
Water Engineering Department and Drought Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
3
Water Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
In the context of drought and water scarcity in the country, assessing water productivity, conducting economic evaluations, and determining the economic water productivity of crops tolerant to salinity and drought stress are of critical importance. . Given the significance of quinoa in sustainable cropping systems, evaluating its water productivity and conducting a comprehensive economic analysis are essential. A factorial split-plot experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The study included four levels of irrigation water salinity (0.6, 5, 15, and 25 dS.m-1), two irrigation regimes: full irrigation and 50% of full irrigation and, three quinoa cultivars Titicaca, T1, and Giza1.. Economic analysis revealed that the highest benefit-cost ratio (2.69) was achieved under full irrigation with 0.6 dS.m-1 saline irrigation water. Under full irrigation, the benefit-cost ratio exceeded one and economic water productivity remained positive across all salinity levels except for the highest salinity treatment (25 dS.m-1). Under full irrigation, the economic water productivity values were 0.64, 0.56, and 0.19 dollars/cubic meter for irrigation water in water salinity levels of 0.6, 5, and 15 dS.m-1, respectively. Therefore, these treatments are economically viable. In contrast, under 50% full irrigation, the benefit-cost ratio was below one and economic water productivity was negative at all water salinity levels. Therefore, the application of 50% deficit irrigation across varying salinity levels is not economically viable for quinoa production in the studied region.
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