Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Keywords
Main Subjects
Despite recent droughts, climate change, and a growing population, as well as the expansion of industrial and agricultural activities, Iran faces a water crisis. The agricultural sector in Iran accounts for about 90% of water resources, which is higher compared to developed countries. Therefore, the use of unconventional water resources has been suggested as a method to reduce pressure on freshwater resources. To resolve this contradiction, the concept of virtual water was introduced by Allan in 1993. The concept of virtual water has significant potential to help improve water management, especially in the agricultural sector. Therefore, analyzing the virtual water content of essential agricultural products can assist us in policymaking and planning for the optimal use of water resources. Virtual water, which is the inverse of water productivity, emphasizes acceptable yields of agricultural products along with irrigation water management. Virtual water, expressed in physical units, is the volume of water used to produce a commodity. Wheat is one of the main crops cultivated worldwide, recognized as a key source of energy and nutrients for the human population. One of the strategies to increase wheat yield and reduce water consumption is the use of mineral moisture-absorbing materials called zeolites.
This research was conducted in the research farm of the Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, on Chamran wheat cultivar during the, 2023 and 2024 growing season. Geographically, the farm is located at 48 degrees, 39 minutes, and 68 seconds east longitude and 31 degrees, 18 minutes, and 18 seconds north latitude, with an altitude of 12 meters above sea level. The treatments studied in this research included the application rate of zeolite (M0: zero, M1: two, and M2: four grams per kilogram of soil at a depth of thirty centimeters), the type of zeolite in terms of particle size (Z1: with particle size of 0-1 mm and Z2: with particle size of 1-3 mm), and irrigation water quality (I1: irrigation with Karun River water with an electrical conductivity of 2.5 dS/m and I2: irrigation with diluted Persian Gulf water with an electrical conductivity of 6.02 dS/m). The experimental design was a split-split plot in a randomized complete block design, implemented in 1×1 m2 plots with three replications. Irrigation water quality was the main plot factor, zeolite rate was the subplot factor, and zeolite type was the sub-subplot factor. The zeolite used was obtained from active mineral extraction mines in Semnan province. Before planting wheat, zeolites were thoroughly mixed with the farm soil to a depth of 30 cm according to the intended treatment. Soil samples were taken at several depths (Table 2). Subsequently, phosphate and potash fertilizers were prepared based on soil requirements and added to the soil. Wheat seeds were manually sown in November 2023.
The total amount of water used was 540 mm. This means that an amount of 15 mm was evenly distributed across 36 plots. The total virtual water value for this research was 1.26 cubic meters per kilogram. Virtual water (VW) calculations showed that in treatment M2 and I1, water use efficiency was better, and less virtual water was required to achieve one kilogram of product. In contrast, treatment M0 and I2 had lower efficiency in terms of virtual water.
The total virtual water of this research was equal to 1.26 cubic meters per kilogram. The results of the analysis of variance showed that the effect of irrigation water quality on the studied traits was significant at the 5% level, but the effect of the amount and size of zeolite and their interaction was not significant. The highest yield in tons per hectare, with a value of 8.2, was observed in treatment M2 along with I1, and the lowest virtual water also belonged to treatment M2 along with I1. Overall, the results indicated that the use of zeolite can be beneficial due to its impact on wheat traits.
Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing Original Draft, H.H.; Methodology, Writing - Review & Editing, M.A.; Software, Writing - Review & Editing, A.N. and A.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Data available on request from the authors.
The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their critical comments that helped to improve the paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and facilities provided by the Faculty of Water Engineering, Shahid Chamran , Ahvaz University of Khuzestan
The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.
The author declares no conflict of interest
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