Study on the suitable time to terminate of irrigation in alfalfa for seed production

• Main Authors: Doosti Rezaee, Mehran, Kharazmee, Kambiz, Nikanfar, Ramin, Nourjou, Amir, Abdollahi, Moosa, farmani, Ghebleh-Ali, Heyderi, Nader
• Format: Publication
• Language: Persian
• Published: Karaj (Iran) Agricultural Engineering Research Institute of Iran _ AERI 2010
• Subjects: ALFALFA; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_12262; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3954; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_6937; IRRIGATION; LUCERNE; LUZERNE; PRODUCCION DE SEMILLAS; PRODUCTION DE SEMENCES; RIEGO; SEED PRODUCTION

Western Azerbijab province with prosperity of suitable soil and climatic conditions is the second alfalfa production and one of the major regions in Iran. Therefore, Seed production was the important at province. In order to determine suitable irrigation holding at seed production, an experiment was carried out in Khoy Agricultural Research Station with arrangement of Randomized Complete Blocks Design with 6 treatments at 3 replications on Gara Alfalfa cultivar at 2005-2008 seasons. Irrigation treatments were including stopped water at appearance flowers, complete flowers, initiating of capsules, brown, brown 50% and complete brown capsules. Results of analysis of variance showed that irrigation holding at complete brown capsules had the highest values for traits of seed production, seed vigor, rapid germination. Seed yield at water stopped in complete brown capsules and appearance flowers treatments were 479.4 and 306.8 kg/h, respectively. Water stress decreased number of pod, grain per pod and 1000 kernal weight. Water susceptibility was severing at capsule maturity. Water stress increased water use efficiency. The lowest water use efficiency was obtained from stopped water at brown 50% capsules (59.3kg/m3). Susceptibility to irrigation holding at brown 50% capsules was more than other growth stages.