Yield-Crop Water Use (Cwu) Evaluation For Pepper Production Under Irrigated Cultivation In Akure,Nigeria.
Three treatments of water application on NHVIA pepper were carried out at Department of Agricultural Engineering Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. The study was conducted during the dry seasons of 2008 and 2009 respectively in order to determine the growth, yield; and evaluate water use of pepper. Relationship between crop water use and yield produced from pepper grown under micro- sprinkler irrigation system was established. NHV1A variety of pepper was nursed for six weeks and transplanted. It was subjected to three treatments based on 50% water requirement (WR) of pepper as low (treatment 1, T1), 75% WR as medium (T2) and 100% WR as high (T3) irrigation systems. Water applications were carried 3-day interval, volume of water applied in each treatment was technically monitored. Water balance parameters such as Soil Moisture Content (SMC) and evapotranspiration were measured using tensiometer and Water Balance Equation respectively. Agronomic parameters such as plant height stem diameter, fruit width, length, root depth, leaf area and leaf area index were measured on weekly interval. It was observed that T3 recorded highest yield of 20.101 ton/ha in 2008 and 21.062 ton/ha in 2009 seasons, while T1 with minimum yield of 14.886 ton/ha and 15.260 ton/ha for the two seasons, respectively. In addition, T3 recorded maximum crop water use of 821.07 mm in 2008 and 833.61 mm in 2009 seasons, respectively.
