111
application of irrigation water below the full required amounts for optimal growth
and yield, aiming at improving the response of plants to the certain degree of water
deficit in a positive manner, and improving crop’s water use efficiency (Chai et al.
2016). The saved amount of irrigation water could be assigned to cultivate larger
areas of a certain crop to compensate loss in productivity under deficit irrigation
application.
Thus, in this chapter, we tested whether application of deficit irrigation to wheat
grown on raised beds, use the saved irrigation water to cultivate new lands with
wheat and use the saved water from application of deficit irrigation to Egyptian
clover, sugar beet, onion and winter tomato will contribute in increasing wheat
national production and increase its self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, in Chaps. 3 and 4, an amount of irrigation water could be saved as
a result of application of deficit irrigation to raised beds cultivated four winter crops,
namely Egyptian clover, sugar beet, onion and winter tomato. We assumed that
these amounts of saved water can be invested in irrigating more areas cultivated
with wheat to increase its national production and consequently increase wheat selfsufficiency ratio.
To do this analysis, data on cultivated area and productivity of wheat were collected for both old and new lands on governorate level from the Ministry of
Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt in 2017. Weather data for the winter
season of 2016/17 were obtained from NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy
Resource website (https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer). Water requirements for wheat were calculated on governorate level using BISm model (Snyder
et al. 2004). Irrigation application efficiency was assumed to be 60% in the old lands
under the surface irrigation and 75% under sprinkler systems in the new lands. Five
production alternatives were quantified as followed:
1. Traditional cultivation: the cultivated area of wheat and productivity per hectare in 2017 on governorate level in both the old and the new lands were multiplied to calculate total production. In addition, water requirements were
calculated. Wheat consumption by the population was calculated as well as its
production-consumption gap.
2. Raised beds cultivation: We assumed that cultivation on raised beds will
increase productivity per hectare by 15%, and then the increase in the total production was calculated. We also assumed that 20% of the applied water under
surface irrigation will be saved. The saved irrigation water will be used to irrigate
new areas cultivated with wheat and this area will be added to the total cultivated
area of wheat to increase its total production. Wheat production-consumption
gap was calculated under this production alternative.
3. Application of deficit irrigation: The effect of application of deficit irrigation
wheat cultivated on raised beds. Because the amount of irrigation water resulted
from cultivation on raised beds produced higher yield than the traditional cultivation, we applied deficit irrigation to it and the losses in yield resulted from
deficit irrigation application was calculated. The saved irrigation water was used
to irrigate new areas with wheat and this area will be added to the total cultivated
6 Wheat Insufficiency and Deficit Irrigation
application of irrigation water below the full required amounts for optimal growth
and yield, aiming at improving the response of plants to the certain degree of water
deficit in a positive manner, and improving crop’s water use efficiency (Chai et al.
2016). The saved amount of irrigation water could be assigned to cultivate larger
areas of a certain crop to compensate loss in productivity under deficit irrigation
application.
Thus, in this chapter, we tested whether application of deficit irrigation to wheat
grown on raised beds, use the saved irrigation water to cultivate new lands with
wheat and use the saved water from application of deficit irrigation to Egyptian
clover, sugar beet, onion and winter tomato will contribute in increasing wheat
national production and increase its self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, in Chaps. 3 and 4, an amount of irrigation water could be saved as
a result of application of deficit irrigation to raised beds cultivated four winter crops,
namely Egyptian clover, sugar beet, onion and winter tomato. We assumed that
these amounts of saved water can be invested in irrigating more areas cultivated
with wheat to increase its national production and consequently increase wheat selfsufficiency ratio.
To do this analysis, data on cultivated area and productivity of wheat were collected for both old and new lands on governorate level from the Ministry of
Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt in 2017. Weather data for the winter
season of 2016/17 were obtained from NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy
Resource website (https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer). Water requirements for wheat were calculated on governorate level using BISm model (Snyder
et al. 2004). Irrigation application efficiency was assumed to be 60% in the old lands
under the surface irrigation and 75% under sprinkler systems in the new lands. Five
production alternatives were quantified as followed:
1. Traditional cultivation: the cultivated area of wheat and productivity per hectare in 2017 on governorate level in both the old and the new lands were multiplied to calculate total production. In addition, water requirements were
calculated. Wheat consumption by the population was calculated as well as its
production-consumption gap.
2. Raised beds cultivation: We assumed that cultivation on raised beds will
increase productivity per hectare by 15%, and then the increase in the total production was calculated. We also assumed that 20% of the applied water under
surface irrigation will be saved. The saved irrigation water will be used to irrigate
new areas cultivated with wheat and this area will be added to the total cultivated
area of wheat to increase its total production. Wheat production-consumption
gap was calculated under this production alternative.
3. Application of deficit irrigation: The effect of application of deficit irrigation
wheat cultivated on raised beds. Because the amount of irrigation water resulted
from cultivation on raised beds produced higher yield than the traditional cultivation, we applied deficit irrigation to it and the losses in yield resulted from
deficit irrigation application was calculated. The saved irrigation water was used
to irrigate new areas with wheat and this area will be added to the total cultivated
6 Wheat Insufficiency and Deficit Irrigation