Effect of Deficit Irrigation and Planting Patterns on Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Semi-Arid climate of district Dadu, Sindh

Soil water status across the root-zone coupled with poor planting technique has posed a great challenge to grain maize productivity in semi-arid regions. To enhance grain yield and water use efficiency of grain maize crop under different water regimes, an effective irrigation water saving practice that is characterized by three different irrigation water regimes (W1 = soil water level was maintained at 60% (SWHC, W2 = soil water level was maintained at 50% (SWHC), and W3 = soil water level was maintained at 40% (SWHC)) combined with three different planting modes has been adopted (U= Uniform row planting method, DD = Double-double rows planting method, and F = Furrow planting method) at Village Subho Khan Magsi, Mehar, Dadu, Sindh, Pakistan. The experimental results showed that the soil moisture pattern were significantly highest in the soil water level 60% with furrow planting mode as compared to other treatments. Plant growth parameters were significantly affected among the treatments. Moreover, the DD treatment significantly increased dry biomass by 33.2% and grain of maize crop by 6.36% due to the sufficient soil water status as compared to with U planting treatment. However, in F treatment significantly higher water use efficiency by 19.3% due to the effective planting mode as compared U treatment. Across the irrigation water regimes, Grain yield increased with increasing irrigation water, more soil water depletion from root-zone resulted in lowest water use efficiency. The water treatment was useful for enhancing WUE as WW treatment had significantly increased grain yield by 47.5% and WUE by 48% as compared with SW treatment. We concluded that the higher water use efficiency under different irrigation water level, separately in W1 treatment and F planting treatment is suggested to be an effective and sustainable agricultural strategy to be adopted for grain maize in the district Dadu.