Abstract

Yield and water use efficiency of Corchorus olitorius was investigated under field conditions using three irrigation water management strategies replicated three times in a typical sandy loamy soil at the teaching and research farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. The experiment was performed during the dry season of 1999 and early rainy season of 2000. The biomass yield at maturity (7 WAP) in 1999 was 5.22 t.ha^-1 for crop at full irrigation (one pan evaporation, EP), 4.14 t.ha^-1 at medium level irrigation (¾ EP) and 1.96 t.ha^-1 at low level irrigation (½ EP). The biomass yields in 2000 were 7.27 t.ha^-1 (1 EP), 5.89 t.ha^-1 (¾ EP) and 3.66 t.ha^-1 (½ EP) respectively. The differences in above ground biomass among irrigation treatments were highly significant (P = 0.05). The water use efficiencies for biomass yield at 49 days after planting in 1999 were 0.70 kgm^-3 of water at 1 EP, 0.59 kgm^-3 of water at ¾ EP, and 0.15 kgm^-3 of water at ½ EP; whereas, WUE values in 2000 were 0.58 kgm^-3, 0.54 kgm^-3 and 0.19 kgm^-3 for irrigation treatments 1 EP, ¾ EP and ½ EP respectively. Results showed a significant decrease in water WUE with decreasing water application for biomass production. Higher biomass yield and WUE of C. olitorius can be achieved when the crop is grown at full irrigation (1 EP).

Key words: Irrigation, biomass yield, pan evaporation, water use efficiency (WUE), jute mallow.