Contribution to the improvement of irrigation management practices through water-deficit irrigation

The study aimed at identifying irrigation management practices which could result in water savings through water-deficit irrigation. Two field experiments, one on wheat and the other on sugar beet, were conducted and consisted of not supplying water during specific stages of the season so as to identify the periods during which water deficit would have a limited effect on crop production. The year was exceptionally dry with a climatic deficit throughout the growing season. In the case of wheat, high water deficit occurred during the early stages and irrigation during these stages was the most beneficial for the crop. For sugar beet, when water stress was applied early in the growing season, its effect could be almost entirely removed with adequate watering during the rest of the growing season. On the other hand, good watering early in the season, followed by a stress, resulted in the second lowest yield. 16 refs, 2 figs, 17 tabs