The alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) with suitable irrigation regime (IR) accompanied by biochar amendment can save irrigation water and lead to improvements in crop water productivity in arid areas. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of the AFI under three IRs (I₁₀₀, I₇₅ and I₅₀ referring to meet 100, 75 and 50% of crop water requirement, respectively) and walnut feedstock biochar (0 and 10 t ha⁻¹) on the yield and water productivity of maize compared to every furrow irrigation (EFI, conventional method) during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. The results indicated that mean grain yield in the AFI significantly decreased by 10.9, 12.6 and 21.6% at I₁₀₀, I₇₅ and I₅₀, respectively, in comparison with EFI. This process might be associated with water stress and decreased 1000-grain weight. On average, the water productivity for grain yield under the AFI and using biochar significantly increased by 0.3 kg m⁻³ (17.1%) and 0.3 kg m⁻³ (17.1%), in comparison with EFI and nonusing biochar, respectively. The combination of IR of I₇₅, AFI and using biochar leads to the maximized crop water productivity indexes (2.74 kg stover per m³ of water and 2.52 kg grain per m³ water), whereas there was no significant difference with combination of IR of I₁₀₀, the AFI and using biochar. According to the results, effect of the AFI and using biochar on crop water productivity in the IR of I₇₅ was higher than that in the IRs of I₁₀₀ and I₅₀. In general, when water was insufficient for full irrigation, the grain yield of maize in the AFI and using biochar was higher than those in the EFI and not used biochar, respectively.

The management of cultivation technology and fertilizer application may adjust adverse effects of abiotic stresses such as water deficit on agricultural products. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out on growth, yield, nutrient uptake and anatomical properties of maize under three water regimes (well-watered, moderate stress and severe stress as 25%, 50% and 75% soil moisture depletion), two cultivations methods (direct seeding and transplanting), and two Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) levels (inoculated with Glomus mosae and uninoculated). The results showed that in plants under moderate water stress, the AMF inoculation percent was significantly higher than those under well-watered and sever stress condition. Inoculation percent in direct seeding was lower than transplanting. Transplanting plants had higher biological and kernel yield compared to direct seeding plants. Water stress reduced the total chlorophyll (Chl) content. Transplanting had greater Chl content in comparison with direct seeding. In all irrigation regimes, transplanting significantly increased N content. In direct seeding, the highest P content was observed in moderate stress and uninoculated plants. Stomatal density increased under water stress, but stomatal size decreased. Plants under severe water stress showed increased stomatal density compared with well waterbed conditions. In addition, severe water stress enhanced the UCT compared to well-watered condition. This study suggests the use of transplanting with AMF application to cope with the adverse effects of severe water stress on maize.

There are new technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) that can be effective in the optimization of irrigation water. Therefore, utilizing these resources in a desirable, effective and efficient manner to ensure sustainable development is one of the most important issues in the today's world. The aim of this study ...