Water scarcity in arid regions increases the need for technologies to improve water productivity. The integrated effects of plastic film mulching and water stress on grain maize under conventional and alternate furrow irrigation methods are still poorly understood in Sindh’s climate. Therefore, field trials were conducted at Malir farm, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan, during the cropping season 2020–2021 to investigate whether mulching is practicable for grain maize production under the different furrow irrigation methods. The experiments involved two types of furrow irrigation, two water stress levels (sufficient and severe water stress), and plastic film mulching. Treatments were laid out in a randomized block design and three replications. The conventional and alternate furrow irrigation method was assigned to the main plot, while the water stress and plastic film mulching were in sub-plots. The results showed that different furrow irrigation methods significantly affected plant growth, grain yield parameters, and crop harvest index. Significant highest plant growth and grain yield of maize crop were observed with the conventional furrow irrigation (CFI) compared with the alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) method. However, grain yield and irrigation water productivity (IWP) were increased significantly by the plastic film mulching. The results revealed that sufficient water stress was more effective in sustaining grain yield and IWP than crop irrigating at several water stresses. The interaction effect of furrow irrigation and water stress, furrow irrigation, and plastic film mulching significantly impacted the IWP of grain maize. The IWP of the maize crop was significantly higher under the AFI than the CFI method if it was mulched with plastic film and irrigated at sufficient water stress level.

An irrigation quality assessment for rural Hyderabad was made by determining the pH, EC, TDS and TH beside major cations and anions. This study employed various parameters to determine the suitability of groundwater for irrigation and its hydrochemistry. Permissible limits of major cations and anions revealed that approximately 26% of samples exceeded acceptable levels for Electrical Conductivity (EC), 87% for Ca²⁺, 89% for Mg²⁺, and 60% for Na⁺, while none exceeded the limits for K⁺. Conversely, 47% of samples for HCO₃⁻, 91% for Cl⁻, and 100% for SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, and CO₃²⁻ proved suitability for irrigation. Notably, irrigation indices highlighted favorable results, with 100% conformity for SAR, SSP, RSP, and PI values, and substantial percentages of 78% and 85% for MH and KR values, respectively, affirming their suitability for irrigation practices. Employing the USSL diagram, 22%, 65%, and 11% of samples fall into the C2S1, C3S1, and C4S1 categories. According to the Wilcox diagram, 25%, 43%, 30%, and 2% are classified under C1, C2, C3, and C4 categories, respectively. The Gibbs ratio shows a concentration within the evaporation dominance, and CAI values showed positive ion exchange. Overall, Hyderabad’s rural areas are generally suitable for irrigation, apart from certain areas where water quality may not be acceptable for plants lacking high salt tolerance.

At present, Pakistan has been facing acute shortage of irrigation water and farmers have been using conventional irrigation methods for orchards, such as flood and basin irrigation, thus wasting huge amount of fresh water. Therefore, it is necessary to find efficient irrigation methods to cope with this major burning issue. The micro drip irrigation method is considered efficient but in the case of mango orchards there is a problem of irrigation frequency, number of emitters, and duration of flow from emitters to meet water demand. Considering the above, an experiment was conducted in the experimental field of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, by installing the drip system with two circular peripheries of lateral lines in clay loam soil covering the entire canopy of a mature mango tree. The radius of the first and second periphery around the tree trunk was 100 cm and 150 cm, respectively. Four emitters with 4 dm3∙h –1 discharge of individual dipper were fixed in each periphery. Emitters were tested for six different irrigation times, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 h, to observe the moisture distribution pattern. Hydraulic characteristics, such as density, field capacity, porosity, infiltration rate, available water and permanent wilting point (PWP), were determined using standard methods (1.4 g∙cm –3, 33%, 49%, 8 mm∙h –1, 12.41% and 20% respectively). The texture class of the soil profile was determined as clay loam at the soil depth 0–120 cm. Fifty soil samples were collected at 0–10, 10– 30, 30–60, 60–90, and 90–120 cm depths and at 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 cm distances on two opposite sides of emitters. The emitters provided sufficient moisture up to field capacity in clay loam soil with flow duration of 4 h. The maximum moisture distribution efficiency was 77.89% with flow duration of 4 h at vertical depth of 0–120 cm and 0–100 cm distance horizontally among four emitters as compared to 1, 2, 3 h flow duration which under irrigated the canopy area and 5, 6 h flow duration which excessively irrigated the canopy area of the mango tree. The water demand of the mango tree was met by 4 h flow duration which provided adequate moisture to the entire canopy up to 120 cm depth in the root zone and water saving was calculated as 15.91% under the installed drip irrigation system as compared with the conventional (basin) irrigation method.

Performance assessment of infiltration models for varying soil textural classes

In Baluchistan, the dependency on groundwater for agriculture is even more significant due to its arid and semi-arid climate. District Naseerabad of Baluchistan, Pakistan, is characterized by its unique geographical and climatic features. Baluchistanreceives scant and erratic rainfall, averaging less than 200 millimeters annually, which is insufficient to sustain agricultural activities. In these regions, the scarcity of rainfall and high evapotranspiration rates limit the availability of surface water, making groundwater the primary and sometimes the sole source of water for irrigation. The present study was conducted in District Naseerabad, Baluchistan, during the year 2023-24. There are 4 tahsils and 32 union councils (UCs) in the district of Naseerabad. There are notubewellsinstalled in the union councilswithout the union councilsof Chhatter, Karor, Phuleji, Shahpur,and Bundi. So the water samples were collected from these 5 union councils. The water samples were analyzed for EC, pH, Chloride, Calcium, Carbonate, Bicarbonate, Calcium, Magnesium, Nitrate, Sodium, Sulfate, and Potassium. TDS, SAR. SSP, PI, MAR,and KR indicators were determined for water suitability. The EC of water was under permissible limits in UC Bundi. The pH was within permissible limits in all UCs. TDS were within permissible limits in UC Chhatter and Bundi. Bicarbonate, Chloride, Sulfate, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, and Nitrate were within permissible limits in all UCs. Assessing the suitability of groundwater for irrigation involves evaluating several key indices that provide insight into the potential long-term impacts of using groundwater on soil health and crop productivity. The variations in SSP could be attributed to differences in geological formations, human activities, and agricultural practices across the union councils. For suitability analysis, SAR and SSP were within permissible limits in UC Chhatter and Bundi. High PI values indicate that the water is likely to enhance soil permeability, while low PI values suggest a risk of reduced permeability due to sodium-induced soil dispersion. PIswere within permissible limits in UC Karor, Phuleji, Shahpur,and Bundi. MAR was over the permissible limits in UC Bundi. High KR values signify an elevated sodium hazard, which can lead to soil sodicity and degradation. KR were within permissible limits in UC Chhatter and Bundi. High MAR values indicate a disproportionate amount of magnesium, which can lead to soil compaction and reduced aeration, hampering root development and nutrient uptake.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of different furrow design parameters on irrigation efficiencies to develop optimized guidelines for sustainable water management in agriculture. The present study was conducted to study the effect of different furrow irrigation designs on irrigation efficiencies and growth parameters of the okra crop. The experiment was carried out at the experimental field of the Department of Land and Water Management, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. There were four treatments and three replications. Bed widths were considered as treatments; T1=0 .5m, T2=0.6m, T3=0.7m and T4=0.8 m. The furrow length was kept at 30 m in each treatment. The height of each ridge was set to 0.5 m,and the overall plot area was 399 m2. Soil samples were collected at the soil depths of 0–10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40,and 40–50 cm from the field pre-and post-experiment, to determinedensity, texture, and soil moisture content. The soil sampleswere analyzed in the laboratory of the Department of Land and Water Management. The field trial was continued for 28 days with anirrigation interval of 7 days. After 24 hours of water application, the data was collected. The trend of the wetting pattern of the moisture was the same under T1, T2, T3,and T4,respectively. The maximum moisture content was found at the head of the furrow. The moisture content decreased at the lower side due to the slope of the soil. In this study,the application efficiency is good to better under all the treatments of furrow design. The application efficiency, storage efficiency,and distribution uniformity increased was good under T4 as the width of the furrow increased, but these decreased as the length of the furrow increased. The yield of the crop increased under T3and T4as compared with T1(control). On the basis of the study, it is recommended that T4be adopted for cultivation okra crop, because application efficiency, storage efficiency, distribution uniformity,and crop yield weremaximum under this treatment.