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Rothamsted irrigation 1964–76

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

B. K. French  and
B. J. Legg
B. K. French
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ
B. J. Legg
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ
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Summary

A series of irrigation experiments was done at Rothamsted where the soil is a flinty silty clay loam over flinty clay. The results are compared with those obtained by Penman (1962, 1970, 1971) at Woburn where the soil is a loamy sand over sand. The limiting deficits, Di, above which irrigation increased yields, were about 2·5 times greater at Rothamsted than at Woburn; this ratio approximates to the ratio of the water-holding capacities of the soils (– 0·1 to – 15 bar) to a depth of 1 m. The limiting deficits at Rothamsted were 80 mm for spring-sown field beans, 84 mm for main-crop potatoes, 100 mm for spring barley and 140 mm for spring and winter wheat. The responses to irrigation were not determined accurately as there were few years with a large response for any crop. However, the evidence is that the maximum response that could be expected for potatoes was 0·19 t/ha/mm water, and for grain dry matter of beans 0·006 t/ha/mm. The figure for potatoes agrees with that obtained by Penman at Woburn; the response of beans was much smaller at Rothamsted, partly because of severe attacks of broad bean stain virus.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 92 , Issue 1 , February 1979 , pp. 15 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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