Effect of sprinkler irrigation amount on soil water and yield of sunflower in double ridge-furrow planting system

WANG Wenjuan; DING Lin; ZHANG Yubin

doi:10.13522/j.cnki.ggps.2025110

Abstract：[Objective]Efficient water use is critical for sustaining crop production in arid regions where water resources are scarce.This study experimentally investigates the effects of different sprinkler irrigation amounts on soil water dynamics and the yield formation of sunflower(Helianthus annuus L.)in double-ridge planting systems in the Hexi inland arid region.[Method]The experiment was conducted from 2019 to 2021 on a sunflower field at the Minqin Irrigation Experimental Station of the Gansu Provincial Institute of Water Conservancy Sciences.The sunflower cultivar'Dwarf Head'was used as the experimental plant.There were four irrigation treatments,with sprinkler irrigation amounts of 24 mm(S1),30 mm(S2),36 mm(S3)and 42 mm(S4),respectively.During the experiment,we measured spatiotemporal variations in soil water content,water use efficiency and yield of sunflower.[Result]Variation in sprinkler irrigation amount had a significant influence on water content in the 0-60 cm soil layer.As the plant grew throughout its growth period,both water storage in the 0-60 cm soil layer and sprinkler irrigation quota showed an'increase-decrease-increase'pattern.Soil water consumption by the plant was greatest in the 0-20 cm soil layer and decreased gradually with soil depth.With increasing irrigation amount,sunflower seed yield increased first and then declined after reaching a peak value when the irrigation amount was 36 mm.[Conclusion]For sunflower cultivated in the double ridge-furrow system in the arid areas of Minqin,a sprinkler irrigation amount of 36 mm was most appropriate for balancing water use efficiency and yield improvement.