IMPACT OF NUMBER OF IRRIGATIONS AND AMOUNT OF WATER APPLIED ON PRODUCTIVITY AND WATER USE OF EGYPTIAN CLOVER.

A field trial was carried out at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate during the two successive winter seasons 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The main targets for this present work were to study the influence of number of irrigations during each crop cut and amount of applied water on productivity of Egyptian clover (Berseem) as well as some water relations. Number of irrigations were; A- one irrigation during each cut, B- two irrigations through each cut. While, applied irrigation water was based on:
1.             Irrigation according to soil moisture depletion (S.M.D) method.
2.             Irrigation by using Ibrahim equation (ETp = 0.1642 + 0.8 EP)
3.             Irrigation till 5.0 cm as water depth above soil surface (control).
                The obtained data can be summarized as follows:
Both fresh and dry yields were increased by increasing number of irrigations during each two successive seasons. The mean values of the two seasons were 34.13 and 38.47 under one and two irrigations between cuts, respectively. Regarding applied water, the highest fresh yield was recorded under irrigation till 5.0 cm above soil surface more over dry yield has the same trend as the fresh yield but with less values.
                Regarding water- utilization and use efficiencies, the high values were obtained under giving one irrigation through each cut. The highest values were 22.10 and 23.83 kg/m³ at giving one irrigation for water utilization and use efficiencies, respectively.. Concerning the effect of applied water, the highest mean values for both efficiencies were recorded under irrigation after using Ibrahim^,s equation.
                The highest mean values of amount of applied water were recorded under giving two irrigations through each cut comparing with giving one irrigation in the two growing seasons. Irrigation till water depth 5.0 cm above the soil surface (control) gave the highest values for amount of applied water. The same trend was recorded regarding consumptive use in the two growing seasons.