ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION is one of deficit IRRIGATION methods that is used to increase water use efficiency and can be applied to mitigate water shortage in agricultural lands. The objective of this research is to compare hydraulics of water flow in the ALTERNATE and traditional FURROW IRRIGATION regimes. Field experiments were conducted for three FURROW IRRIGATION regimes, i.e. ALTERNATE (AFI), fixed (FFI) and conventional FURROW IRRIGATION (CFI) at Experimental Station of University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj in 2010. The comparisons were done based on three IRRIGATION events. The results indicated that advance times did not differ between AFI, FFI and CFI. However recession times for AFI and FFI were smaller than CFI. Cumulative infiltration in AFI and FFI was higher resulted in lower runoff losses compared to CFI. IRRIGATION application efficiency in three IRRIGATION events for CFI, FFI and AFI were ranged 33.3-56.2, 58.8-71.8 and 60.7-77.0%, respectively. Infiltration in the every-other FURROWs did not change in following IRRIGATION events because of more lateral water movement, but infiltration was decreased in the traditional FURROWs. CFI had more soil water than AFI and FFI. Soil water content in AFI was somewhat more than it in FFI. This study also showed that with simple modification in the traditional FURROW IRRIGATION, IRRIGATION operation cost and water consumption would be decreased. Furthermore, the performance of IRRIGATION system can be considerably improved.

One of the surface IRRIGATION methods is FURROW IRRIGATION which is used in different ways. One of the methods in FURROW IRRIGATION is ALTERNATE (every-other) FURROW IRRIGATION in which the FURROWs are irrigated alternatively. In this IRRIGATION method water infiltrates more horizontally than vertically. Appropriate infiltration equation should be used in designing a surface IRRIGATION method. Thus, the differences in infiltration equations for ordinary and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATIONs should be investigated. Some of the infiltration equations are empirical and are obtained from field measurements. Some others are physically based equations and their performances should be tested in field. In this research four different methods were used to solve the Green-Ampt equation for ALTERNATE and ordinary FURROW IRRIGATIONs to simulate the advance phase, recession phase and outflow hydrograph. The results of simulation were compared with field data and the best method for solving the Green-Ampt equation was proposed. Among the four methods (slug, modified slug, exponential and dimensionless), for solving the Green-Ampt infiltration equation to simulate the advance, recession and outflow hydrograph in FURROW IRRIGATION, the exponential model were preferred for both ordinary and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION. The FURROW spacing in ordinary and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATIONs were different (60 and 120 cm, respectively) and was one of the input data to the model. Finally, appropriate results were obtained by the exponential model for both ordinary and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATIONs with different FURROW spacings.

This research was conducted at the Shahrood Agricultural Research Center in 1382 and 1383 to study the effect of ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION on potato yield and its economic evaluation. The experimental design was a randomize complete block design and the treatments were: every FURROW IRRIGATION (EFI), fixed ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION (FAFI), variable ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION (VAFI), fixed ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION to onset of tuber setting (FAFIB), fixed ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION to end of tuber setting (FAFIE), variable ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION to onset tuber setting (VAFIB), variable ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION to end of tuber setting (VAFIE). The water requirement was calculated based on the Penman-Montith method at each IRRIGATION time and the water was supplied to each treatment using a volumetric meter and polyethylene. Results showed for FAFI and VAFI, plant height, tuber number for each plant, average weight of tubers and yield were considerably reduced. There was no difference between EFI and the other treatments (FAFIB, FAFIE, VAFIB, VAFIE). Water usage can be reduced at the first growth stages and the end of the tuber forming stage with suitable IRRIGATION management without yield reduction. For the economic analysis, the partial budgeting method and marginal benefit-cost ratio were applied. Economic analysis showed that the benefit-cost ratio was 3.03 for VAFIE and water usage was reduced from 8632 m3/ha (EFI) to 7250 m3/ha (VAFIE), saving 1384.7 m3/ha water. As a result, it is recommended to irrigate a crop based on the VAFIE treatment. In this way, without significant yield reduction, water usage and labor cost are reduced.

Different deficit IRRIGATION management scenarios as ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION with regard to sensitive growth stages of corn were assessed in terms of the effects on yield and yield components. The research was performed as a randomized full block design with six treatments and three replications. The treatments were comprised of: full FURROW IRRIGATION within whole growing season, ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION in whole growing season, full IRRIGATION at the establishment stage and ALTERNATE IRRIGATION at the other stages, full IRRIGATION at flowering stage while ALTERNATE IRRIGATION at the other stages, full IRRIGATION at establishment and flowering stage accompanied by ALTERNATE IRRIGATION at the other stages, full IRRIGATION at flowering and ripening stages and ALTERNATE IRRIGATION in other stages. Overall, the effect of deficit IRRIGATION on yield and yield components was statistically significant (p<0.01). Full IRRIGATION in the whole growing season led to the highest wet forage yield (67022 kg/ha) and while ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION in the whole growing season, the lowest wet forage yield (50064 kg/ha). The most desirable treatment was recorded as: full IRRIGATION at the flowering stage and ALTERNATE IRRIGATION in the other stages. With this treatment, the reduction in wet and dry forage yields, leaves wet and dry weights as well as stem wet and dry weights in comparison with control were about 8 to 14 %. This is quiet acceptable as it saves 39% IRRIGATION water. The highest IRRIGATION water use efficiency (1.88 kg/m3) was achieved through full IRRIGATION at flowering stage with ALTERNATE IRRIGATION of the other stages.

The water crisis is one of the most important factors that limit the production of agricultural products in arid and semi-arid regions, which requires the optimal consumption of water in agriculture to achieve food security in these regions. To investigate the economic efficiency of water and nitrogen fertilizer on Quinoa, an experiment was conducted as a split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2018 at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Treatments included three IRRIGATION methods (FURROW IRRIGATION (FI), fixed ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION (FAFI), and variable ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION (VAFI)) and three-level of nitrogen fertilizing (50, 100, and 200 Kg/ha). The different FURROW IRRIGATION methods on the economic productivity of fertilizer, CPD, BPD, NBPD, and PFP were highly significant (P<0. 01). The different levels of nitrogen fertilizer on the economic productivity of fertilizer, BPD, NBPD, and PFP were significant at 1 percent levels (P<0. 01), and on CPD was significant at 5 percent levels (P<0. 05). The interaction effects on the economic productivity of fertilizer and PFP were highly significant (P<0. 01) and on NBPD and BPD were significant at 5 percent levels (P<0. 05). The results showed that under traditional FURROW IRRIGATION conditions, increasing the nitrogen fertilizer reduce the economic efficiency of water and fertilizer (compared to using 50 kg/ha N). The results showed that the highest economic and physical water productivity and BPD were obtained in the treatment of variable ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION + 200 kg/ha of nitrogen.

The objective of this study was to investigate polyacrylamide (PAM) application and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION system on soil erosion. The study was conducted in Dastjerd Research Farm, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran. The experiment was designed as factorial, based on completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments were conventional FURROW IRRIGATION without PAM application (FSP0), conventional FURROW IRRIGATION with PAM application (FSP1.5), ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION without PAM application (FAP0), and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION with PAM application (FAP1.5). The results showed that there is significant difference (p-value<0.01) in soil losses in ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION treatment and PAM application (FA P1.5). The FA P1.5 treatment, in comparison with FSP0, lead to reduction of soil losses by 98, 98 and 99 percent in the first, second and third IRRIGATIONs, respectively. Also, the shape of cross section of FURROWs didn’t have too much change in treatments with PAM application rather than without PAM application treatment. In general, PAM application could cause stability in soil and cross sections of FURROWs.

Conservation of soil and water resources in Iran is of great importance for crop production as well as for environment protection. Due to limited soil and water resources in Iran, new methods that can optimize the use of water and fertilizers for crop production are very important. In this study, the ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION which is a relatively new method for reducing IRRIGATION water for canola production was investigated. In this study, three IRRIGATION methods including ordinary FURROW (OF), variable ALTERNATE FURROW (VAF) and fixed ALTERNATE FURROW (FAF) were investigated. In each method, four different nitrogen fertilizer treatments with 0, 100, 200, and 300 kg/ha was applied. The results indicated that the best economic productivity of water usage was obtained in the VAF method with 200 kg/ha nitrogen application. Consequently, this treatment can be recommended for canola production in the studied area.

IntroductionOne of the bottlenecks in today's world is the lack of water for various uses; drinking, industry, agriculture, and environmental needs. The agricultural sector is the largest consumer of water, so it will be the first part which will be damaged by the water crisis. Therefore using methods that increase water productivity or, in other words, increase yield production per unit volume of water is essential. Deficit IRRIGATION is a low cost and simple method for this goal. This research was carried out in order to investigate the effect of deficit IRRIGATION and ALTERNATE FURROW IRRIGATION on yield and water productivity of Maize in Khorramabad climate. MethodologyThe treatments consisted of conventional IRRIGATION with 100% water requirement (I100), regulated deficit IRRIGATION with supply of 80% of plant water requirement (DI80), regulated deficit IRRIGATION by applying 60% of plant water requirement (DI60) and using partial root-zone drying (PRD), which was conducted in plots of 18 square meters in a complete randomized block design with three replications at the Research Farm of Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lorestan University. The IRRIGATION system of the farm was surface FURROW and delivered water to each plot through polyethylene pipes. The volume of water applied to each plot was measured by a volumetric counter.In this study, the net depth of IRRIGATION was calculated by measuring soil moisture deficiency in the root zone relative to field capacity point. For this purpose, in the days before IRRIGATION, soil samples were taken from the root of the plant in all three replications of control treatment and after weighing, they were placed in the oven and at 105 ° C for 24 hours. After drying, the samples were re-weighed and soil moisture content was determined. At the beginning of the growing season and until June 12, the same IRRIGATION water was applied to all treatments until the plant was fully established and reached a 4 to 6 leaf stage. In fact, until the fifth IRRIGATION, all experimental plots were irrigated equally. After this step and assurance of plant establishment, the research treatments were applied. For the treatment of deficit IRRIGATION using partial root drying (PRD), the calculated water requirement based on 100% water supply was applied to half of the FURROWs. In the next IRRIGATION event, the remained half was irrigated in the same way.

Growing commercial crops in dry continental climate and saline condition is a real challenge . IRRIGATION is essential if the crop is to generate an economic yield ,but IRRIGATION combined with high evaporation during the summer can increase soil salinity. Occurrence of aridity and increasing area of saline land in arid and semiarid zone causes a lot of problems such as water deficit and plant stress. Therefore increasing of water use efficiency (WUE) in this area is necessary. An experiment was conducted with the aim of increasing water use efficiency (WUE) of saline water on maize and cotton in Varamin and Kashmar. The experiment was arranged in complete randomized block design in Varamin and strip plot design in Kashmar  with three replications and two treatments i.e. Fixed FURROW IRRIGATION (FFI) and Conventional FURROW IRRIGATION (CFI).Data showed that there was no significant difference between treatments in dry weight of stems, leaves, ear and dry weight of above ground plant parts, and in spite of decreased water use in FFI treatment, yield and its components did not decrease significantly .WUE was 0.77 kg.m-3 in (CFI) while it was 1.37 kg.m-3 in (FFI) in Varamin. As a result, the WUE in (FFI) was 1.77 times as (CFI). Data in Kashmar showed that the cotton yield was increased from 3007 kg.ha-1 to 3577 kg.ha-1 in (FFI) The amount of water used in (FFI) was 66.7 percent of (CFI) treatment. WUE in (FFI) was 1.76 times as (CFI).

Advance time is one of the most important factors, especially for determining IRRIGATION timing. This project has been conducted for determining and evaluation of FURROW advance time in two IRRIGATION management including conventional and alternative FURROW IRRIGATION. Four different inflow rates within two periods of Maize growth stages for two FURROW IRRIGATION management were considered. Results showed, the water advance time in conventional FURROW IRRIGATION in two growth stages with inflow rate as 0. 15, 0. 28, 0. 35 and 0. 46 l/s were 1. 8, 2. 4, 1. 6 and 1. 6 times respectively comparative to alternative FURROW IRRIGATION. Also, results in end of season revealed that with increasing inflow rate the advance time in conventional FURROW IRRIGATION were 1. 3, 1. 6, 1. 4 and 1. 5 times as comparatives to a conventional FURROW IRRIGATION. Soil surface moisture variation showed that the soil moisture content in alternative FURROW IRRIGATION decreased about 28% in comparison with the conventional FURROW IRRIGATION. With increasing FURROW inflow rate the coefficients of advance power function (r & p) increased about 4 and 56% for conventional and 12 and 26% respectively alternative FURROW IRRIGATION.