WATER APPLICATION PERFORMANCE OF DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS USED IN SUGAR BEET PRODUCTION IN SEMI-ARID KONYA PROVINCE, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

In this research, water application performance of drip irrigation systems for sugar beet irrigation at two different areas namely Sarayönü and Altınekin, located at Konya province of Türkiye, was assessed. In that context, 10 drip irrigation systems in different farms were examined. Uniformity Coefficient (UC) and Emission Uniformity (EU) as watering uniformity indicators were studied. In addition, amount of applied water by farmers and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) were also investigated. In results, UC values were determined between 86.64 % and 98.20 % so watering performance of tested drippers varied from GOOD to EXCELLENT accordingly. EU values were calculated between 82.41 % and 97.80 % so watering uniformity varied from GOOD to EXCELLENT in accordance of EU values. The applied water by farmers was between 626 mm and 932 mm and IWUE varied from 6.9 to 9.6 kg/m3. As a result, design of drip irrigation systems and operational performance were stated as main factors for differentiation in water application homogeneities.