Interactive Effects of Irrigation Strategies and Wheat Straw Mulch on Forage Quality and Physiological Traits of Amaranthus hypochondriacus in Semi-Arid Conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

10.22034/saps.2026.70222.3433

Abstract

Drought stress is a primary limiting factor for plant production in many arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. In addition to reducing plant growth, drought stress alters both the quantitative and qualitative yield of crops. The use of mulch represents a sustainable agronomic strategy to enhance crop growth and productivity under environmental stress conditions. This study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of various irrigation levels, intermittent furrow irrigation techniques, and wheat straw mulch on certain physiological traits and forage quality of Amaranthus hypochondriacus.
The experiment was conducted as split-factorial plots arranged in a randomized complete block design at Razi University, Kermanshah, across two growing seasons (2019–2020 and 2020–2021) with three replications. Main plots included five levels of water deficit stress: irrigation following the depletion of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% of soil available water (designated as full, low, moderate, severe, and very severe irrigation, respectively). Subplots consisted of combinations of irrigation strategies—ordinary furrow irrigation and variable alternate furrow irrigation, and mulch treatments at two levels (no mulch and wheat straw mulch. Overall, the findings indicate that wheat straw mulch, applied under both standard and variable alternate furrow irrigation regimes was more effective in enhancing the quantitative and qualitative attributes of Amaranthus fodder compared to the absence of mulch.

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Journal of Agricultural Science and Sustainable Production

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 July 2027

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