Efficiency of the localized irrigation method in soil moisture conservation for purple spinach (Atriplex hortensis L.) production in the face of water scarcity

Abstract

This research was conducted at the Patacamaya Experimental Station belonging to the UMSA Faculty of Agronomy, located in the municipality of Patacamaya in the Aroma province of the department of La Paz. Climate change and climatic variability influence the decrease in the percentage of production sustainability, irrigation being a sector of greater demand for water, the effects of scarcity of this resource are felt more strongly, forcing the search for new alternatives to optimize its use and one way is the change from surface irrigation to drip irrigation, but being an isolated proposal needs to be supported with research (FAO, 2000). The objective was to evaluate the method of surface and subsurface drip irrigation under three planting densities on agronomic variables, phenological phases, yield of purple spinach (Atriplex hortensis L.) and moisture dynamics. The research work was carried out in an open field, using a randomized block design (RBD) with 3 blocks and 3 replications, with a total of 9 treatments. Among the results, the yield variable stands out, where the subsurface drip irrigation method and planting density of 30*30 cm was the one that gave the best result during the crop cycle with a yield of 2.13 kg m^-². Among the results, the moisture conservation variable stands out, in comparison to surface drip irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation, the latter achieves good water use efficiency. At the end of the research study it was demonstrated with certainty that the efficiency of water use will be determined by the irrigation method used and the type of crop to which it will be implemented.