Agricultural Production—Cultivation Techniques and Farming

Abstract

The prospects for crop production and cropping systems under the constraint of limited irrigation water in the Nile Delta, a constraint that is predicted to arise in the coming several decades, are discussed. Drip and strip irrigation methods are regarded as effective water-saving cultivation methods based on measurements of the productivity, quality, and water use efficiency of major crops, while the effects of extended irrigation intervals and mulching with crop residue are limited. Further analysis has indicated that strip irrigation requires less irrigation water in fewer furrows and provides even higher yields than those obtained using extended irrigation intervals, probably because better aeration in the soil improves root development in strip irrigation. Salt-tolerant varieties of maize, rice, and wheat were selected by evaluating their germination, growth, photosynthesis, and yield at different levels of sodium chloride. The intercropping of maize with soybeans and of wheat with Egyptian clover was proposed to improve total productivity while reducing evaporation by covering the soil surface with companion crops, thereby increasing water-use efficiency. In particular, intercropping cereals with legumes and providing forage that is a mixture of these crops rather than cereals alone improves forage quality. A soil water deficit under high temperature conditions reduces the forage value, and maize grown under drip irrigation has a lower forage quality than that grown under furrow irrigation , suggesting that a continuous water supply is important for maintaining the forage value even in water-saving cultivations.