The Effect of Different Levels of Municipal Effluent Irrigation on Maize Water Use Efficiency and Yield

     The main challenge facing the agriculture sector is producing more food while using less water so it is needed to increase water use efficiency and optimal use of water resources, especially in arid areas. The main goal of this research is to study the effect of irrigation with municipal wastewater effluent and water use efficiency of maize in farms located in south- west of Shahr-e-kord. All of treatments were used in randomized complete block design with split plots and three applications with five factors including 100% well water (M₁), 25% wastewater + 75% well water (M₂), 50% wastewater + 50% well water (M₃), 75% wastewater + 25% well water and 100 % wastewater (M₅) and four sub treatment factors according to the different amounts of water, wastewater and mixture of water and wastewater on the basis of water requirements (50% (L₁), 65% (L₂), 85% (L₃) and 100% (L₄)). In the different treatment types of water, M₄ (25%well water and 75% wastewater) had dry matter yield. Regarding to total dry matter, the yield of biomass, grain and water use efficiency were more in M₄ treatment and the less water use efficiency was determined in 100% wastewater treatment (M₅). In different amounts of water treatments on the basis of total dry matter, the most total dry matter yield, biomass, grain and water use efficiency were determined in 100% crop water requirement treatment (L₄). On the basis of biomass yield, 85% crop water requirement treatment (L₃) had more water use efficiency. The results show that for total dry matter, biomass and grain yield 75% wastewater + 25% well water was the best treatment in irrigation of considered area. On the other hand, wastewater contains nutrients and can be used without fertilizer consumption in this area, so it is useful in saving water and fertilizer.