MODERN TECHNIQUE FOR THE FERTIGATION OF SUGAR CANE IN UPPER EGYPT. | ||||
| Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering | ||||
| Article 6, Volume 5, Issue 7, July 2014, Page 645-967 PDF (638.14 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jssae.2014.49573 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| S.S. Hassan Allithy1; A.H.A. Hassanein2; A.H. Abdel-Rahman2 | ||||
| 1Agric., Eng., Res., Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. | ||||
| 2Soil Water and Environment Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The experimental fieldwork was carried out in sugarcane production areas in Upper-Egypt at Qena Governorates during growing season 2010-2012. Sugar cane is the major source of sugar production in Egypt. Insect pests are limiting factors affecting its production. One of which, is the soft scale insect, Pulvinaria tenuivalvata (Newstead) (Hemiptera: Coccidae). As a new pest, it threatens sugar cane cultivation in Egypt. High scale densities cause significant reduction in sugar cane weight and juice quality, particularly sucrose content. To avoid the sugar cane infection with the soft scale insect, (Pulvinaria tenuivalvata), it is necessary adding diesel fuel through irrigation water. But in the cultivated areas using gated pipes system, irrigation water flowing through closed pipes from branch canals to the fields. It is difficult to add diesel fuel into these canals. Therefore, this paper describes design and locally manufactured of a simple and inexpensive fertilization system suitable of small holding in Egypt called "Vacuum Fertilization System" using in both function, add diesel fuel or any chemicals and fertilization system through gated pipes or any piping closed system during irrigation operation, in spit of, their were another systems using solution fertilizer; but these systems are not available directly in this region and its expensive. Also, evaluating the performance of the designed mechanism in performing this operation. The results showed that: 1- There were a drop in the pressure head measured at the first portion of the gated pipe due to accumulative friction head losses effect and then there were a gradual increase in it due to the increasing in superimposed pressure head, decreased the effect of accumulative friction head losses. 2- The slope of the curve of the actual measured pressure head (hon) along the gated pipe representing the effect of gated pipe length on the pressure head variation, and its value was about 18.2 %. 3- The outlets discharge rate along the gated pipe system were dropped at the first portion of the gated pipe due to accumulative friction head losses effect and then there were a gradual increase in it due to the increased in superimposed pressure head overcome the effect of accumulative friction head losses. 4- The water distribution uniformity along the 18 meter apart of the 6 inch gated pipe before using fertigation system, was about 95.4%. But the water uniformity distribution along the gated pipe during fertigation system using fertilization system was about 93.8%. This mean that the water distribution uniformity decreased slightly during fertigation system using fertilization system under irrigation gated pipe system due to apply the fertilizer through irrigation water, consequently change in irrigation water density affecting outlets flow rates through irrigation gated pipe system. 5- The fertilizer concentration uniformity through the gated pipe system was about 98.1%. This means that, the concentration variation along the gated pipe system was about 1.3%. The reason of this reduction is due to, deposition of some fertilizer in the tank and other system components. Also, the experiment measurements were taken in a certain time from the start of fertigation. Therefore, data exhibit that there are no more difference in the values of fertilizer concentration under the fertigation method along the gated pipe length. 6- The value of the water use efficiency (WUE) was about 4.37 kg/ m3, on the other hand, the value of the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was about 280 kg-y/kg-N. 7- The total annual cost of the Vacuum Fertilization System was about 82.33 L.E/year. | ||||
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