A
planned irrigation system in which water is applied by means of perforated
pipes or nozzles operated under pressure so as to form a spray pattern.
The sprinkler plot resulted in the
lowest yields. This was probably due to the poor establishment from seed, as it
had a lower and less uniform plant density. However the sprinkler plot also
received the least amount of irrigation water and ended up with the greatest
WUE for the second harvest. This was considerably greater for sprinkler irrigation
water alone, although when rainfall was included in the WUE figure it only just
managed to achieve the greatest WUE for the second harvest. It is unclear why
the amount of sprinkler irrigation water applied over these three months was so
low in comparison to the relative amounts applied for the other three methods.
The sprinkler is the only method which achieved a higher WUE of irrigation
water for the second cut than for the third cut.