Abstract:

【Objective】 A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of irrigation method on yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco under different fertilization levels. 【Method】 Two fertilization levels were designed in field experiment, i.e. lower fertilization and higher fertilization, and three irrigation methods, i.e., conventional furrow irrigation (CF), fixed furrow irrigation (FFI) and alternate furrow irrigation (AFI). Yield and chemical component contents of flue-cured tobacco were measured. 【Result】 Results show that compared to CF treatment, FFI and AFI treatment reduced irrigation water by 40%. Under lower and higher fertilization levels, AFI treatment increased yield and yield per unit fertilizer of flue-cured tobacco by 7.8% and 8.5%, 7.9% and 8.6%; but FFI treatment reduced by 0.4% and 1.7%, 0.5% and 1.8 %, respectively, when compared to the CF treatment. At the same time, AFI treatment enhanced total sugar, reducing sugar, N, K and protein contents by 4.0% and 4.0%, 1.9% and 6.6%, 3.8% and 5.0%, 23.8% and 40.1%, 2.2% and 9.7%, but reduced nicotine and chlorine contents by 7.4% and 22.8%, 4.8% and 7.1%, respectively under lower and higher fertilization levels. 【Conclusion】 The above-mentioned results indicate that AFI not only saved irrigation water, but also enhanced the yield and improved leaf quality of flue-cured tobacco. And the effect of AFI should be better materialized under appropriate fertilization.

Key words: alternate furrow irrigation (AFI), flue-cured tobacco, yield, chemical component