Yield and quality of potato tuber and its water productivity are influenced by alternate furrow irrigation in a raised bed system

Scarcity of irrigation water has now become the main constraint for crop production globally. Irrigation water scarcity becomes severe especially during the dry, winter season in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh due to the decline in groundwater table and drying of surface water resources. In South Asian countries, potato is traditionally grown with furrow irrigation system in dry, winter season in which irrigation water is applied frequently to each and every furrow. Such irrigation method increases water use and lowers irrigation water productivity (WP). We hypothesized that potatoes grown on raised beds, and irrigation water applied to alternate furrows based on the principle of partial root-zone drying, would maintain yield, reduce water use and increase WP, and enhance the quality…