Effects of different irrigarion levels on plant water consumption, yield and quality of eggplant grown under glasshouse conditions

This experiment which was covering a period of one year has been conducted under glasshouse conditions in Antalya region with the aim of determining the effects of the three different irrigation levels. The study was held on a glass greenhouse which is in the Akdeniz University Agriculture Faculty?s research and application field and conducted in fall and spring terms with a single planting period. In this research, a drip irrigation method was used with seven different treatments. Treatments administered by three different methods and these treatments were conducted by full irrigation, control treatment (100% Class-A Pan evaporation) with no deficit (K100), 75% of water and 50% of the control treatments which is given to the deficit treatments. These methods include: KS, conventional deficit irrigation method; Range 50 cm dripper, both sides of plant rooting zones, along the row of plants, were wetted uniformly, traditional deficit irrigation methods. SYIS, the standard method of partial rootzone drying, dripper range of 100 cm, irrigation only half side of the rooting zone was irrigated and the other half side was remained as in dry form during irrigation under the PRD practices. These treatment were applied in study, but the wetted halves of the rooting zone remained fixed throughout the season. AYIS, alternate partial rootzone drying irrigation method, dripper range of 100 cm, were applied in the study and the wetted halves of the rooting zone were alternately changed in successive irrigations. Based on the implementation of these three methods were at two different levels of water and was formed in the sixth application of water deficit. Thus, in this research control treatment (no deficit) with seven different irrigation treatments has been formed (K100, KS75, KS50, AYIS75, AYIS 50, SYIS75, SYIS50).Over the course of the season evapotranspiration (ET) values ranged between 431 mm and 241 mm. The highest yield was 83.1 t ha-1 and in K100 treatment respectively, and in the lowest yield was about 23.3 t ha-1 and in AYIS50 treatment. Based on the data which has been produced by K100 treatment, there were not critical declines in terms of fruit quality at AYIS75 treatment.KEY WORDS: Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), deficit irrigation, water use of the plant, partial root-zone drying