Assessment of soil mulching field management, and deficit irrigation effect on productivity of watermelon varieties, and AquaCrop model validation

Watermelon productivity in the Arba Minch irrigation scheme has been hampered by water scarcity, with only the Lady Bells watermelon variety being cultivated in the area. This challenge can be mitigated by adopting water-saving irrigation techniques and selecting water stress-resistant varieties. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the combined impact of soil mulching and deficit irrigation on the productivity of various watermelon varieties and validate the AquaCrop model. The experiment employed a randomized complete block design with two levels of water application (100 % SMD and 50 % SMD), two mulching practices (non-mulching and mulching), and four watermelon varieties: Lady Bells (V1), Green Pearl (V2), Kaolack (V3), and Koloss (V4). Soil physical properties and crop-related data were used to calibrate the AquaCrop model. Straw mulching, on average, conserved 64.50 mm and 262.75 mm of water under 100 % and 50 % water application levels, respectively. The minimum and maximum land productivity averages were 6.2 tonsha(−1) (T13) and 17.6 tonsha(−1) (T2), while water productivity ranged from 5.2 kgm(−3) (T1) to 12.4 kgm(−3) (T10). Lady Bell watermelon varieties displayed high sensitivity to water stress, with a 1.27 yield response factor under non-soil mulching treatment with 50 % water application. The mean benefit-cost ratio varied from 1.52 (T13) to 2.90 (T10). The average values of RMSE, NSE, and R(2) for the AquaCrop model were 0.70, 0.65, and 0.80, respectively, indicating the model's acceptability in predicting the effects of mulching and deficit irrigation on watermelon productivity. Overall, the use of straw mulching combined with 50 % deficit irrigation, particularly for Green Pearl varieties, emerged as the most productive watermelon cultivation method in the Arba Minch region when facing limited irrigation water. Future research will focus on assessing the impact of deficit irrigation during various watermelon growth stages.