Effect of Dew Irrigation on Biomass Production in Wheat and Chickpea

ABSTRACT One of the new water sources is dew. To address this issue, two separate pot experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of dew irrigation on the seed germination and vegetative growth of wheat and chickpea. The irrigation treatments included a control group (non‐irrigation) and dew irrigation in the seed germination experiment. In the vegetative growth experiment, the irrigation treatments included dew irrigation and conventional irrigation. The results revealed that dew irrigation resulted in impressive seed germination rates, reaching 91% for wheat and 61% for chickpea, whereas none of the seeds in the non‐irrigated control group germinated. In the case of chickpea, compared with dew irrigation, conventional irrigation resulted in greater values for stem dry weight (0.14 vs. 0.12 mg), leaf dry weight (0.083 vs. 0.013 mg), total dry weight (0.26 vs. 0.20 mg) and leaf to stem ratio (0.87 vs. 0.72 mg). For wheat, there was no significant difference between conventional irrigation and dew irrigation concerning the early growth parameters measured. In conclusion, dew irrigation is a viable strategy for facilitating the germination and vegetative growth of both wheat and chickpea, offering a promising approach to alleviate the impact of drought.