Effect of Irrigation Regimes on Yield and Water Use Efficiencies of Potato at Dorso Scheme, in the Abaya District, Southern Oromia

The use of water management techniques, such as irrigation scheduling, minimizes production losses brought on by drought stress or water scarcity while preventing excessive water application. In order to ascertain the best irrigation schedule for potato yield, yield component, and water productivity based on the available soil moisture depletion levels, the experiment was carried out at the farm level in the Abaya district during the irrigation seasons of 2022 and 2023. Three replications of a randomized full block design were used to lay out the irrigation treatments. Treatment was conducted using the five available soil moisture depletion levels: 60% ASMDL, 80% ASMDL, and 100% ASMDL (FAO recommended ASMDL), 120% ASMDL, and 140% ASMDL. The findings demonstrated that, as compared to other treatments, irrigation regimens with 80% ASMDL produced superior tuber weight, number of tubers per plant, marketable tuber yield, and water use efficiency of potatoes; however, these effects were statistically insignificant when applied with 60% ASMDL. The 80% ASMDL treatment produced the largest tuber weight (94.53 g) and the most tubers per plant (12.107), and the results were statistically comparable to those of the treatment that received 60% ASMDL irrigation. Treatments receiving 80% FAO-recommended ASMDL had the highest marketable tuber production (24.98 tons/ha) and water productivity (5.259 kg/m<sup>3</sup>), with no discernible difference from treatments receiving 60% FAO-recommended ASMDL. Based on the results of the current experiment, it is advised that potatoes be grown in the Abaya district and in areas with comparable agro-ecology and soil types using a convectional furrow irrigation system with an 80% allowed soil moisture level every five days.