Response of Soybean (Glycine max L.) to Subsurface Drip Irrigation with Different Dripline Placements at a Sandy-loam Soil

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system is considered one of the most effective methods for water application. A 2-year field study was conducted to investigate the effect of SDI systems with various dripline spacing (0.7 or 1.4 m) and position (under furrow or ridge) on soybean (Glycine max L.) production at a sandy-loam soil in Miryang, South Korea. For 2016-2017, average grain yield in SDI irrigated plots, $3.16Mg\;ha^{-1}$, was statistically greater than rainfed irrigated plot ($2.63Mg\;ha^{-1}$). Soybean grain yield averaged $3.25Mg\;ha^{-1}$ for the 0.7 m dripline spacing and $3.07Mg\;ha^{-1}$ for the 1.4 m spacing for the two-year period compared to a rainfed irrigated average of $2.63Mg\;ha^{-1}$ for the same period. Soybean treated with SDI system had significantly greater values of normalized difference vegetation index and stomatal conductance, indicating that soybean plants in SDI plots had greater photosynthetic and stomatal activity due to the higher water availability in soil. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was greatest in the plot of 0.7 m spacing installed under ridge position than any other plot across growing season. Average soil water content in plots with 0.7 m dripline spacing was $0.21m^3\;m^{-3}$ at 5 cm depth layer, which was 45% greater compared to the plots with 1.4 m spacing, even though the gross irrigation amounts were greater in 1.4 m spacing plots. It is concluded that wide dripline spacing (1.4 m) is probably the more economical installation design for SDI system compared to 0.7 m spacing in this study soil because the initial cost for dripline may be reduced with wide spacing design, even though the IWUE is greater in the plot of 0.7 m dripline spacing.