Monitoring de l’apport d’eau limité sur des cultures en environnement semi-aride

Abstract

In Algeria, food security is a crucial priority for sustainable development, particularly in the context of rapid population growth. According to the United Nations, Algeria is among the leading African countries in terms of food security; however, this status remains fragile due to mounting challenges posed by climate change and variability in water resources. Severe climatic deficits and the impacts of global warming are causing significant declines in agricultural productivity, underscoring the need for innovative hydro- agricultural practices. In this context, introducing new crop species adapted to arid conditions becomes essential. Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz), an oilseed crop renowned for its drought tolerance, was selected for this study to evaluate its response to sustained deficit irrigation. The main objective was to optimize water management strategies to maintain agronomic performance while reducing water consumption. This research was conducted in the semi-arid Aurès region, characterized by irregular and significantly low annual precipitation compared to the global average, along with frequent extreme climatic events. The study focused on the Alba genotype of camelina, evaluated over two successive agricultural seasons (2021/2022 and 2022/2023) through experiments carried out at the Institute of Veterinary and Agronomic Sciences, University of Batna 1. The experimental setup included four distinct irrigation treatments: (T0 = rainfed), (T1 = full irrigation), (T2 = 75% ETc), and (T3 = 35% ETc). A randomized complete block design with four replications was implemented, integrating three drainage lysimeters for accurate measurement of potential evapotranspiration (ETP). These methodological approaches enabled a comprehensive evaluation of camelina’s agronomic and environmental performance under limited irrigation, showcasing its potential as a crop suitable for semi-arid regions. Camelina displayed significant responses to deficit irrigation, assessed across six key parameters: (1) morphological, fertility, and productivity characteristics; (2) irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE); (3) nutritional quality (oil and protein content); (4) forage quality of by-products (straw and oilcakes); (5) energy consumption; and (6) energy potential for biofuel production. The findings revealed that the T2 treatment resulted in average reductions of 20.77% in grain yield and 5.28% in oil content across two agricultural seasons compared to T1. However, T2 enhanced IWUE (+8.20%) and water productivity for forage units in oilcakes (+21.96%), without affecting the energy value of straw. Furthermore, T2 increased seed protein content (+6.75%) and reduced electricity consumption by over 30% compared to T1.