Closing Ceremony of the Second National Conference on Deficit Irrigation and the Use of Unconventional Water Resources in Agriculture of Arid Areas at Fasa University

According to the Fasa University Public Relations, the closing ceremony of the Second National Conference on Deficit Irrigation and the Use of Unconventional Water Resources in Agriculture of Arid Areas was held at Fasa University virtually. (On February 19, 2022)

In this ceremony, Dr. Mohsen Bazrafshan, Head of Research and Training Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources of Fars Province, presented the most important research projects conducted in the field of water and reducing the effects of drought in horticultural and agricultural products, using drought-tolerant varieties, determining water consumption, tillage, and irrigation planning and systems. The main activities of this center were as follows:

• Using intelligent irrigation systems and irrigation planning to reduce water consumption and increase efficiency
• Reducing water consumption to 8900 m³/hectare in sugar beet farms and increasing productivity from 2.2 to 5 kg per 1 m³ of water consumption
• Production and application of hydroponic barley forage in animal nutrition with a focus on reducing water consumption and mass production of forage per unit area
• Introducing the best barley genotype for semi-steppe rangelands of Fars province
• Using furrow planting arrangement in saline wheat fields of Fars province
• Production of seedlings of low water consuming and economical plant of Lamiaceae
• Determining the time and amount of supplementary irrigation of fig trees to increase the physical productivity of water

Also, Mr. Ardavan Niknam, Deputy of Human Resources and Research of Fars Province Water and Sewerage Company, presented the capacities of using treated effluents in agriculture of Fars Province and provided solutions for the best use of these resources. He stated that in general, treated municipal and industrial wastewater should have the quality so that it is not cast away and proper uses are planned for it. The most logical rational solution for the development of water resources in the future is the reuse of treated wastewater as a new resource. In the end, he reported on the situation of wastewater treatment in different cities of Fars province.

Dr. Hossein Banjad, Secretary of the Scientific Center for Irrigation and Unconventional Water Management of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, also presented a report on the activities carried out at the center.

In the end, Dr. Mohammad Javad Amiri, Scientific Secretary of the Conference, presented the report of the conference and read the statement of the  Second National Conference on Deficit Irrigation and the Use of Unconventional Water Resources in Agriculture of Arid Areas

It should be noted that out of 140 papers accepted by the scientific committee of the conference, 36 were presented orally and 104 were presented as posters in panels during the two days of the conference.