Effect of Using Magnetic Brackish Water on Irrigated Bell Pepper Crop （Capsicum annuum L.） Characteristics in Lower Jordan Valley/West Bank

Increasing salinity of the groundwater is one of major challenges faced by agricultural sector in West Bank/Palestine. This study was carried out in the Lower Jordan Valley （LJV） under greenhouse field condition, where an area of 0.12 ha was irrigated with 3.5 dS/m magnetic treated water during the growing season 2012/2013. The results of this pilot project show that there are significant increases in the yield of red and yellow bell pepper of about 20% and 18% on fresh weight basis, respectively. Water use efficiency increased by 15% and an increase in shelf time of 7 d were also recorded. The chlorophyll content raised significantly in the leaves of treated plants compared to the controlled one by 2.5 mg/g. Bell pepper irrigated with magnetic water produces 37% more four champers than that of the controlled one. On the other hand, there were no clear significant effects on the height of the plant, number of fruits, distance between nods, size of fruits, number and thickness of walls and sugar contents. Applying visible/near infrared （VIS/N｜R） spectroscopy test shows that it is possible to distinguish between treated and controlled bell pepper fruits. Multivariate data analysis （MVDA） method was used to test the classification of chemical elements in the fruit and it was found that treated and controlled fruit samples are divided into two groups according to their water treatment. An increase in all nutrient concentrations was found in fruits irrigated with magnetic treated water compared with the controlled one. Further testing is needed especially by involving other variables such as decreasing the volume of irrigated water and fertilizers.

Effect of Sustained Deficit Irrigation on Stem Water Potential of Navel Oranges in Jordan Valley

Research was conducted to find the relationship between deficit irrigation treatments （DIT） and stems water potential. The study was conducted on 14 years old navel orange trees grafted on sour oranges for the growing season 2006/2007 at a private farm in the Northern part of Jordan Valley （latitude： 32° 50′ N, longitude： 32° 50′ E, altitude： -254 m）. Three levels of irrigation treatments （IT） were applied; namely 100%, 75% and 50% of reference evapotranspiration, representing over irrigation （OIT）, full irrigation （FIT）, and deficit irrigation （DIT）, respectively. A drip irrigation using one irrigation source line with drippers spaced 0.5 m having average discharge of 2.3 L/hr at pressure 1.5 bar, was used. Stem water potential （SWP） at 100% over irrigation treatment （OIT） of navel orange trees had less negative value during the irrigation seasons （-1.57 MPa）, whereas the highest negative value （-2.17 MPa） occurred at 50% deficit irrigation treatment （DIT）.

Regional Land Use Patterns and Water Consumption in the Jordan Valley Using Geographic Information Systems

Trends in land use and water consumption are crucial components in understanding the changing nature of agricultural production and water use in- the Northern Jordan Valley. The objective of this study is to examine current agricultural land uses in the Jordan Valley and their water consumption patterns as well as to examine the changes in land use and water consumption that occurred between the years 2002 and 2010. Farm level cropping patterns and total annual water use were analysed in order to examine inter-basin land use and water consumption characteristics as well as to estimate the amount of water consumed by each respective crop in total and per unit of land devoted to its production. It was found that citrus production dominated both land and water usage in every basin of the Northern Jordan Valley and that between 2002 and 2010 there were shifts toward increasing citrus production in almost every basin surveyed. It was found that agricultural irrigation water usage decreased overall between 2002 and 2010 by approximately 15 percent and irrigated land usage in the Jordan Valley increased by 5 percent. The role of citrus farming is becoming more important in the Jordan Valley as Jordan＇s agricultural economy shifts away from subsistence farming for staple food crops like wheat and vegetables toward more financially lucrative crops grown for an increasingly international market. This trend is at least partly due to the increasing cost of agricultural irrigation water from Jordan＇s national canal system.

Soil Salinity Changes in the Jordan Valley Potentially Threaten Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture

The integrated effect of irrigation and agricultural practices on soil salinity in the Jordan Valley （JV）, where over 60% of Jordan＇s agricultural produce is grown, was investigated in this study during 2009-2010. Due to the differences in agricultural operations, cropping patterns, irrigation management, and weather conditions, 206 top- and sub-soil samples were taken every 1 to 3 km from representative farms along a north-south （N-S） transect with 1 to 2 km lateral extents. Soil electrical conductivity of saturated extract （ECse）, Ca, Mg, K, Na, CI, and Na adsorption ratio （SAR） were determined in saturated paste extracts. Results indicated that about 63% of soils in the JV are indeed saline, out of which almost 46% are moderately to strongly saline. Along the N-S transect of the JV, ECse increased from 4.5 to 14.1 dS m-1 in top-soil samples. Similar increase was observed for the sub-soil samples. The major chemical components of soil salinity; i.e., Ca, Mg, and C1, also showed a similar increase along the N-S transect of the valley. Moreover, compared to previous field sampling, results showed that changes in soil salinity in the JV were dramatic. In addition, it was found that C1 imposed an existing and potential threat to sensitive crops in 60% of the soils in the JV, where C1 concentrations were greater than 710 mg L-1. Under the prevalent arid Mediterranean conditions, improving the management of .irrigation water, crops, and nutrient inputs and increasing water and fertilizer use efficiencies should be indispensable to conserve and sustain the already fragile agricultural soils in the JV.