Sowing date and mulch to improve water use and yield of wheat and barley in the Middle East environment

Water is a critical limitation of crop yield in Middle East environments. Cereal production is limited to the winter months when rains occur. Options to increase the effective use of the available water to increase yield could be of direct benefit. This simulation study was undertaken for four locations in Syria that encompassed the wetter climate for wheat production in the north and the drier climate for barley production in the middle and south. Simulations were done for four sowing dates along with either the absence or presence of mulch on the soil surface. These simulations showed that sowing in early November for both barley and wheat resulted in the highest average yields among the simulated sowing dates. Surprisingly, the retention of straw mulch on the soil surface had only a small impact on yield. In most cases, yield increases were fairly modest in the range of about 4 to 9%. Since management practices to retain straw mulch in place in the field are challenging in the Syrian environment, these simulations do not indicate priority be given to developing this management practice solely for water retention.