关键词: 干旱半干旱地区, 集雨补灌, 砂田, 西瓜, 土壤水分, 产量

Abstract: This paper discussed the effect of supplemental irrigation with harvesting rainwater on the yield of watermelon planted in sand field and soil moisture in the semiarid region of northwestern China where sand field is a traditional farming system and has been practiced more than 300 years.The purpose of this study was to increase the yield of watermelon by using rainwater harvested in the sand field area where watermelon production relies fully on rainfall.The tested cultivar was Xinong No.8.The experimental treatments were divided into three types:(1) Rainwater harvesting drip irrigation sand field(DSF);(2) Conventional sand field(CSF) without drip irrigation;(3) Conventional soil field(CEF).The experimental results at Jintai Station showed that the yield of watermelon in the DSF treatments were approximately three times as high as that in the CSF,because the collecting rain water was applied at the critical growth stages.Meanwhile,there was a significant difference in soil moisture among three experimental treatments in every stage of watermelon growth.

Key words: arid and semiarid region, rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, sand field, watermelon, soil moisture, yield