Impact of Partial Root Drying and Soil Mulching on Squash Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Arid

Practical and sustainable water management systems are needed in arid regions due to shortages climate change. Therefore, an experiment was initiated winter (WS) spring (SS), investigate integrating deficit irrigation, associated with partial root drying (PRD) soil mulching, under subsurface drip irrigation on squash yield, fruit quality, use efficiency (IWUE). Two mulching treatments, transparent plastic mulch (WM) black (BM), were tested, a treatment without (NM) used as control. Three levels of examined split-plot design three replications: 100% crop evapotranspiration (ETc), representing full (FI), 70% ETc (PRD70), 50% (PRD50). There higher yield lower IWUE SS than WS. The highest yields recorded for PDR70 (82.53 Mg ha?1) FI (80.62 ha?1). obtained PRD50. Plastic significantly increased the (34%) (46%) enhanced stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, transpiration, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, contents PRD plants. These results indicate that semi-arid regions, could be water-saving strategy reducing yields.