Investigating the Effect of Managed Rainwater Harvesting Systems on Increasing Plant Production, in Tang-e-Chenar, Yazd, Iran

A significant portion of the Shirkouh lands in the Mehriz city encompass irrigated and rainfed orchards. The livelihoods of the people in this area are mainly supported through farming and raising livestock. Many orchard products, especially Amygdalus sp. are rainfed and produce a good crop in rainy years. However, in the drought years, the production faces problems. This research was carried out in the Tang-e-Chenar area, 35 km southwest of Yazd. Three species including Amygdalus sp., Elaeagnus angustifolia and Morus alba were evaluated using 72 Rain Water Harvesting Systems (RWHS) using insulating methods and gravel filters. The measured parameters included moisture content at  depths of 20 and 50 cm and canopy cover, stem height and diameter of trees. The results of statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the treatment group and controls in soil moisture content. Therefore, the effect of insulation was significant at 1% significance level and the effect of filtration was significant at 5%. The difference in soil moisture content of the soil at depths of 20 and 50 cm was also significant. The comparison of plant growth indices shows that Elaeagnus angustifolia has the best performance. The use of pebble filters and nylon insulation had the best performance with respect to plant growth.