2018 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 53-59
The conversion of rain-fed rice cultivation into irrigated-rice cultivation is considered to be one measure for increasing rice productivity. Thus, the development of paddy fields in the inland valleys of Ghana has been promoted. However, irrigation facilities have not been functioning satisfactorily due to a high intensive rainfall and poor maintenance. In this paper, a list of characteristics, required for cover plants, was made prior to the introduction of reinforcement technology to irrigation facilities, utilizing them. Moreover, an example of the evaluation of coverability, that is required in all parts of the irrigation facilities and is emphasized in this research, was shown based on the results of the test cultivation. In the test of the vegetation-coverage rate, judgement criteria were set, based on soil conditions and were used to measure it in four test plants. The adaptability of these plants for the introduction as cover plants was evaluated under three different growth environments in fine gravel content, soil hardness and volmetric water content. In the cultivation test, the amount of growth of test plants was clarified by calculating their Leaf Area Index. Furthermore, the appropriate timing and intervals for important vegetation management work after planting such as weeding, were considered. The chlorophyll contents of the test plants were confirmed to have the same tendency as the results of the Leaf Area Index, based on their SPAD values across a one-year period. The results of these tests can be used by farmers when making decisions concerning adopting this technology.
