Under the leadership of Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Structures and Irrigation Department Lecturer Assoc. Dr. Duran Yavuz and Horticulture Lecturer Assoc. Dr. Musa Seymen, projects are being developed at the Sarıcalar Research and Application Farm within the University to minimize the need for water used in watermelon and melon production in arid and semi-arid regions.

Techniques to reduce water stress are being applied to watermelons and melons with two different projects within the scope of the "ARDEB-1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program" of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) under the leadership of Assoc. Dr. Duran Yavuz and Assoc. Dr. Musa Seymen.

Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Structures and Irrigation Department Lecturer Assoc. Dr. Duran Yavuz said that the project titled "Identification of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (Pgpr) Effective in Reducing Water Stress and Investigation of the Performance of These Bacteria in Watermelon Grafted on Different Rootstocks Under Limited Irrigation Conditions" aims to save serious water in agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions such as Konya.

Stating that they are conducting research on watermelon and melon production in an area of 30 decares within this framework, Yavuz said, “Within the scope of the project, we are investigating the performance of rhizobacteria with ACC Deaminase activity in watermelons grafted on different rootstocks under limited irrigation conditions. In this context, we will analyze the performance of rhizobacteria with ACC Deaminase activity, isolated from soil samples collected from an area of approximately 17 thousand square kilometers in different districts of Konya, at five different irrigation levels in watermelon grafted onto wild watermelon rootstock and hybrid TZ-148 rootstock. We are conducting the experiment on 135 parcels. According to the project results, we predict that significant water savings will be achieved in arid and semi-arid regions such as Konya. Konya has an annual water potential of 4.5 billion cubic meters. More of this water potential is used in agriculture in the Konya Plain. Again, within the scope of the project, our scholarship students and intern students improve themselves. They make different measurements. Within the framework of our project, we are investigating the responses of different genotypes to water stress in melon."

“1 BILLION CUBIC METERS OF WATER CAN BE SAVED IN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN KONYA”

Assoc. Dr. Duran Yavuz stated that 1 billion cubic meters of water can be saved if planned and programmed irrigation is carried out in Konya. Explaining that this saving can be achieved from the production processes of all plants, Yavuz said, “What does saving 1 billion cubic meters of water mean? It represents a water saving of more than twice the water coming from the Blue Tunnel, just by using scheduled irrigation. Because, when all plants such as corn, sunflower and sugar beet in Konya were evaluated, we found out in field studies that farmers used more water than necessary. This project is a very important achievement for Konya. The groundwater level of our city is decreasing rapidly. In particular, the corn plant has a constantly increasing cultivation area in the Konya Plain for the last 10 years and puts intense pressure on the water resources in the plain. As long as it continues like this, Konya will face a serious problem in terms of water resources. Therefore, we had to start such studies as soon as possible. In this context, we apply techniques to reduce the effect of water stress on the plant under limited irrigation conditions. Therefore, we see it as a very important project for the region.”

Assoc. Dr. Yavuz stated that the project started in January 2022 and will be completed in January 2025. Stating that the first field study within the scope of the project was carried out this year, and that they plan to conduct the second field research between May and September 2024, Yavuz added that the data obtained from the project so far has started to be published in international academic journals with high impact value.