Sorghum Water Loss in Relation to Irrigation Treatment

Aiming towards rational irrigation water management in a seasonally dry climate, sorghum water losses via evapotranspiration were studied during a two-year experiment in relation to irrigation treatments in Central Greece. Relative to high irrigation (IH), that provided the root depth with 458 mm of water in 1994 and 512 mm in 1995, 56 and 64% of the water was supplied by the medium (IM) and 34 and 46% by the low (IL) treatments, respectively, during the two years. A fourth treatment (IHA) was performed like (IH) until the end of anthesis, when irrigation stopped. Gravimetric soil moisture was measured, biometric measurements were taken and all meteorological parameters required to estimate evapotranspiration by the Penman–Monteith equation were logged. A model estimating sorghum actual water loss was first run with the 1994 data. During the model-establishment year, it was found that (a) surface resistance rs, consisting of a canopy rsc and a soil rss resistance acting in parallel, was almost exclusively dependent on soil water shortage, (b) under the IM and IL irrigation treatments, the lowest possible (immediately after water application) canopy resistance r'sc, higher than the (IH) minimum canopy resistance rsc (min) = 40 sm-1, was irrigation-deficit dependent and (c) the rss (min) was as high as 1200 sm-1, common to all treatments. The model established was then verified with the 1995 data and used to calculate the crop coefficient kc values for sorghum. The model, although tending to underestimate actual evapotranspiration by 4–10%, depending on the treatment, may be considered as reliable. The kc values calculated are considerably higher than the kc values suggested for sorghum by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Therefore, taking also into account that any additional mm of water supplied results in an increase of 0.052 t of dry biomass per hectare, higher irrigation water applications could be recommended, although the low irrigation treatment made slightly better use of water.     

A New Model for Simulating Supplemental Irrigation and the Hydro-Economic Potential of a Rainwater Harvesting System in Humid Subtropical Climates

Here we have developed a new model to simulate supplemental irrigation and the hydro-economic potential of a rainwater harvesting system in rainfed agricultural areas. Using the model, soil moisture in rainfed crop land, supplemental irrigation requirements, rainwater storage in an on-farm reservoir (OFR) system, and surface and ground water availability were predicted. In an irrigated system, an OFR was used to harvest rainwater during the rainy season, and stored water was applied to cropland as supplemental irrigation (SI). An economic analysis was performed to calculate the benefits due to an OFR irrigation system, and gains from increased crop yield and downstream water availability in the irrigated OFR system were compared with rainfed system (i.e. no OFR). In addition, we calculated the impacts of dry and wet seasons on total value gains (grain and water gains) for irrigated and rainfed conditions and performed a sensitivity analysis to quantify the impacts of model input parameters on total value gains. Analyses showed that the OFR system can produce crop yields three times greater than rainfed agriculture. During a water stress season, the total water use in the irrigated system was 65 % greater than for the rainfed system. Water use efficiency of the irrigated system was 82 % higher than for the rainfed system. In a dry season, the total value gains due to increased crop yield by supplemental irrigation and downstream water availability of the irrigated system were 74 % greater than for the rainfed system, while in a wet season the total value gain of the irrigated system was 14 % greater than for the rainfed system. A precipitation scenario analysis of wet and dry seasons indicated that the benefits of a rainwater harvesting system can be considerably greater in dry seasons than wet seasons.     

伊犁灌区建设存在的问题与对策

伊犁河流域灌区目前主要的问题是灌溉面积较小、灌溉水利用率低、生态与环境恶化、管理机制不合理.在建设中首先要以改造老灌区为主，全面配套灌区建筑物、提高渠系水利用率，大力发展节水灌溉，提高田间水利用率．同时要加强灌区的管理，在开发中应该以保护当地的生态与环境为主。     

Changes in Summer Irrigated Crop Area and Water Use in Southeastern Turkey from 1993 to 2002: Implications for Current and Future Water Resources

Changes in summer irrigated cropland acreage and related water use are estimated from satellite remote sensing and ancillary data in semi-arid Southeastern Turkey where traditionally dry agricultural lands are being rapidly transformed into irrigated fields with the help of water from the Euphrates-Tigris Rivers. An image classification methodology based on thresholding of Landsat NDVI images from the peak summer period reveals that the total area of summer irrigated crops has increased three-fold (from 35,000 ha to over 100,000) in the Harran Plain between 1993 and 2002. Coupled analysis of annual irrigated crop area from remote sensing and potential evapotranspiration based estimates of irrigation water requirements for cotton indicate a corresponding increase in agricultural water use from about 370 million cubic meters to over one billion cubic meters, a volume in accordance with the state estimates. These estimates have important implications for understanding the rapid changes in current agricultural withdrawals in Southeastern Turkey and form a quantitative basis for exploring the changes in future water demands in the region. For example, expansion of irrigated lands have led to a steady decrease in potential evaporation due to increased roughness and decreased humidity deficit in the Harran Plain. Assuming that the changes in future evaporation conditions will be of similar nature, water use for irrigation is expected to decrease over 40 percent in future irrigation sites. Incorporating this decrease in overall planning of the irrigation projects currently under construction should lead to improved management, and by extension, sustainability of water resources in the region.     

井灌类型区农业高效用水模式及产业化示范

农业高效用水管理示范工程是国家科技部在“九五”期间批准立项的重大科技产业工程项目。井灌类型区农业是我国重要的灌溉农业类型区一，提高井灌区的灌溉水利用率和单方水的生产效率，对节约用水，提高农业生产水平具有重要的意义。河北省三河市通过提高井灌区水的利用率，创建和发展了相关产业，使该项目成为农业高效用水科技产业示范工程。     

Irrigation energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions of maize production in Mexico

Maize is the most important crop grown in Mexico, with more than one-third of total production coming from irrigated fields. We compute irrigation energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions of different irrigated maize systems in Mexico. Calculations were based on National Agriculture and Forestry Census 2007 microdata, irrigation water requirements estimated from state-level climate data, and energy and emission coefficients from the literature. Weighted average irrigation energy and related emissions are in the range of 1.0–31.6 GJ/ha and 62.0–2,019.9 kg CO₂e/ha, respectively, while country-scale estimates amount to 4.8 PJ and 305.2 Gg CO₂e.     

Groundwater Doctrine and Water Withdrawals in the United States

Groundwater is a valuable natural resource which is directly related to food production, human and ecosystem health. In the US, 48% of irrigated agriculture relies on groundwater, but there is no systematic national program responsible for groundwater management. For this paper, each US state was classified based on its most prevalent groundwater doctrine: Absolute Ownership, Prior Appropriation, Reasonable Use, and Correlative Rights. The Köppen climate zone of each state, USGS runoff data and USGS county-level water use data from 1985 to 2015 were used to analyze how groundwater use varies with climate and groundwater doctrine. Semi-arid states, which all follow Prior Appropriation doctrine, have the highest average irrigation rate, while states following Reasonable Use doctrine have the lowest average rate, but the largest variability. Analysis of Covariance shows that in Prior Appropriation states, irrigation volume and area do not increase during warm, dry periods but in Absolute Ownership states irrigation volume does increase. Water use trend analysis shows that irrigated area and groundwater withdrawals have increased over the last 30 years in humid and temperate regions, while irrigated area has decreased in semi-arid regions. At the same time, irrigation rate and the fraction of irrigation coming from groundwater has increased everywhere, suggesting a potential shift in the preferred water source for irrigation. This data analysis will provide insights for future work on how water policy should respond to water scarcity in US.

     

Water Balance Study and Irrigation Strategies for Sustainable Management of a Tropical Ethiopian Lake: A Case Study of Lake Alemaya

Lake Alemaya in the Ethiopian Highlands has historically provided the surrounding area with water for domestic use, irrigation, and livestock and has served as a local fishery tank. Increasing irrigation and domestic water use, change in the local climate and changes in the surrounding land cover are believed to be the causes of Lake Alemaya’s demise. Expansion of major irrigated crops in particular chat (Catha Edulis), potato and vegetables and non-judicious use of irrigation water in the Lake Alemaya watershed led to presumption that irrigation is partly responsible for the withdrawal of large quantity of water from the lake. Thus, water balance study of Lake Alemaya was carried out under presumed scenarios in order to study the possible trends and fluctuations of the lake water level in response to proposed scenarios. Further, it is essential to study the irrigation performance for developing optimal irrigation schedules in the study area to make the best use of available water for long term sustainability of the water resources of Lake Alemaya. It was identified that expansion of the irrigated area in general and chat cultivation in particular in the study area have been the key to sustainable management of lake water, hence its expansion during the past 37 years (1965–2002) was studied through interpretation of satellite data. Subsequently, performance evaluation of the small-scale irrigation practices for major irrigated crops was carried out. Optimal irrigation schedules for different crop seasons were also developed for these irrigated crops using CROPWAT software. It was found that chat area increased from 190 ha in 1996 to nearly 330 ha in 2002. Further, it was observed that 43% surface area of the lake has reduced within a span of 37 years. Overall, maximum irrigation intensity of chat, potato and vegetables is observed during the first irrigation season of the crop calendar. Particularly, in case of chat, irrigation performance indicators such as Relative Water Supply (RWS), Relative Irrigation Supply (RIS), Depleted Fraction (DF) and Overall Consumed Ratio (OCR) values indicated poor performance of irrigation practices. From the analysis, it was found that the application of a fixed irrigation depth and fixed irrigation interval combinations of (25 mm—25 day), (20 mm—20 day), or (20 mm—25 day) are recommended for chat in the study area. Optimal irrigation schedules were decided on the basis of combination of irrigation interval and depth that results in low loss of irrigation water with reasonable yield reduction. Thus, determination of appropriate water management strategy can ensure proper utilization of the available water resources and improve the water application efficiency of the small-scale irrigation practices around Lake Alemaya, Ethiopia.     

Trends in trickle irrigation systems development

As water availability becomes an increasing constraint on food production, more attention must be given to exploiting crop characteristics such as tolerance of water scarcity or saline soils, and the development of efficient water application methods. Water application methods vary, among other things, in their efficiency of water use and related yield, capital investment, longevity of equipment, labour and associated high technology. Trickle irrigation is one method which has shown great promise in these respects. Consequently its usage has expanded exponentially in the last decade and now includes many field and orchard crops which were traditionally irrigated under sprinkler or surface irrigation methods. Water saving, the ease of implementation and related higher yields per unit of water and per unit of area are a few of the main characteristics of trickle irrigation success.     

Groundwater Use for Irrigation and its Productivity: Status and Opportunities for Crop Intensification for Food Security in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a large and growing population that will demand more food and place greater pressure on resources. Dry season irrigated Boro rice production is important for national food security. Dry season irrigation mainly uses groundwater, but the extent of its use is not well known. We assessed groundwater use and water productivity of Boro in the northwest region of Bangladesh using remote sensing based energy balance modelling, crop classification and secondary statistics. The energy balance modelling shows a large spatial variation in the actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) from about 325 to 470 mm, with an overall spatial average of 365 mm during dry season. The estimated values of ET_a correspond well with independent values from field and regional scale soil and water balance modelling results. From spatial estimates of ET_a and effective rainfall, we computed regional net groundwater use for Boro production in 2009 as 2.4 km³. Groundwater is being used unsustainably in some areas, and a spatial time series (1990 to 2010) of pre- and post-monsoon groundwater depth changes in the northwest region of Bangladesh suggests that, with the current level of groundwater use, falling groundwater levels may pose a long term threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in much of the region. Boro water productivity varies from 0.95 to 1.35 kg/m³, allowing the identification of high performing “bright” and low performing “hot” spots and the development of strategies to reduce crop yield/productivity gaps and ensure future food security.     

The Assessment of Irrigation Efficiency in Buyuk Menderes Basin

While extending irrigated areas to augment agricultural production, irrigation efficiency should be increased not only to improve the agricultural production but also to obtain the sustainable use of valuable and limited water resources. Through the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which is a linear programming technique to determine the relative efficiency of a decision-making unit, it is possible to decide whether the use of water in an irrigation district is efficient or not. In this study, an input oriented DEA model is constituted to focus on the efficient use of inputs, and the method is applied to the irrigation districts having similar types of agriculture in the Buyuk Menderes Basin, Turkey. This paper aims to determine the efficient irrigation district(s), in other words where the application of water is the most profitable, considering two inputs; water volume supplied and the total irrigated area, and one output, the total value of agricultural production. The weight restrictions consistent with decision makers’ value judgements are added as constraints into the DEA models to prevent excessive weight flexibility assigned to inputs and outputs. The results have provided the efficiency scores of the irrigation districts and numerically delineated desired features of the irrigation districts for maximum efficiency. The analyses for three study years have inferred the robustness of the results. It is concluded that DEA is a practical tool for detecting local inefficiencies and proposing possible improvements for irrigation districts that could offer the greatest potential for growth.     

Hydrological balance and application of the MedWater Model on Naxos Island

The MedWater model was used to determine both the present and future water balances of the largest water basin on Naxos Island, Greece, comparing water resource availability with water demand while also testing assumptions related to the regional hydrological context and different future scenarios. The model indicated that: the required quantities of water for both irrigation and drinking needs reach their annual maximum values during the summer season; the annual water balance shows a general surplus, but not on a monthly basis; the available quantities of water are not enough to cover irrigation demands during the annual dry period; available water resources maximize in March and are generally under-exploited; and the required volumes of water for both irrigation and direct human consumption will increase in the future.     

The Economic Impact of Water Evaporation Losses from Water Reservoirs in the Segura Basin,SE Spain

In this paper we assess the economic impact of evaporation losses from great dams (GDs) and on-farm agricultural water reservoirs (AWRs) in the semi-arid Segura River basin, SE Spain. Evaporation losses from water reservoirs reduce the high water use efficiency reached in agriculture by means of other techniques such as well-built water pipes or drip irrigation and have a substantial economic impact. Evaporation losses have been calculated using Class-A pan evaporation data and pan coefficients, whereas their economic impact has been assessed using an economic mathematical programming model that simulates land and water allocation in the different irrigated areas of the basin. Our results show that annual evaporation from GDs and AWRs represents 8.7% of the water currently available for irrigation in the Segura basin. The economic impact of such losses has been estimated in a reduction of 6.3% of the value of agricultural production and 5.4% of the farm net margin. As less water is effectively available for farmers the basin’s irrigated area is reduced in a 7.5%. This impact is greater, in both absolute and relative terms, in the areas accommodating the most intensive and profitable irrigated agriculture. The applied methodology and results could be useful to regional water agencies and collective irrigation schemes for future planning and management, including the assessment of alternatives for reducing evaporation from reservoirs.     

冬灌对宁夏灌溉水有效利用系数影响研究

通过理论计算,2015年前,宁夏灌溉水有效利用系数测算时引水量中计入冬灌水量,而净灌溉水量中未计入冬灌有效灌溉水量。经测算宁夏冬灌灌溉水有效利用系数为0.217,不同灌区在0.128~0.706之间变化。计入冬灌有效灌溉水量后,宁夏灌溉水有效利用系数由0.484提高至0.516,系数提高0.032。研究同时表明,灌溉水量与灌溉水利用系数直接相关:自流灌区冬灌灌溉灌水量为210 m~3/亩,冬灌灌溉水有效利用系数均值为0.175;扬水灌区冬灌灌灌水量为120 m~3/亩,冬灌灌溉水有效利用系数均值为0.604。因此,合理制定灌区灌水定额,特别是冬灌灌水定额,可以提高灌溉水有效利用系数。宁夏自流灌区冬灌灌水量偏大,造成灌溉水有效利用系数低,节水潜力较大。     

Irrigation Performance Assessment in Crimea,Ukraine

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the performance of irrigated agriculture decreased drastically in Ukraine, due to problems related to the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. Before formulating recommendations on required actions to modify this problematic situation, insight is needed about (i) whether irrigated agriculture is profitable under a market economy; (ii) to what extent the irrigation costs can be recovered from the farmers; and (iii) where irrigation costs can be reduced. Therefore, an economic performance assessment of irrigated agriculture is performed for the North Crimea Canal (NCC) irrigation system in Crimea, Ukraine on the basis of a number of indicators. A spatial analysis is required, because in the remote parts of NCC water has to be lifted several times before it reaches the field and costs of water delivery consequently vary. Analysing irrigation performance in a spatial environment is an extension of existing work. The analysis shows that (i) irrigated agriculture is profitable under a market economy although costs vary considerably (due to water lifting and irrigation technology used); (ii) the irrigation costs can be recovered by farmers; and (iii) can be reduced substantially at distribution and farm level.     

The effect of reclaimed wastewater on the quality and growth of grapevines

The effect of the use of treated wastewater on the growth of cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes from the Guadalupe Valley, Mexico was evaluated. Secondary advanced effluent was used to irrigate the grapevines at a rate of 66 L/vine/week. Wastewater quality results confirmed that all parameters complied with Mexican legislation for crop irrigation as well as reuse in activities in which the public would be in direct or indirect contact with the reclaimed water. Results showed that the number of leaves per shoot and the overall biomass increased in plants irrigated with wastewater and grape production per plant was 20% higher. The concentration of carbohydrates, organic acids and pH were similar in grapes from vines irrigated with wastewater to those irrigated with groundwater. Throughout the experiment, no fecal coliform bacteria were detected in the cultivated grapes. The wastewater caused an increase in the biomass of the grapevines and there was no presence of microbial indicators in the final product so a higher wine production could be achieved without an increase in health risk related problems. If 200 L/s of reclaimed wastewater would be returned to be used for grapevine irrigation in Valle de Guadalupe (the same amount that is currently being sent as drinking water to Ensenada), assuming an irrigation application of 6,000-7.500 m3/ha/year, approximately 837-1046 hectares (ha) of grapevines could be irrigated. Part of ongoing research includes an economical analysis of the best options for Ensenada and the Valle de Guadalupe in order to establish the optimum volume of water to be returned, the cost of its transportation, as well as the cost of irrigation.     

Irrigation Water Quality Requirements

ABSTRACT

Rational use of salinized water contributes to the saving of water resources, enlargement of irrigated areas and increased volumes of agricultural produce. It is ascertained that there are several distinguishable levels in irrigation water quality requirements, depending on climatic conditions, drainage conditions OF the territory, fertility, texture and properties of soil, and salt resistance of agricultural crops. In cases where irrigation water quality requirements are not adhered to soil fertility deteriorates, thereby reducing the yield and quality of agricultural produce.

Restrictions on irrigation water quality increase with transfer From the desert zone to dry steppe and steppe.

Thus, the source of irrigation water should be assessed from the viewpoint of alkalinization and salinization hazards with respect to crops of different salt resistance in the steppe, dry steppe and desert zones.     

Policy Options to Improve Water Allocation Efficiency: Analysis on Egypt and Morocco

Abstract

Because of political risk, economic feasibility, and cultural concerns, it has been a great challenge for economists to provide palatable remedies to governments to promote water allocation efficiency. Considering the limitation of water pricing to irrigation water, this research addresses questions of which strategic policy alternatives to water pricing might improve irrigation water allocation efficiency. An empirical framework is provided to compare irrigation policies for allocating scarce water to agricultural production in Egypt and Morocco. Partial-equilibrium agricultural sector models specific to Egypt and Morocco were employed for policy tests. Consumer and producer surplus from agricultural based commodities is maximized subject to various resources, technical, and policy constraints. Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) was used to calibrate the model. Water pricing policy, water complementary input factor tax policy, and output tax policy are tested using these two agricultural sector models. Results suggest that effective policy depends on the social, economic, and environmental contexts of specific regions. For countries like Egypt where most agricultural land is irrigated, taxes on Nitrogen (N) fertilizer and energy and output tax on water-intensive and low profit crop production may be more effective than others. For the Moroccan case, taxation on crop inputs and outputs not only affect water use in the public irrigation sector, but also private irrigation sector and rain-fed as a whole. Water pricing and output tax policies are better suited and effective than water complementary input factor taxation. Findings from Morocco might be generalized to other countries with similar irrigation characteristics and diversity in irrigated (public and private) and rain-fed land. The results for both countries demonstrate that some of the strategic irrigation policies can work towards directing cropping decisions to less water intensive crops and also generating revenues for governments in situations where governments choose not to price water.     

Nematode suppression and growth stimulation in corn plants (Zea mays L.) irrigated with domestic effluent

Treated wastewater has great potential for agricultural use due to its concentrations of nutrients and organic matter, which are capable of improving soil characteristics. Additionally, effluents can induce suppression of plant diseases caused by soil pathogens. This study evaluates the effect of irrigation with effluent in a UASB reactor on maize (Zea mays L.) development and on suppression of the diseases caused by nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne. Twelve lysimeters of 1 m(3) each were arranged in a completely randomized design, with four treatments and three replicates. The following treatments were used: T1 (W+I), irrigation with water and infestation with nematodes; T2 (W+I+NPK), irrigation with water, infestation with nematodes and fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); T3 (E+I), irrigation with effluent and infestation with nematodes; and T4 (E+I+P), irrigation with effluent, infestation with nematodes and fertilization with phosphorus. The plants irrigated with the effluent plus the phosphorus fertilizer had better growth and productivity and were more resistant to the disease symptoms caused by the nematodes. The suppression levels may have been due to the higher levels of Zn and NO(3)(-) found in the leaf tissue of the plants irrigated with the effluent and phosphorus fertilizer.     

Assessment of irrigation schemes in Turkey with irrigation Ratio and relative water supply

Abstract:

Irrigation management is among the key factors for the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. In Turkey, irrigation management is becoming increasingly important due to the scarcity of water resources and degrading environmental conditions. In this paper, we compiled a large data set that compromise of water supply, crop types, crop water requirement, and irrigated and command areas that are SHW‐operated (State Hydraulic Works) and transferred irrigation schemes (the schemes transferred from SHW to non‐profit organizations, i.e., water users’ associations) for the five years (1996 to 2000). This data set was used to calculate two irrigation performance indicators: Irrigation ratio (IR) and relative water supply (RWS). ANOVA test results indicated that the differences in the IR and RWS among the years were statistically not significant, whereas a statistically significant difference was found between the SHW‐operated and transferred irrigation schemes. The average values of the irrigation ratios for the transferred irrigation schemes were always higher than that of the SHW‐operated schemes, but the opposite was true for the RWS. This suggest that the transfer of the SHW‐operated schemes to the water use associations must be initiated and encouraged, in addition to the set up of legal procedures for participatory irrigation management, in order to cope with the possible operation and maintenance (O&M) problems of irrigation schemes.