Water Management of Irrigated-Drained Fields in the Jordan Valley South of Lake Kinneret

The Jordan Valley is one of the primary regions for growing winter crops of fruit and vegetables in Israel and Jordan. Control of water management in these fields is obtained by solid-set irrigation systems and subsurface drainage. Detailed field observations were conducted at a location near the Jordan River, south of Lake Kinneret. Water table heights were measured by approximately 100?piezometers. An exiting wide spacing (160?m) subsurface drainage system was monitored and the total drainage discharge from this regional drainage system to Lake Kinneret was measured. Rainfall, irrigation, and evapotranspiration rates were measured and overall hydrological balance was conducted. The old irrigation method in the region was border irrigation with very high leaching fraction and poor irrigation efficiency. During the 1970s the irrigation method was changed to computer operated drip irrigation. The leaching fraction was reduced and irrigation efficiency increased. Reduction of the total drainage discharge to Lake Kinneret by a factor of about 10 was observed. Water table rise under hand moving sprinkler and soil-set drip irrigation methods were measured and compared for assessment of salinization of the root zone by upward movement of groundwater. The result indicates the strong effect of irrigation time interval on the extent of these rises. The effect of irrigation mode on the extent of water table rises was measured at the field by comparing that under hand moving sprinkler irrigation to that under water solid set drip method. This effect depends, among other variables, on the irrigation time interval, a fact which complicates prediction of water table rise under different irrigation practices. These field results support previous theoretical analysis by the writers and highlighted the interrelationship between irrigation practice and drainage design. The effect of water table drawdown towards the Jordan River was monitored and found to be about 4.6%. The strong influence of the Jordan River on water table height at the drained field is magnified by the existence of sandy layers in the soil profile. This observed gradient may be used for the estimation of lateral seepage flow from the irrigated agricultural field towards the adjacent Jordan River. This study provides a useful source of data for future studies in similar situations.     

Allocation of Scarce Water Resources Using Deficit Irrigation in Rotational Systems

On irrigation schemes with rotational irrigation systems in semiarid tropics, the existing rules for water allocation are based on applying a fixed depth of water with every irrigation irrespective of the crops, their growth stages, and soils on which these crops are grown. However, when water resources are scarce, it is necessary to allocate water optimally to different crops grown in the irrigation scheme taking account of different soils in the command area. Allocating water optimally may lead to applying less water to crops than is needed to obtain the maximum yield. In this paper, a three stage approach is proposed for allocating water from a reservoir optimally based on a deficit irrigation approach, using a simulation-optimization model. The allocation results with a deficit irrigation approach are compared for a single crop (wheat) in an irrigation scheme in India, first with full irrigation (irrigation to fill the root zone to field capacity) and second with the existing rule. The full irrigation with a small irrigation interval was equivalent to adequate irrigation (no stress to the crop). It is found that practicing deficit irrigation enables the irrigated area and the total crop production in the irrigation scheme used for the case study to be increased by about 30–45% and 20–40%, respectively, over the existing rule and by 50 and 45%, respectively, over the adequate irrigation. Allocation of resources also varied with soil types.     

Effect of Preharvest Deficit Irrigation on Second Crop Watermelon Grown in an Extremely Hot Climate

As a second crop, watermelons (Citrullus vulgaris, Crimson sweet) were grown in 2003 and 2004 in the Sanliurfa-Harran Plain in southeastern Turkey to determine the effect of preharvest water stress on fruit yield, quality (i.e., soluble solids contents and fruit size), leaf temperature, and some other physiological parameters. Preharvest drip irrigation treatments included (1) complete irrigation cutoff, dry (D); (2) full irrigation based on replenishment of soil water depleted from 0 to 90?cm soil profile (C); (3) 75% full irrigation (IR1); (4) 50% full irrigation (IR2); and (5) 25% full irrigation (IR3) with 3-day irrigation interval. Treatment plots received the same level of irrigation water until the fruit formation stage, except for Treatment D. Then, different water stress levels were imposed on treatment plots. Irrigation water applied to the five respective treatments were 636, 511, 395, 245, and 120?mm in 2003 and 648, 516, 403, 252, and 127?mm in 2004. Results indicated that fruit yield was significantly lowered by reduced water rates. The seasonal average yield response factor (ky) for both years was 1.0, but it was 0.97 for 2003 and 0.98 for 2004. The highest marketable fruit yield, obtained from treatment C, was 32.4?Mg?ha?1 in 2003 and 37.1?Mg?ha?1 in 2004. D, IR2, and IR3 treatments reduced most measured parameters, except for soluble solids contents (SSC). Both the fruit size and SSC were significantly affected by late-season irrigation management; individual fruit weights were significantly reduced, whereas SSC increased in the IR2 and IR3 treatments compared to the control values. The writers’ results clearly indicated that reduced preharvest irrigation was detrimental. Water use efficiency (WUE) was significantly affected by irrigation treatments. Even a 25% reduction in the irrigation amount caused a 15% reduction in marketable yield. This indicates that deficit irrigation in the ripening stage significantly increased water use efficiency. The study demonstrated that a moderate deficit irrigation, which is replenishment up to 50% of soil water depleted in the root zone, can be successfully used to improve WUE under semiarid climatic conditions.     

Multicriteria Analysis in an Irrigation District in Mexico

The Alto Rio Lerma Irrigation District, located in the state of Guanajuato in Mexico, is an agricultural area whose sustainability depends partially upon groundwater withdrawal for crop irrigation. Because of high pumping demands and current land-management practices, groundwater levels have declined severely, resulting in aquifer overdraft. In order to analyze economic, environmental, and water use problems in this region, 12 potential cropping patterns were generated for different groundwater withdrawals using linear programming. Then, simulation of the agricultural system was performed using GLEAMS to estimate the amounts of water, nitrate, and pesticides in both runoff and percolation for each cropping pattern. Pumping costs and an aquifer exploitation coefficient account for the economic and environmental impacts of aquifer overdraft. Finally, the Range of Value Method (multicriteria method) was applied to rank and identify the best cropping pattern. The results show the best alternative for effectively balancing environmental with economic considerations was the farming practice, consisting of land leveling, growing vegetables such as red tomato, and controlled groundwater withdrawals to preserve aquifer sustainability.     

Effects of Stormwater Infiltration on Quality of Groundwater Beneath Retention and Detention Basins

Infiltration of storm water through detention and retention basins may increase the risk of groundwater contamination, especially in areas where the soil is sandy and the water table shallow, and contaminants may not have a chance to degrade or sorb onto soil particles before reaching the saturated zone. Groundwater from 16 monitoring wells installed in basins in southern New Jersey was compared to the quality of shallow groundwater from 30 wells in areas of new-urban land use. Basin groundwater contained much lower levels of dissolved oxygen, which affected concentrations of major ions. Patterns of volatile organic compound and pesticide occurrence in basin groundwater reflected the land use in the drainage areas served by the basins, and differed from patterns in background samples, exhibiting a greater occurrence of petroleum hydrocarbons and certain pesticides. Dilution effects and volatilization likely decrease the concentration and detection frequency of certain compounds commonly found in background groundwater. High recharge rates in storm water basins may cause loading factors to be substantial even when constituent concentrations in infiltrating storm water are relatively low.     

Optimal Crop Planning and Conjunctive Use of Surface Water and Groundwater Resources Using Fuzzy Dynamic Programming

Optimal crop planning and the conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources are imperative for the sustainable management of water resources, especially in semiarid regions. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to crop planning and water resources management under uncertainties caused by climate changes that affect irrigation planning in terms of decisions to determine the amounts of water that can/must be allocated. In this paper, optimal crop planning and conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater are developed for the Najafabad Plain, a part of the Zayandehrood River basin in west-central Iran. The fuzzy inference system (FIS) is used to account for the experience and expert judgments of decision makers and farmers to obtain optimal crop planning and cultivation with a reliable water demand based on climate conditions. In the present work, fuzzy regression is used for considering uncertainty and ambiguity in the data used in the simulation model as well as the uncertainties in interactions between surface water and groundwater. The objective function of the optimization model is to minimize shortages in supplying irrigation demands. The results are applicable to a wide range of climate conditions.     

General Irrigation Planning Performance of Water User Associations in the Gediz Basin in Turkey

In this study, an evaluation has been made of the realization level of the planned targets in irrigation planning for all of the 13 water user associations (WUAs) of the Gediz Basin. This evaluation was made according to six performance indicators: level of realization of irrigation ratios, level of realization of crop pattern, dependability, adequacy, efficiency, and equity for the years 1999–2002. Seven associations were successful in irrigation ratio realization, and four were successful in crop pattern. Failure of other WUAs can be reduced by collecting farmers’ declarations and evaluating them with greater care and sensitivity. Water delivery in the general irrigation plan was found to be poor with regard to dependability and equity, and good with regard to the indicators of adequacy (except in the year 2001) and efficiency. In order to improve dependability, the period when water is diverted from the source and the period when water is needed must coincide completely. In order to improve equity, delivery of water to WUAs must be carried out taking account of water requirements predicted in the general irrigation plan. When these two indicators are improved, adequacy and efficiency will improve also.     

Integrated Agro-Economic Approach to Deficit Irrigation on Lettuce Crops in Sicily (Italy)

The effect of four different irrigation levels on the marketable yield and economic return of summer-growth lettuce was evaluated during 2005 and 2006 in Eastern Sicily, Italy. The viability of deficit irrigation was evaluated by estimating optimum applied water levels. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) was estimated by combining pan evaporation measures and the Penman–Monteith approach (ET0-PM). The highest marketable yield of lettuce was recorded for plots receiving 100% ET0-PM. For deficit irrigated plots, reductions in crop production were ascribed to a decrease in lettuce weight. Crop coefficients equal to 1 determined maximum crop production values. Crop water use efficiency was maximum at a 100% ET0-PM level of water applied, corresponding to yield of 0.3?t?ha?1?mm?1. Irrigation water use efficiency reached its maximum at a 40% ET0-PM level, with values of 0.54 and 0.44?t?ha?1?mm?1 during 2005 and 2006, respectively. Water applied and marketable yield of lettuce showed a significant quadratic relationship. Cost functions had a quadratic form during 2005 and a linear form during 2006. In the land-limiting condition the optimal economic levels fit the agronomic ones well. In the water-limiting condition, ranges of water deficit of 15–44% and 74–94% were as profitable as full irrigation, thus contributing to appreciable water savings.     

River Hydrograph Retransmission Functions of Irrigated Valley Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions

Storage and release functions of western U.S. traditional river valley irrigation systems may counteract early and rapid spring river runoff associated with climate variation. Along the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico, we instrumented a 20-km-long irrigated valley to measure water balance components from 2005 to 2007. Hydrologic processes of the system were incorporated into a system dynamics model to test scenarios of changed water use. Of river water diverted into an earthen irrigation canal system, some was consumed by crop evapotranspiration (7.4%), the rest returned to the river as surface return flow (59.3%) and shallow groundwater return flow that originated as seepage from canals (12.1%) and fields (21.2%). The modeled simulations showed that the coupled surface water irrigation system and shallow aquifer act together to store water underground and then release it to the river, effectively retransmitting river flow until later in the year. Water use conversion to nonirrigation purposes and reduced seepage from canals and fields will likely result in higher spring runoff and lower fall and winter river flow.     

Uniformity Distribution and its Economic Effect on Irrigation Management in Semiarid Zones

The management of water resources in irrigation is a fundamental aspect for their sustainability. For correct management, several tools and systems for decision making are necessary. Among the large number of factors that affect the optimization of water use, we must focus on irrigation uniformity and its economic implications. The following methodology, implemented in a computer model, allows us to carry out an economic analysis of the effects of different Christiansen’s uniformity coefficients (CU), which are useful for system design and calculation and also for irrigation management in order to obtain maximize gross margin. In the zone studied (Hydrogeologic System 08.29, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) working with a solid set system and with four crops (barley, garlic, maize, and onion), there is an economic interest in designing systems with a high CU (90%) that allows us to obtain a high application efficiency (Ea). Regarding the economic optimization of the irrigation depths, the results show that the optimum gross depths are always lower than the irrigation depths for maximum crop yield. The higher the CU, the lower the depths, while the crop yield increases and the gross margin of the crop improves. These general results present significant differences among crops, according to their water requirements and their economic profitability.     

Hydrologic Impacts due to Changes in Conveyance and Conversion from Flood to Sprinkler Irrigation Practices

Improvements in irrigation efficiency are well documented when changing from flood to sprinkler irrigation methods; however, other impacts to the watershed associated with this change are not well known. The resulting impacts to a river basin hydrology when irrigation and conveyance methods are changed are the focus of this study. In an attempt to improve water application and conveyance efficiencies in the Salt River Basin of western Wyoming, irrigation practices were changed from flood irrigation to sprinkler irrigation beginning in the late 1960s, with completion by the mid-1970s. Based upon a water balance, flow in the Salt River increased an average of 65.62 MCM/year. Return flow timing was also impacted by the conversion to sprinkler irrigation. Flows increased 34% in May and 50% in June, while decreasing 15 and 14% in August and September. These changes may have coincided with decreases in groundwater storage. However, analysis of changes in groundwater levels with time was inconclusive. Surface water total dissolved solids (TDS) appears unaffected by the conversion in irrigation practices, while limited groundwater quality data indicate that TDS values are lower in sprinkler irrigated areas.     

A Paradigm Shift in Irrigation Management

In coming decades, irrigated agriculture will be called upon to produce up to two thirds of the increased food supply needed by an expanding world population. But the increasing dependence on irrigation will coincide with accelerating competition for water and rising concern about the environmental effects of irrigation. These converging pressures will force irrigators to reconsider what is perhaps the most fundamental precept of conventional irrigation practice; that crop water demands should be satisfied in order to achieve maximum crop yields per unit of land. Ultimately, irrigated agriculture will need to adopt a new management paradigm based on an economic objective—the maximization of net benefits—rather than the biological objective of maximizing yields. Irrigation to meet crop water demand is a relatively simple and clearly defined problem with a singular objective. Irrigation to maximize benefits is a substantially more complex and challenging problem. Identifying optimum irrigation strategies will require more detailed models of the relationships between applied water, crop production, and irrigation efficiency. Economic factors, particularly the opportunity costs of water, will need to be explicitly incorporated into the analysis. In some cases the analysis may involve multi-objective optimization. The increased complexity of the analysis will necessitate the use of more sophisticated analytical tools. This paper examines the underlying logic of this alternative approach to irrigation management, explores the factors that will compel its adoption, and examines its economic and environmental implications. Two important concerns, sustainability and risk, are discussed in some depth. Operational practices for implementing the new approach are contrasted with current, conventional irrigation practices. Some of the analytical tools that might be employed in the search for optimum irrigation strategies are reviewed. Finally, the limited and largely intuitive efforts that have already been made to implement this new paradigm are discussed.     

Interactive Effects of Controlled Drainage and Riparian Buffers on Shallow Groundwater Quality

As a result of recent surface water quality problems in North Carolina, riparian buffers and controlled drainage are being used to reduce the loss of nonpoint source nitrogen from agricultural fields. The effect of controlled drainage and riparian buffers as best management practices to reduce the loss of agricultural nonpoint source nitrogen from the middle coastal plain has not been well documented. The middle coastal plain is characterized by intensive agriculture on sandy soils with deeply incised or channelized streams. A 2-year study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of controlled drainage, riparian buffers, and a combination of both in the middle coastal plain of North Carolina. It was hypothesized that raising the water table near the ditch would enhance nitrate-nitrogen reduction through denitrification. On the sandy soils studied, controlled drainage did not effectively raise the water table near the ditch to a greater degree than observed on the free drainage treatment. Due to random treatment location, the free drainage treatment was installed along a ditch with a shallower impermeable layer compared to the impermeable layer on the controlled drainage treatments (2 m versus 3- to 4-m deep). This resulted in a perched or higher water table on the free drainage treatment. Over 17 storm events, the riparian buffer (free drainage) treatment had an average groundwater table depth of 0.92 m compared to 0.96 and 1.45 m for the combination (riparian buffer and controlled drainage) and controlled drainage treatments, respectively. Nitrate concentration decrease between the field wells and ditch edge wells averaged 29% (buffer only), 63% (buffer and controlled drainage), and 73% (controlled drainage only). Although apparently more nitrate was removed from the groundwater on the controlled drainage treatments, the controlled drainage treatment water table near the ditch was not raised closer to the ground surface compared to the free drainage treatment. Nitrate removal effectiveness was attributed to local soil and landscape properties, such as denitrification in deeper reduced zones of the soil profile.     

Reference and Crop Evapotranspiration in South Central Nebraska. II: Measurement and Estimation of Actual Evapotranspiration for Corn

In planning, designing, and managing of surface and groundwater supply, it is essential to accurately quantify actual evapotranspiration (ETc) from various vegetation surfaces within the water supply areas to allow water management agencies to manipulate the land use pattern alternatives and scenarios to achieve a desired balance between water supply and demand. However, significant differences among water regulatory agencies and water users exist in terms of methods used to quantify ETc. It is essential to know the potential differences associated with using various empirical equations in quantifying ETc as compared with the measurements of this critical variable. We quantified and analyzed the differences associated with using 15 grass (ETo) and alfalfa-reference (ETr) combination, temperature and radiation-based reference ET (ETref) equations in quantifying grass-reference actual ET (ETco) and alfalfa-reference actual ET (ETcr) as compared with the Bowen ratio energy balance system (BREBS)-measured ETc (ETc-BREBS) for field corn (Zea mays L.). We analyzed the performance of the equations for their full season, irrigation season, peak ET month, and seasonal cumulative ETc estimates on a daily time step for 2005 and 2006. The step-wise Kc values instead of smoothed curves were used in the ETc calculations. The seasonal ETc-BREBS was measured as 572 and 561?mm in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The root-means-quare difference (RMSD) was higher for the full season than the irrigation season and peak ET month estimates for all equations. The standardized ASCE Penman-Monteith (PM) ETco had a RMSD of 1.37?mm?d?1 for the full growing season, 1.05?mm?d?1 for the irrigation season, and 0.76?mm?d?1 for the peak month ET. The ASCE-PM, 1963 and 1948 Penman ETc estimates were closest to the ETc-BREBS. The FAO-24 radiation and the HPRCC Penman ETc estimates also agreed well with the ETc-BREBS. Most combination equations performed best during the peak ET month except the temperature and radiation-based equations. There was an excellent correlation between the ASCE-PM ETco and ETcr with a high r2 of 0.99 and a low RMSD of 0.34?mm?d?1. The difference between the ETcr and ETco was found to be larger at the high ETc range (i.e., >8?mm), but overall, the ETcr and ETco values were within 3%. Significant differences were found between the cumulative ETco-METHOD and ETcr-METHOD versus ETc-BREBS. Most combination equations, including the standardized ASCE-PM ETco and ETcr underestimated ETc-BREBS during the early periods of the growing season where the soil evaporation was the dominant energy flux of the energy balance and in the late season near and after physiological maturity when the transpiration rates were less than the midseason. The underestimations early in the season can be attributed to the lack of ability of the physical structure of the ETref×crop coefficient approach to “fully” account for the soil surface conditions when complete canopy cover is not present. The results of this study can be used as a reference tool by the water resources regulatory agencies and water users and can provide practical information on which method to select based on the data availability for reliable estimates of daily ETc for corn.     

SDI Dripline Spacing Effect on Corn and Soybean Yield in a Piedmont Clay Soil

A subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system was installed in the Piedmont of North Carolina in a clay soil in the fall of 2001 to test the effect of dripline spacing on corn and soybean yield. The system was zoned into three sections; each section was cropped to either corn (Zea mays L.), full-season soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], or winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) double cropped to soybean representing any year of a typical crop rotation in the region. Each section had four plots; two SDI plots with dripline spacing at either 1.52 or 2.28 m, an overhead sprinkler irrigated plot, and an unirrigated plot. There was no difference in average corn grain yield for 2002–2005 between dripline spacings or between either dripline spacing and sprinkler. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was greater for sprinkler irrigated corn than for either SDI treatment and there was no difference in IWUE in soybean. Water typically moved laterally from the driplines 0.38 to 0.50 m. SDI yield and IWUE increased relative to sprinkler yields and water use efficiency in the second and third year of the study. This may suggest that initial fracturing of the heavy clay soil during SDI system installation and subsequent settling of the soil affected water distribution.     

Coupled Crop and Solid Set Sprinkler Simulation Model. II: Model Application

In this work, applications of the coupled solid set sprinkler irrigation and crop model AdorSim introduced in the companion paper are presented. The sprinkler irrigation model is based on ballistic theory, while the crop model is based on CropWat. AdorSim was used to evaluate the effect of sprinkler spacing on seasonal irrigation water use (WU) and crop yield. The most relevant results were related to the characterization of advanced irrigation scheduling strategies. The differences in crop yield and WU derived from irrigating at different times of the day were estimated for two locations strongly differing in wind speed. Irrigation guidelines were established in these locations to relate gross water use and water stress induced yield reductions. Simulations were also applied to estimate adequate wind speed thresholds for irrigation operation. In the experimental conditions, thresholds of 2.0–2.5?m?s?1 proved effective to control yield reductions and to minimize WU.     

Evaluating Regional Solutions to Salinization and Waterlogging in an Irrigated River Valley

Potential solutions to high soil salinity levels and waterlogging problems are investigated on a regional scale using calibrated finite-difference flow and mass transport modeling for a portion of the Lower Arkansas River Valley in Colorado. A total of 38 alternatives incorporating varying degrees of recharge reduction, canal seepage reduction, subsurface drainage installation, and pumping volume increases are modeled over three irrigation seasons (1999–2001). Six performance indicators are used to evaluate the effectiveness of these alternatives in improving agroecological conditions, compared to existing conditions. Predicted average regional decrease in water table elevation (as great as 1.93 m over the irrigation season) is presented for selected alternatives, as well as the spatial mapping of results. Decrease in soil salinity concentration (with regional and seasonal average reduction as high as 950 mg/L) is also predicted and mapped. Estimated groundwater salinity changes, reduction in total salt loading to the river, increase in average regional crop yield, and changes in net water consumption indicate the potential for marked regional-scale enhancements to the irrigation-stream-aquifer system.     

Regional Water Management Modeling for Decision Support in Irrigated Agriculture

Efficient water management is one of the key elements in successful operation of irrigation schemes in arid and semiarid regions. An integrated water management model was developed by combining an unsaturated flow model and a groundwater simulation model. These combined models serve as a tool for decision making in irrigation water management to maintain the water tables at a safe depth. The integrated model was applied on a regional scale in Sirsa Irrigation Circle, covering about a 0.42 million ha area in the northwestern part of Haryana, India, which is faced with serious waterlogging and salinity problems in areas underlain with saline ground irrigated by the canal network. The model was calibrated using the agrohydrologic data for the period 1977–1981 and validated for the period 1982–1990 by keeping the calibrating parameters unchanged. The model was used to study the long-term impact of two water management interventions related to the canal irrigation system—change in pricing system of irrigation water, and water supply according to demand—on the extent of waterlogging risk. Both of these strategies, if implemented, would considerably reduce aquifer recharge and consequently waterlogging risk, compared to the existing practice. The water supply according to demand strategy was slightly more effective in reducing aquifer recharge than the water pricing intervention. The implementation of the proposed water pricing policy would pose no problem in fitting into the existing irrigation system, and thus it would be easier to implement, compared to the water supply according to demand strategy, when taking technical, financial, and social considerations into account.     

Measuring On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency with Chloride Tracing under Deficit Irrigation

Water is a limited resource in agricultural production in arid climates. Under such conditions, high irrigation efficiency can be obtained either through implementation of efficient irrigation systems such as drip or sprinkler systems or through the age-old practice of deficit irrigation with gravity systems. The method used to increase irrigation efficiency is often dictated by economic and/or social factors. In either case, the effectiveness of water management at the farm level needs to be evaluated by measuring irrigation efficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the irrigation efficiencies for three crops in Southern New Mexico using the chloride technique. The chloride technique is a simple method in which the natural chloride in the irrigation water is used as a tracer to estimate the leaching fraction and the irrigation efficiency at the farm level. Soil samples were collected from various fields in 15 cm increments to a depth of 180 cm at the end of the irrigation season. The samples were analyzed for moisture and chloride content. In addition to the chloride technique, on-farm irrigation efficiencies were measured using applied water, yield, and water production functions. Water production functions and yields were used to estimate total evapotranspiration while flow measurements were used to calculate the amount of applied water. The results showed that high irrigation efficiency can be accomplished using deficit irrigation. Irrigation efficiency values ranged from 83 to 98%. Irrigation efficiencies using the chloride technique were compared with efficiencies estimated from direct flow measurements. The differences between the two methods ranged from 2 to 11.4%. The results showed that even though the chloride technique is subject to sampling errors and simplified theoretical assumptions, it can be used to estimate on-farm irrigation efficiency with considerable accuracy.     

Estimation of Crop Coefficients Using Satellite Remote Sensing

Crop coefficient (Kc) based estimation of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is one of the most commonly used methods for irrigation water management. The standardized FAO56 Penman-Monteith approach for estimating ETc from reference evapotranspiration and tabulated generalized Kc values has been widely adopted worldwide to estimate ETc. In this study, we presented a modified approach toward estimating Kc values from remotely sensed data. The surface energy balance algorithm for land model was used for estimating the spatial distribution of ETc for major agronomic crops during the 2005 growing season in southcentral Nebraska. The alfalfa-based reference evapotranspiration (ETr) was calculated using data from multiple automatic weather stations with geostatistical analysis. The Kc values were estimated based on ETc and ETr (i.e., Kc = ETc/ETr). A land use map was used for sampling and profiling the Kc values from the satellite overpass for the major crops grown in southcentral Nebraska. Finally, a regression model was developed to establish the relationship between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the ETr-based crop coefficients (Kcr) for corn, soybeans, sorghum, and alfalfa. We found that the coefficients of variation (CV) for NDVI, as well as for Kcr of crops were lower during the midseason as compared to the early and late growing seasons. High CV values during the early growing season can be attributed to differences in planting dates between the fields, whereas high CVs during the late season can be attributed to differences in maturity dates of the crops, variety, and management practices. There was a good relationship between Kcr and NDVI for all the crops except alfalfa. Validation of the developed model for irrigated corn showed very promising results. There was a good correlation between the NDVI-estimated Kcr and the Bowen ratio energy balance system based Kcr with a R2 of 0.74 and a low root mean square difference of 0.21. This approach can be a very useful tool for a large (watershed or regional) scale estimation of evapotranspiration using the crop coefficient and reference evapotranspiration approach.