Landscape irrigation by evapotranspiration-based irrigation controllers under dry conditions in Southwest Florida

Due to high demand for aesthetically pleasing urban landscapes from continually increasing population in Florida, new methods must be explored for outdoor water conservation. Three brands of evapotranspiration (ET) controllers were selected based on positive water savings results in arid climates. ET controllers were evaluated on irrigation application compared to a time clock schedule intended to mimic homeowner irrigation schedules. Three ET controllers were tested: Toro Intelli-sense; ETwater Smart Controller 100; Weathermatic SL1600. Other time-based treatments were TIME, based on the historical net irrigation requirement and RTIME that was 60% of TIME. Each treatment was replicated four times for a total of twenty St. Augustinegrass plots which were irrigated through individual irrigation systems. Treatments were compared to each other and to a time-based schedule without rain sensor (TIME WORS) derived from TIME. The study period, August 2006 through November 2007, was dry compared to 30-year historical average rainfall. The ET controllers averaged 43% water savings compared to a time-based treatment without a rain sensor and were about twice as effective and reducing irrigation compared to a rain sensor alone. There were no differences in turfgrass quality across all treatments over the 15-month study. The controllers adjusted their irrigation schedules to the climatic demand effectively, with maximum savings of 60% during the winter 2006-2007 period and minimum savings of 9% during spring 2007 due to persistent dry conditions. RTIME had similar savings to the ET controllers compared to TIME WORS indicating that proper adjustment of time clocks could result in substantial irrigation savings. However, the ET controllers would offer consistent savings once programmed properly.     

Landscape irrigation scheduling efficiency and adequacy by various control technologies

Automated residential irrigation systems tend to result in higher water use than non-automated systems. Increasing the scheduling efficiency of an automated irrigation system provides the opportunity to conserve water resources while maintaining good landscape quality. Control technologies available for reducing over-irrigation include evapotranspiration (ET) based controllers, soil moisture sensor (SMS) controllers, and rain sensors (RS). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the capability of these control technologies to schedule irrigation compared to a soil water balance model based on the Irrigation Association (IA) Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) testing protocol. Irrigation adequacy and scheduling efficiency were calculated in 30-day running totals to determine the amount of over- or under-irrigation for each control technology based on the IA SWAT testing protocol. A time-based treatment with irrigation 2 days/week and no rain sensor (NRS) was established as a comparison. In general, the irrigation adequacy ratings (measure of under-irrigation) for the treatments were higher during the fall months of testing than the spring months due to lower ET resulting in lower irrigation demand. Scheduling efficiency values (measure of over-irrigation) decreased for all treatments when rainfall increased. During the rainy period of this testing, total rainfall was almost double reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) while in the remaining three testing periods the opposite was true. The 30-day irrigation adequacy values, considering all treatments, varied during the testing periods by 0-68 percentile points. Looking at only one 30-day testing period, as is done in the IA SWAT testing protocol, will not fully capture the performance of an irrigation controller. Scheduling efficiency alone was not a good indicator of controller performance. The amount of water applied and the timing of application were both important to maintaining acceptable turfgrass quality and receiving good irrigation adequacy and scheduling efficiency scores.     

Irrigation scheduling performance by evapotranspiration-based controllers

Evapotranspiration-based irrigation controllers, also known as ET controllers, use ET information or estimation to schedule irrigation. Previous research has shown that ET controllers could reduce irrigation as much as 42% when compared to a time-based irrigation schedule. The objective of this study was to determine the capability of three brands of ET-based irrigation controllers to schedule irrigation compared to a theoretically derived soil water balance model based on the Irrigation Association Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) protocol to determine the effectiveness of irrigation scheduling. Five treatments were established, T1-T5, replicated four times for a total of twenty field plots in a completely randomized block design. The irrigation treatments were as follows: T1, Weathermatic SL1600 with SLW15 weather monitor; T2, Toro Intelli-sense; T3, ETwater Smart Controller 100; T4, a time-based treatment determined by local recommendations; and T5, a reduced time-based treatment 60% of T4. All treatments utilized rain sensors set at a 6 mm threshold. A daily soil water balance model was used to calculate the theoretical irrigation requirements for comparison with actual irrigation water applied. Calculated in 30-day running totals, irrigation adequacy and scheduling efficiency were used to quantify under- and over-irrigation, respectively. The study period, 25 May 2006 through 27 November 2007, was drier than the historical average with a total of 1326 mm of rainfall compared to 1979 mm for the same historical period. It was found that all treatments applied less irrigation than required for all seasons. Additionally, the ET controllers applied only half of the irrigation calculated for the theoretical requirement for each irrigation event, on average. Irrigation adequacy decreased when the ET controllers were allowed to irrigate any day of the week. All treatments had decreased scheduling efficiency averages in the rainy season with the largest decrease of 29 percentile points with a timer and rain sensor (T4) and an average decrease of 20 percentile points for the ET controllers, indicating that site specific rainfall has a significant effect on scheduling efficiency results. Rainfall did not drastically impact the average irrigation adequacy results. For this study, there were two controller program settings that impacted the results. The first setting was the crop coefficients where specific values were chosen for the location of the study when calculating the theoretical requirement whereas the controllers used default values. The second setting was the soil type that defines the soil water holding capacity of the soil. The ET controllers were able to regularly adjust to real-time weather, unlike the conventional irrigation timers. However, the incorporation of site specific rainfall measurements is extremely important to their success at managing landscape water needs and at a minimum a rain sensor should be used.     

Evaluating irrigation applied and nitrogen leached using different smart irrigation technologies on bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum)

Irrigation technologies [i.e., automatic timer, automatic timer with rain sensor, automatic timer with soil water sensor (SWS), and evapotranspiration (ET) controller] were compared in a bahiagrass plot study by measuring irrigation applied, water volumes drained, and NO₃–N and NH₄–N leached. All irrigation technologies were scheduled to irrigate on Sunday and Thursday. Three different irrigation depths were evaluated with the automatic timer: 15, 19, and 32 mm. SWS treatment allowed scheduled irrigation if soil water content was estimated to be below 70 % of water holding capacity, while the ET treatment allowed scheduled irrigation if soil water content was estimated to be below 50 % of plant available water. The rain sensor, SWS, and ET controller treatments applied significantly less water (p < 0.05) than the automatic timer treatment (which irrigates on specific days and times without regard to system conditions), reducing water by 17–49, 64–75, and 66–70 %, respectively. NO₃–N and NH₄–N were only significantly different after the second fertilizer application, which coincided with the 32 mm per event irrigation rate for the automatic timer treatment. Under these conditions, the automatic timer treatment had significantly greater NO₃–N and NH₄–N leachate than other treatments due to greater occurrence of soil water content exceeding water holding capacity, which resulted in drainage. Findings suggest that water can be saved using rain sensors, SWSs, or ET controllers and that leachate NO₃–N and NH₄–N can be reduced using rain sensors, SWSs, or ET controllers.     

Precision of soil moisture sensor irrigation controllers under field conditions

New soil moisture sensor systems (SMSs) for irrigation control have been commercialized in recent years. However, limited research has been carried out to evaluate their precision to measure the volumetric soil water content (θ). The objectives of this research were to: (a) determine the relationship between θ and the θ sensed by four commercially available SMSs, (b) quantify the proportion of scheduled irrigation cycles (SICs) that the SMSs bypassed, and (c) determine the θ at which SICs were allowed or bypassed. Sensors from brands Acclima, Rain Bird, Irrometer, and Water Watcher were buried at 7-10 cm depth, on plots with common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.]. A calibrated ECH₂O probe was also installed in every plot, at the same depth, to monitor θ continuously. When comparing the ECH₂O readings with θ sensed by the SMSs, significant correlations were found for the three Acclima RS500 (AC) systems tested, and for two of the three systems of Irrometer Watermark 200SS/WEM (IM) and Rain Bird MS-100 (RB). Most of the SMS-based treatments bypassed the majority of the SICs during rainy periods, and allowed irrigation during the dry periods. On average, 71% of the SICs were bypassed by the SMS treatments, without detriment to the turfgrass quality. However, most of the SMSs were not found to be precision instruments, because sometimes they bypassed SICs and sometimes they did not, even when reading the same or a lower θ. Considering the average θ range of over which the different SMS treatments always allowed or always bypassed irrigation, brand AC resulted in the significantly narrowest range (1.4%) followed by RB (3.2%), suggesting that they were more consistent and precise in measuring θ than Water Watcher DPS-100 (WW) and IM (7.4 and 7.8%, respectively). These results are consistent with the reported water savings achieved by these SMSs in related studies.     

Tomato yield, biomass accumulation, root distribution and irrigation water use efficiency on a sandy soil, as affected by nitrogen rate and irrigation scheduling

Florida is the largest producer of fresh-market tomatoes in the United States. Production areas are typically intensively managed with high inputs of fertilizer and irrigation. The objectives of this 3-year field study were to evaluate the interaction between N-fertilizer rates and irrigation scheduling on yield, irrigation water use efficiency (iWUE) and root distribution of tomato cultivated in a plastic mulched/drip irrigated production systems. Experimental treatments included three irrigation scheduling regimes and three N-rates (176, 220 and 230 kg ha⁻¹). Irrigation treatments included were: (1) SUR (surface drip irrigation) both irrigation and fertigation line placed right underneath the plastic mulch; (2) SDI (subsurface drip irrigation) where the irrigation line was placed 0.15 m below the fertigation line which was located on top of the bed; and (3) TIME (conventional control) with irrigation and fertigation lines placed as in SUR and irrigation being applied once a day. Except for the “TIME” treatment all irrigation treatments were controlled by soil moisture sensor (SMS)-based irrigation set at 10% volumetric water content which was allotted five irrigation windows daily and bypassed events if the soil water content exceeded the established threshold. Average marketable fruit yields were 28, 56 and 79 Mg ha⁻¹ for years 1-3, respectively. The SUR treatment required 15-51% less irrigation water when compared to TIME treatments, while the reductions in irrigation water use for SDI were 7-29%. Tomato yield was 11-80% higher for the SUR and SDI treatments than TIME where as N-rate did not affect yield. Root concentration was greatest in the vicinity of the irrigation and fertigation drip lines for all irrigation treatments. At the beginning of reproductive phase about 70-75% of the total root length density (RLD) was concentrated in the 0-15 cm soil layer while 15-20% of the roots were found in the 15-30 cm layer. Corresponding RLD distribution values during the reproductive phase were 68% and 22%, respectively. Root distribution in the soil profile thus appears to be mainly driven by development stage, soil moisture and nutrient availability. It is concluded that use of SDI and SMS-based systems consistently increased tomato yields while greatly improving irrigation water use efficiency and thereby reduced both irrigation water use and potential N leaching.     

Water-use patterns of tall fescue and hybrid bluegrass cultivars subjected to ET-based irrigation scheduling

In turf industry, the ability of a cultivar to use less water is an important consideration, especially where rainfall and irrigation water are insufficient. Knowledge of turf grass water-use patterns is therefore important for developing efficient water management practices and also for selection of drought-resistant cultivars. We evaluated the soil water‐use patterns of tall fescue and hybrid bluegrasses cultivars irrigated at different rates. Field experiments were conducted at the Turfgrass Research Facility, Auburn University, AL, in 2005 and 2006. Two tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars (‘Kentucky 31’ and ‘Green Keeper’) and four hybrid bluegrass (Poa pratensis L. × Poa arachnifera Torr.) cultivars, viz., HB 129 [‘Thermal Blue’], HB 130 (Experimental line), HB 328 (Experimental line) and HB 329 [‘Dura Blue’] were included in this study. Plots were irrigated based on the potential evapotranspiration, viz., 100% ET, 80% ET and 60% ET replacements. Tensiometers were installed at 0.075, 0.15 and 0.30 m depths, and their readings used to calculate the matric head, water content and water-use values. Turf color quality was determined from turf canopy digital images. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for a random complete block design (RCBD) was conducted for available water, water-use and turf color quality values. Hybrid bluegrasses revealed significantly (P = 0.05) higher turf color indices compared to the tall fescue cultivars, but there was no indication of differential responses to irrigation among cultivars. Based on water-use data, hybrid bluegrass cultivars revealed significantly (P = 0.05) lower water-use compared to tall fescue cultivars.     

Plant response to evapotranspiration and soil water sensor irrigation scheduling methods for papaya production in south Florida

An irrigation study was conducted to determine the effects of implementing different irrigation practices on growth and yields of papaya plants in south Florida. Treatments included using automated switching tensiometers based on soil water status, irrigation based on ET calculated from historic weather data and a set schedule irrigation regime. The study consisted of two trials (2006-2007 and 2008-2009). Water volumes applied, plant height and diameter, leaf gas exchange, leaf petiole nutrient levels, fruit yields and fruit total soluble solids were measured throughout the study. For both trials, significantly more water was applied in the set schedule irrigation treatment than in all other treatments; historic ET and soil water based treatments received only about 31-36% of the water applied in the set schedule irrigation. Trunk diameter and plant height per unit water volume applied values for the set schedule treatment were significantly lower than those from all other treatments during both trials. The set schedule treatment in both trials also had the lowest crop production water use efficiency (CP-WUE); CP-WUE values among all other treatments were generally not significantly different from each other. Soil water and historic ET-based irrigation methods were identified as more sustainable practices compared to set schedule irrigation due to the lower water volumes applied while maintaining plant nutrient content, growth, photosynthetic rates, and fruit yields for this production system.     

Tomato nitrogen accumulation and fertilizer use efficiency on a sandy soil, as affected by nitrogen rate and irrigation scheduling

Tomato production systems in Florida are typically intensively managed with high inputs of fertilizer and irrigation and on sandy soils with low inherent water and nutrient retention capacities; potential nutrient leaching losses undermine the sustainability of such systems. The objectives of this 3-year field study were to evaluate the interaction between N-fertilizer rates and irrigation scheduling on crop N and P accumulation, N-fertilizer use efficiency (NUE) and NO₃-N leaching of tomato cultivated in a plastic mulched/drip irrigated production system in sandy soils. Experimental treatments were a factorial combination of three irrigation scheduling regimes and three N-rates (176, 220, and 330 kg ha⁻¹). Irrigation treatments included were: (1) surface drip irrigation (SUR) both the irrigation and fertigation line placed underneath the plastic mulch; (2) subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) where the irrigation drip was placed 0.15 m below the fertigation line which was located on top of the bed; and (3) TIME (conventional control) with the irrigation and fertigation lines placed as in SUR and irrigation applied once a day. Except for the TIME treatment all irrigation treatments were soil moisture sensor (SMS)-based with irrigation occurring at 10% volumetric water content. Five irrigation windows were scheduled daily and events were bypassed if the soil water content exceeded the established threshold. The use of SMS-based irrigation systems significantly reduced irrigation water use, volume percolated, and nitrate leaching. Based on soil electrical conductivity (EC) readings, there was no interaction between irrigation and N-rate treatments on the movement of fertilizer solutes. Total plant N accumulation for SUR and SDI was 12-37% higher than TIME. Plant P accumulation was not affected by either irrigation or N-rate treatments. The nitrogen use efficiency for SUR and SDI was on the order of 37-45%, 56-61%, and 61-68% for 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively and significantly higher than for the conventional control system (TIME). Moreover, at the intermediate N-rate SUR and SDI systems reduced NO₃-N leaching to 5 and 35 kg ha⁻¹, while at the highest N-rate corresponding values were 7 and 56 kg N ha⁻¹. Use of N application rates above 220 kg ha⁻¹ did not result in fruit and/or shoot biomass nor N accumulation benefits, but substantially increased NO₃-N leaching for the control treatment, as detected by EC monitoring and by the lysimeters. It is concluded that appropriate use of SDI and/or sensor-based irrigation systems can sustain high yields while reducing irrigation application as well as reducing NO₃-N leaching in low water holding capacity soils.     

Water savings, nutrient leaching, and fruit yield in a young avocado orchard as affected by irrigation and nutrient management

This project was designed to determine the effect of fertilizer rate and irrigation scheduling on water use, nutrient leaching, and fruit yield of young avocado trees (Persea americana Mill. cv. Simmonds). Seven nutrient and irrigation management practices were evaluated: (1) irrigation based on crop evapotranspiration (ET) with 50% fertilizer at a standard rate (FSR); (2) ET irrigation with FSR (typical for avocado production in the area); (3) ET irrigation with 200% FSR; (4) irrigation based on exceedance of 15-kPa (SW) soil water suction with 50% FSR; (5) SW with FSR; (6) SW with 200% FSR; and (7) irrigation at a set schedule (based on timing and frequency typically used in local avocado production) with FSR. The SW with FSR treatment saved 87% of the water volume applied and reduced total phosphorus leached by 74% compared to the set schedule irrigation with FSR. The SW with FSR treatment had higher avocado fruit production, tree water-use efficiency, and fertilizer-use efficiency than the other six treatments. Thus, the use of soil water monitoring for irrigation management can substantially increase sustainability of young avocado orchards in southern Florida.     

Quantifying reductions in consumptive water use under regulated deficit irrigation in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

The reduction in agricultural water use in areas of scarce supplies can release significant amounts of water for other uses. As improvements in irrigation systems and management have been widely adopted by fruit tree growers already, there is a need to explore the potential for reducing irrigation requirements via deficit irrigation (DI). It is also important to quantify to what extent the reduction in applied water through DI is translated into net water savings via tree evapotranspiration (ET) reduction. An experiment was conducted in a commercial pistachio orchard in Madera, CA, where a regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) program was applied to a 32.3-ha block, while another block of the same size was fully irrigated (FI). Four trees were instrumented with six neutron probe access tubes each, in the two treatments and the soil water balance method was used to determine tree ET. Seasonal irrigation water in FI, applied through a full-coverage microsprinkler system, amounted to 842 mm, while only 669 mm were applied in RDI. Seasonal ET in FI was 1024 mm, of which 308 mm were computed as evaporation from soil (E_s). In RDI, seasonal ET was reduced to 784 mm with 288 mm as Es. The reduction in applied water during the deficit period amounted to 147 mm. The ET of RDI during the deficit period was also reduced relative to that of FI by 133 mm, which represented 33% of the ET of FI during the deficit irrigation period. There was an additional ET reduction in RDI of about 100 mm that occurred in the post-deficit period.     

The effects of different irrigation levels applied in golf courses on some quality characteristics of turfgrass

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of different irrigation levels on evapotranspiration (ET) and quality characteristics of golf-course turfgrasses grown under Mediterranean climatic conditions and to determine the most economical irrigation level which would provide an acceptable turfgrass quality level. Four different irrigation treatments were examined: 100% (S₁), 88% (S₂), 75% (S₃), and 50% (S₄) of the evaporation measured in the Class A Pan. Treatment S₂ represented the existing irrigation level practiced by golf course management. The best color quality during the experimental period was obtained from the S₃ irrigation treatment, followed by S₂. Results regarding the ground cover percentage and root weights in the S₂ and S₃ treatments were better than S₁ and S₄. It was concluded that Class A Pan could be used to schedule turfgrass irrigation and 75% of evaporation from Class A Pan would be enough for irrigation. Additionally, it was found that 15% of irrigation water could be conserved compared with the current irrigation schedule (S₂), practiced by the owner.     

Optimizing irrigation scheduling for winter wheat in the North China Plain

In the North China Plain (NCP), more than 70% of irrigation water resources are used for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). A crucial target of groundwater conservation and sustainable crop production is to develop water-saving agriculture, particularly for winter wheat. The purpose of this study was to optimize irrigation scheduling for high wheat yield and water use efficiency (WUE). Field experiments were conducted for three growing seasons at the Wuqiao Experiment Station of China Agriculture University. Eleven, four and six irrigation treatments, consisting of frequency of irrigation (zero to four times) and timing (at raising, jointing, booting, flowering and milking stage), were employed for 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons, respectively. Available water content (AWC), rain events, soil water use (SWU), evapotranspiration (ET) and grain yield were recorded, and water use efficiency (WUE) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) were calculated.The results showed that after a 75-mm pre-sowing irrigation, soil water content and AWC in the root zone of a 2-m soil profile during sowing were 31.1% (or 90.7% of field capacity) and 16.1%, respectively. Rainfall events were variable and showed a limited impact on AWC. The AWC decreased significantly with the growth of wheat. At the jointing stage no water deficits occurred for all treatments, at the flowering stage water deficits were found only in the rain-fed treatment, and at harvest all treatments had moderate to severe soil water deficits. The SWU in the 2-m soil profile was negatively related to the irrigation water volume, i.e. applying 75 mm irrigation reduced SWU by 28.2 mm. Regression analyses showed that relationships between ET and grain yield or WUE could be described by quadratic functions. Grain yield and WUE reached their maximum values of 7423 kg/ha and 1.645 kg/m³ at the ET rate of 509 and 382 mm, respectively. IWUE was negatively correlated with irrigated water volume. From the above results, three irrigation schedules: (1) pre-sowing irrigation only, (2) pre-sowing irrigation + irrigation at jointing or booting stage, and (3) pre-sowing irrigation + irrigations at jointing and flowering stages were identified and recommended for practical winter wheat production in the NCP.     

Evaluation of options for increasing yield and water productivity of wheat in Punjab, India using the DSSAT-CSM-CERES-Wheat model

The DSSAT-CSM-CERES-Wheat V4.0 model was calibrated for yield and irrigation scheduling of wheat with 2004–2005 data and validated with 13 independent data sets from experiments conducted during 2002–2006 at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) farm, Ludhiana, and in a farmer's field near PAU at Phillaur, Punjab, India. Subsequently, the validated model was used to estimate long-term mean and variability of potential yield (Y_p), drainage, runoff, evapo-transpiration (ET), crop water productivity (CWP), and irrigation water productivity (IWP) of wheat cv. PBW343 using 36 years (1970–1971 to 2005–2006) of historical weather data from Ludhiana. Seven sowing dates in fortnightly intervals, ranging from early October to early January, and three irrigation scheduling methods [soil water deficit (SWD)-based, growth stage-based, and ET-based] were evaluated. For the SWD-based scheduling, irrigation management depth was set to 75 cm with irrigation scheduled when SWD reached 50% to replace 100% of the deficit. For growth stage-based scheduling, irrigation was applied either only once at one of the key growth stages [crown root initiation (CRI), booting, flowering, and grain filling], twice (two stages in various combinations), thrice (three stages in various combinations), or four times (all four stages). For ET-driven irrigation, irrigations were scheduled based on cumulative net ETo (ETo-rain) since the previous irrigation, for a range of net ETo (25, 75, 125, 150, and 175 mm). Five main irrigation schedules (SWD-based, ET-driven with irrigation applied after accumulation of either 75 or 125 mm of ETo, i.e., ET75 or ET125, and growth stage-based with irrigation applied at CRI plus booting, or at CRI plus booting plus flowering stage) were chosen for detailed analysis of yield, water balance, and CWP and IWP. Nitrogen was non-limiting in all the simulations.Mean Y_p across 36 years ranged from 5.2 t ha⁻¹ (10 October sowing) to 6.4 t ha⁻¹ (10 November sowing), with yield variations due to seasonal weather greater than variations across sowing dates. Yields under different irrigation scheduling, CWP and IWP were highest for 10 November sowing. Yields and CWP were higher for SWD and ET75-based irrigations on both soils, but IWP was higher for ET75-based irrigation on sandy loam and for ET150-based irrigation on loam. Simulation results suggest that yields, CWP, and IWP of PBW343 would be highest for sowing between late October and mid-November in the Indian Punjab. It is recommended that sowing be done within this planting period and that irrigation be applied based on the atmospheric demand and soil water status and not on the growth stage. Despite the potential limitations recognised with simulation results, we can conclude that DSSAT-CSM-CERES-Wheat V4.0 is a useful decision support system to help farmers to optimally schedule and manage irrigation in wheat grown in coarse-textured soils under declining groundwater table situations of the Indian Punjab. Further, the validated model and the simulation results can also be extrapolated to other areas with similar climatic and soil environments in Asia where crop, soil, weather, and management data are available.     

Corn crop response under managing different irrigation and salinity levels

Non-uniformity of water distribution under irrigation system creates both deficit and surplus irrigation areas. Water salinity can be hazard on crop production; however, there is little information on the interaction of irrigation and salinity conditions on corn (Zea Mays) growth and production. This study evaluated the effect of salinity and irrigation levels on growth and yield of corn grown in the arid area of Egypt. A field experiment was conducted using corn grown in northern Egypt at Quesina, Menofia in 2009 summer season to evaluate amount of water applied, salinity hazard and their interactions. Three salinity levels and five irrigation treatments were arranged in a randomized split-plot design with salinity treatments as main plots and irrigation rates within salinity treatments. Salinity treatments were to apply fresh water (0.89 dS m⁻¹), saline water (4.73 dS m⁻¹), or mixing fresh plus saline water (2.81 dS m⁻¹). Irrigation treatments were a ratio of crop evapotranspiration (ET) as: 0.6ET, 0.8ET, 1.0ET, 1.2ET, and 1.4ET. In well-watered conditions (1.0ET), seasonal water usable by corn was 453, 423, and 380 mm for 0.89EC, 2.81EC and 4.73EC over the 122-day growing season, respectively. Soil salt accumulation was significantly increased by either irrigation salinity increase or amount decrease. But, soil infiltration was significantly decreased by either salinity level or its interaction with irrigation amount. Leaf temperature, transpiration rate, and stomata resistance were significantly affected by both irrigation and salinity levels with interaction. Leaf area index, harvest index, and yield were the greatest when fresh and adequate irrigation was applied. Grain yield was significantly affected in a linear relationship (r² ≥ 0.95) by either irrigation or salinity conditions with no interaction. An optimal irrigation scheduling was statistically developed based on crop response for a given salinity level to extrapolate data from the small experiment (uniform condition) to big field (non-uniformity condition) under the experiment constraints.     

A simple irrigation scheduling approach for pecans

Pecans are a major crop in New Mexico's Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). It is estimated that New Mexico is responsible for about 21% of the world's pecan production (Lillywhite et al., 2007). Currently, approximately 12,000 ha of pecan orchards at various stages of growth consume 45% of the area's irrigation water. Pecan evapotranspiration (ET) varies with age, canopy cover, soil type, crop density and method of water management. Intense competition for the LRGV's limited water supply has created a serious need for better water management through improved irrigation scheduling. Annual pecan ET ranges from as low as 500 mm to as high as 1400 mm. Diversity of the pecan crop coefficient (K_c) and ET makes the task of irrigation scheduling for this crop very complicated. Using remote sensing technology and field ET measurements, a simple relationship was developed to relate crop coefficient and ET to canopy cover. This relationship is then used in combination with climate data to calculate daily and weekly water requirements for each orchard. The difference between annual ET values estimated from canopy cover and values measured with an eddy covariance flux tower ranged from 2 to 5%. The average ratio of estimated monthly ET values over measured ET values was 1.03 with the standard error of the estimate ranging from 10 to 20 mm/month. This methodology provides a simple tool that farmers can use to schedule irrigation of pecan orchards. Even though the methodology was developed for irrigation scheduling in the LRGV, it can be used in other locations by transferring the reference crop coefficients using K_c-GDD relationships.     

Irrigation scheduling of almond trees with trunk diameter sensors

The use of plant indicators may be the ideal method for irrigation scheduling but it is hampered by the dynamic nature of plant water status and by the lack of suitable indicators, relative to established scheduling methods based on atmospheric and soil observations. A study was conducted in an almond orchard located in the San Joaquin Valley of California during the 2001 season using trunk diameter variations as the only indicator for determining the amount of irrigation. The ratio of the maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) of tree trunks relative to a reference MDS, calculated from a relationship between MDS of fully irrigated trees and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, was used as a signal for modifying the amount of applied irrigation water. Applied water was increased by 10% each time the MDS signal exceeded the prescribed threshold. When the MDS signal went below the threshold, applied water was reduced by 10% in an interactive manner. Two schedules were tested with signal thresholds of 1.75 and 2.75, which generated mild and moderate water stress, respectively, as indicated by their stem water potential (SWP) values. The two irrigation treatments had SWP that varied over the season from around –0.7 to –1.1 MPa and –0.8 to –1.7 MPa, respectively. The two schedules resulted in seasonal water applications of 860 mm for the 1.75 and 525 mm for the 2.75 signal threshold treatments. The grower/cooperator, who based his schedule primarily on SWP measurements but also considered the water balance, applied 900 mm. Estimated crop evapotranspiration was 1,030 mm. The mean coefficients of variation for the two irrigation treatments during the monitoring period were 0.115 and 0.031 for the MDS and SWP measurements, respectively. The stress produced by the irrigation treatments hastened fruit maturation, as evidenced by accelerated hull splitting. This resulted in lower fruit hydration just prior to harvest; 17.3% and 8.0% for the two irrigation schedules, respectively, compared with 27.3% for the grower/cooperator. Based on harvesting selected trees with the same nut load, fresh and dry nut weights in the 2.75 threshold treatment were 9.0% and 10.7% less than those of the 1.75 threshold, which were not significantly different from the results for the grower cooperator. Our results demonstrate that it is feasible to develop an irrigation schedule for almond trees based solely on MDS signals, which may be tailored to any desired stress pattern and be operated in full automation with appropriate software development.Communicated by R. Evans     

不同水分条件对草坪草耗水及生长影响的研究

利用小型蒸渗仪,开展了不同土壤水分条件下,早熟禾、高羊茅、结缕草、野牛草4种草坪草的耗水规律及生长特性的试验研究。研究发现草坪草的耗水在时间上的变化为双驼峰型,第一个耗水高峰期出现在5月中旬到6月末,第二个耗水高峰期出现在7月中旬到9月中旬。各年中草坪草耗水随降雨的变化而变化。且S1处理的草坪生长量、根重均高于S2和S3处理,但S2和S3处理的草坪生长量、根系发育差异不大。草坪草累积耗水量和日平均耗水量均随控制土壤水分下限的降低而显著降低。在草坪灌溉管理中灌溉控制土壤水分下限可控制在40%~60%的田间持水量。     

Effects of irrigation strategies and soils on field grown potatoes: Yield and water productivity

Yield and water productivity of potatoes grown in 4.32 m² lysimeters were measured in coarse sand, loamy sand, and sandy loam and imposed to full (FI), deficit (DI), and partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation strategies. PRD and DI as water-saving irrigation treatments received 65% of FI after tuber bulking and lasted for 6 weeks until final harvest. Analysis across the soil textures showed that fresh yields were not significant between the irrigation treatments. However, the same analysis across the irrigation treatments revealed that the effect of soil texture was significant on the fresh yield and loamy sand produced significantly higher fresh yield than the other two soils, probably because of higher leaf area index, higher photosynthesis rates, and “stay-green” effect late in the growing season. More analysis showed that there was a significant interaction between the irrigation treatments and soil textures that the highest fresh yield was obtained under FI in loamy sand. Furthermore, analysis across the soil textures showed that water productivities, WP (kg ha⁻¹ fresh tuber yield mm⁻¹ ET) were not significantly different between the irrigation treatments. However, across the irrigation treatments, the soil textures were significantly different. This showed that the interaction between irrigation treatments and soil textures was significant that the highest significant WP was obtained under DI in sandy loam. While PRD and DI treatments increased WP by, respectively, 11 and 5% in coarse sand and 28 and 36% in sandy loam relative to FI, they decreased WP in loamy sand by 15 and 13%. The reduced WP in loamy sand was due to nearly 28% fresh tuber yield loss in PRD and DI relative to FI even though ET was reduced by 9 and 11% in these irrigation treatments. This study showed that different soils will affect water-saving irrigation strategies that are worth knowing for suitable agricultural water management. So, under non-limited water resources conditions, loamy sand produces the highest yield under full irrigation but water-saving irrigations (PRD and DI) are not recommended due to considerable loss (28%) in yield. However, under restricted water resources, it is recommended to apply water-saving irrigations in sandy loam and coarse sand to achieve the highest water productivity.     

灌溉水质对FDR土壤水分传感器的性能影响研究

为探究在灌溉控制系统中灌水水质对土壤水分传感器性能的影响效应,选择了3种国内外常用的基于介电原理(FDR)的土壤水分传感器(5TE、CSF13、FDS100)对其精准性、一致性等关键性能进行评价分析,结果表明:在测量精度方面,5TE和FDS100传感器精度较好,土壤含水量测试值与实际值的R2达到0.892与0.914;...