Evaluation of the RZWQM for the Simulation of Water and Nitrate Movement in Level-Basin,Fertigated Maize

This study concerns the evaluation of the root zone water quality model (RZWQM) to simulate the seasonal water and nitrate movement in a level basin irrigated corn field under three different nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments. The three N treatments, superimposed over a split basal dose applied before and at planting, were: a single broadcast application of 150 kg N/ha as urea (100% amidic form), a single fertigation application of the same N as UAN (50% amidic, 25% ammonium and 25% nitrate) with the first irrigation, and multiple UAN fertigations with three irrigations. Certain variety-specific maize crop parameters in the model were obtained by fitting these parameters to field data from the single fertigation treatment. The model was then evaluated on water and N results for the treatments. The model adequately simulated the water and nitrate transport for the season, with the seasonal averages of measured and predicted values differing by less than 5%. The most significant differences between measured and simulated water and nitrate occurred near the soil surface (15 cm depth), mostly during the days when the soil was extremely wet following irrigations. With the soil hydraulic properties estimated by simple means, the model tends to overestimate downward water fluxes and related nitrate transport through a compacted layer; however, it is found to be a useful tool to study the relative impacts of alter- nate nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation practices on root zone water quality.     

Analysis of soil wetting and solute transport in subsurface trickle irrigation

The increased use of trickle or drip irrigation is seen as one way of helping to improve the sustainability of irrigation systems around the world. However, soil water and solute transport properties and soil profile characteristics are often not adequately incorporated in the design and management of trickle systems. In this paper, we describe results of a simulation study designed to highlight the impacts of soil properties on water and solute transport from buried trickle emitters. The analysis addresses the influence of soil hydraulic properties, soil layering, trickle discharge rate, irrigation frequency, and timing of nutrient application on wetting patterns and solute distribution. We show that (1) trickle irrigation can improve plant water availability in medium and low permeability fine-textured soils, providing that design and management are adapted to account for their soil hydraulic properties, (2) in highly permeable coarse-textured soils, water and nutrients move quickly downwards from the emitter, making it difficult to wet the near surface zone if emitters are buried too deep, and (3) changing the fertigation strategy for highly permeable coarse-textured soils to apply nutrients at the beginning of an irrigation cycle can maintain larger amounts of nutrient near to and above the emitter, thereby making them less susceptible to leaching losses. The results demonstrate the need to account for differences in soil hydraulic properties and solute transport when designing irrigation and fertigation management strategies. Failure to do this will result in inefficient systems and lost opportunities for reducing the negative environmental impacts of irrigation.Communicated by J. Annandale     

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.     

Simulation of 1D surface and 2D subsurface water flow and nitrate transport in alternate and conventional furrow fertigation

Increasing water and fertilizer productivity stands as a relevant challenge for sustainable agriculture. Alternate furrow irrigation and surface fertigation have long been identified as water and fertilizer conserving techniques in agricultural lands. The objective of this study was to simulate water flow and fertilizer transport in the soil surface and in the soil profile for variable and fixed alternate furrow fertigation and for conventional furrow fertigation. An experimental data set was used to calibrate and validate two simulation models: a 1D surface fertigation model and the 2D subsurface water and solute transfer model HYDRUS-2D. Both models were combined to simulate the fertigation process in furrow irrigation. The surface fertigation model could successfully simulate runoff discharge and nitrate concentration for all irrigation treatments. Six soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters were inversely estimated using the Levenberg–Marquardt optimization technique. The outcome of this process calibrated HYDRUS-2D to the observed field data. HYDRUS-2D was run in validation mode, simulating water content and nitrate concentration in the soil profiles of the wet furrows, ridges and dry furrows at the upstream, middle and downstream parts of the experimental field. This model produced adequate agreement between measured and predicted soil water content and nitrate concentration. The combined model stands as a valuable tool to better design and manage fertigation in alternate and conventional furrow irrigation.     

Identification of nitrate leaching hot spots in a large area with contrasting soil texture and management

Identification of nitrate (NO₃) leaching hot spots is important in mitigating environmental effect of NO₃. Once identified, the hot spots can be further analyzed in detail for evaluating appropriate alternative management techniques to reduce impact of nitrate on groundwater. This study was conducted to identify NO₃ leaching hot spots in an approximately 36,000 ha area in Serik plain, which is used intensively for agriculture in the Antalya region of Southern Turkey. Geo-referenced water samples were taken from 161 wells and from the representative soils around the wells during the period from late May to early June of 2009. The data were analyzed by classical statistics and geostatistics. Both soil and groundwater NO₃-N concentrations demonstrated a considerably high variation, with a mean of 10.2 mg kg⁻¹ and 2.1 mg L⁻¹ NO₃-N for soil and groundwater, respectively. The NO₃-N concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 102.5 mg L⁻¹ in well waters and from 1.89 to 106.4 mg kg⁻¹ in soils. Nitrate leaching was spatially dependent in the study area. Six hot spots were identified in the plain, and in general, the hot spots coincided with high water table, high sand content, and irrigated wheat and cotton. The adverse effects of NO₃ can be mitigated by switching the surface and furrow irrigation methods to sprinkler irrigation, which results in a more efficient N and water use. Computer models such as NLEAP can be used to analyze alternative management practices together with soil, aquifer, and climate characteristics to determine a set of management alternatives to mitigate NO₃ effect in these hot spot areas.     

Irrigation with saline water: benefits and environmental impact

The shortage of water resources of good quality is becoming an important issue in the arid and semi-arid zones. For this reason the availability of water resources of marginal quality such as drainage water, saline groundwater and treated wastewater has become an important consideration. Nevertheless, the use of these waters in irrigated lands requires the control of soil salinity by means of leaching and drainage of excess water and salt. However, the leaching of salts, soil microelements and agro-chemicals can lower the quality of the drainage water in the irrigation scheme. The irrigation return flows with water or poor quality are a source of pollution of the surface water bodies situated downstream of the drainage outlet. Deep percolation could also contaminate the groundwater. Therefore, irrigation with saline water requires a comprehensive analysis even beyond the area where water is applied. The problem should be treated beyond the scope of the irrigation scheme, taking into consideration the groundwater and downstream surface water resources of the river basin. Consequently, the sustainable use of saline water in irrigated agriculture requires the control of soil salinity at the field level, a decrease in the amount of drainage water, and the disposal of the irrigation return flows in such a way that minimizes the side effects on the quality of downstream water resources. This paper describes the guidelines for a preliminary evaluation of the suitability of water for irrigation and the key factors for salinity control in lands irrigated with saline water. Options to improve the quality of the drainage water, strategies for the reuse of this water and alternatives for disposal of the outflow are also analysed. The final goal is to obtain sustainable agriculture and maintain the quality of the water resources in the river basin.     

Managing salinity and waterlogging in the Indus Basin of Pakistan

Waterlogging and salinization are major impediment to the sustainability of irrigated lands and livelihoods of the farmers, especially the smallholders, in the affected areas of the Indus Basin. These problems are the result of a multitude of factors, including seepage from unlined earthen canals system, inadequate provision of surface and subsurface drainage, poor water management practices, insufficient water supplies and use of poor quality groundwater for irrigation. About 6.3 million ha are affected by different levels and types of salinity, out of which nearly half are under irrigated agriculture. Since the early 1960s, several efforts have been made to improve the management of salt-affected and waterlogged soils. These include lowering groundwater levels through deep tubewells, leaching of salts by excess irrigation, application of chemical amendments (e.g. gypsum, acids, organic matter), and the use of biological and physical methods. However, in spite of huge investments, the results have in general been disappointing and the problems of waterlogging and salinity persist.This paper reviews sources, causes and extent of salinity and waterlogging problems in the Indus Basin. Measures taken to overcome these problems over the last four decades are also discussed. The results reveal that the installed drainage systems were initially successful in lowering groundwater table and reducing salinity in affected areas. However, poor operation and maintenance of these systems and provision of inadequate facilities for the disposal of saline drainage effluent resulted in limited overall success. The paper suggests that to ensure the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the Indus Basin, technical and financial support is needed and enhanced institutional arrangements including coordination among different federal and provincial government agencies to resolve inter-provincial water allocation and water related issues is required.     

DRAINMOD-S: Water management model for irrigated arid lands,crop yield and applications

The primary objective of an agriculture water management system is to provide crop needs to sustain high yields. Another objective of equal or greater importance in some regions is to reduce agriculture impacts on surface and groundwater quality. Kandil et al. (1992) modified the water management model DRAINMOD to predict soil salinity as affected by irrigation water quality and drainage system design. The objectives of this study are to incorporate an algorithm to quantify the effects of stresses due to soil salinity on crop yields and to demonstrate the applications of the model. DRAINMOD-S, is capable of predicting the long-term effects of different irrigation and drainage practices on crop yields. The overall crop function in the model includes the effects of stresses caused by excessive soil water conditions (waterlogging), soil water-deficits, salinity, and planting delays. Three irrigation strategies and six drain spacings were considered for all crops. In the first irrigation strategy, the irrigation amounts were equal to evapotranspiration requirements by the crops, with the addition of a 10 cm depth of water for leaching applied during each growing season. In the second strategy, the leaching depth (10 cm) was applied before the growing season. In the third strategy, a leaching depth of 15 cm was applied before the growing season for each crop. Another strategy (4th) with more leaching was considered for bean which is the crop most sensitive to salinity. In the fourth strategy, 14 days intervals were used instead of 7 and leaching irrigations were applied: 15 cm before the growing season and 10 cm at the middle of the growing season for bean. The objective function for these simulations was crop yield. Soil water conditions and soil salinity were continuously simulated for a crop rotation of bean, cotton, maize, soybean, and wheat over a 19 years period. Yields of individual crops were predicted for each growing season. Results showed that the third irrigation strategy resulted in the highest yields for cotton, maize, soybean and wheat. Highest yields for bean were obtained by the fourth irrigation strategy. Results are also presented on the effects of drain depth and spacing on yields. DRAINMOD-S is written in Fortran and requires a PC with math-coprocessor. It was concluded that DRAINMOD-S is a useful tool for design and evaluation of irrigation and drainage systems in irrigated arid lands.     

Spatial and temporal distributions of nitrogen and crop yield as affected by nonuniformity of sprinkler fertigation

Deep percolation and nitrate leaching are important considerations in the design of sprinkler systems. Field experiments were therefore conducted to investigate the influence of nonuniformity of sprinkler irrigation on deep percolation and spatial distributions of nitrogen and crop yield during the growing season of winter wheat at an experiment station in Beijing, China. Three experimental plots of a sandy clay loam soil in the 0–40 cm depth interval and a loamy clay soil below 40 cm were irrigated with a sprinkler irrigation system that had a seasonal averaged Christiansen irrigation uniformity coefficient (CU) varying from 72 to 84%. Except for the fertilizer applied before planting, fertilizer was applied with the sprinkler irrigation system. The corresponding seasonal averaged CU for fertigation varied from 71 to 85%. Daily observation of matrix water potentials in the root zone showed that little deep percolation occurred. Consequently, the effect of sprinkler uniformity on deep percolation was minor during the irrigation season for the soil tested. Intensive gravimetric soil core samplings were conducted several times during the irrigation season in a grid of 5 m × 5 m for each plot to determine the spatial and temporal variation of NH₄-N and NO₃-N contents. Soil NH₄-N and NO₃-N exhibited high spatial variability in depth and time during the irrigation season with CU values ranging from 23 to 97% and the coefficient of variation ranging from 0.04 to 1.06. A higher uniformity of sprinkler fertigation produced a more uniform distribution of NH₄-N, but the distribution of NO₃-N was not related to fertigation. Rather it was related to the spatial variability of NO₃-N before fertigation began. At harvest, the distribution of dry matter above ground, nitrogen uptake, and yield were measured and the results indicated that sprinkler fertigation uniformity had insignificant effects on the parameters mentioned above. Field experimental results obtained from this study suggest that sprinkler irrigation if properly managed can be used as an efficient and environment-friendly method of applying water and fertilizers.     

Irrigation management for groundwater quality protection

Deep percolation flow below agricultural and can transport nitrate and pesticide residues to underlying groundwater. Irrigated agriculture in dry climates can also contaminate groundwater with salt from irrigation water and with trace elements such as selenium leached from the vadose zone. Groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals can be minimized by using best management practices (BMPs) for crop production (including low-input sustainable agriculture or other source control) and for irrigation. Irrigation systems should be designed and managed for zero or minimum deep percolation during the growing seasons to keep fertilizer and pesticides in the root zone as long as possible. At other times, irrigation efficiencies can be lower to produce enough deep percolation water for leaching salts out of the root zone. Because of spatial variability and preferential flow, however, some deep percolation and movement of chemicals may still occur, even if the irrigation efficiency is 100%. BMPs should be developed to minimize such deep percolation flow.     

Modeling irrigated cotton with shallow groundwater in the Aral Sea Basin of Uzbekistan: I. Water dynamics

In Khorezm, a region located in the Aral Sea basin of Uzbekistan, water use for irrigation of predominantly cotton is high whereas water use efficiency is low. To quantify the seasonal water and salt balance, water application, crop growth, soil water, and groundwater dynamics were studied on a sandy, sandy loam and loamy cotton field in the years 2003 and 2005. To simulate and quantify improved management strategies and update irrigation standards, the soil water model Hydrus-1D was applied. Results showed that shallow groundwater contributed a substantial share (up to 399 mm) to actual evapotranspiration of cotton (estimated at 488–727 mm), which alleviated water stress in response to suboptimal quantities of water applied for irrigation, but enhanced concurrently secondary soil salinization. Thus, pre-season salt leaching becomes a necessity. Nevertheless, as long as farmers face high uncertainty in irrigation water supply, maintaining shallow groundwater tables can be considered as a safety-net against unreliable water delivery. Simulations showed that in 2003 around 200 mm would have been sufficient during pre-season leaching, whereas up to 300 mm of water was applied in reality amounting to an overuse of almost 33%. Using some of this water during the irrigation season would have alleviated season crop-water stress such as in June 2003. Management strategy analyses revealed that crop water uptake would only marginally benefit from a permanent crop residue layer, often recommended as part of conservation agriculture. Such a mulch layer, however, would substantially reduce soil evaporation, capillary rise of groundwater, and consequently secondary soil salinization. The simulations furthermore demonstrated that not relying on the contribution of shallow groundwater to satisfy crop water demand is possible by implementing timely and soil-specific irrigation scheduling. Water use would then not be higher than the current Uzbek irrigation standards. It is argued that if furrow irrigation is to be continued, pure sandy soils, which constitute <5% of the agricultural soils in Khorezm, are best to be taken out of annual cotton production.     

Assessment of irrigation and environmental quality at the hydrological basin level: II. Salt and nitrate loads in irrigation return flows

Irrigation return flows may induce salt and nitrate pollution of receiving water bodies. The objectives of this study were to perform a salt and nitrogen mass balance at the hydrological basin level and to quantify the salt and nitrate loads exported in the drainage waters of three basins located in a 15,500 ha irrigation district of the Ebro River Basin (Spain). The main salt and nitrogen inputs and outputs were measured or estimated in these basins along the 2001 hydrological year. Groundwater inflows in the three basins and groundwater outflow in one basin were significant components of the measured mass balances. Thus, the off-site impact ascribed solely to irrigation in these basins was estimated in the soil drainage water. Salt concentrations in soil drainage were low (TDS of around 400–700 mg/l, depending on basins) due to the low TDS of irrigation water and the low presence of salts in the geologic materials, and were inversely related to the drainage fractions (DF = 37–57%). However, due to these high DF, salt loads in soil drainage were relatively high (between 3.4 and 4.7 Mg/ha), although moderate compared to other areas with more saline geological materials. Nitrate concentrations and nitrogen loads in soil drainage were highest (77 mg NO₃⁻/l and 195 kg N/ha) in basin III, heavily fertilized (357 kg N/ha), with the highest percentage of corn and with shallow, low water retention flood-irrigated soils. In contrast, the lowest nitrate concentrations and nitrogen loads (21 mg NO₃⁻/l and 23 kg N/ha) were found in basin II, fertilized with 203 kg N/ha and preponderant in deep, alluvial valley soils, crops with low N requirements (alfalfa and pasture), the highest non-cropped area (26% of total) and with fertigation practices in the sprinkler-irrigated fields (36% of the irrigated area). Thus, 56% of the N applied by fertilization was lost in soil drainage in basin III, as compared to only 16% in basin II. In summary, a low irrigation efficiency coupled to an inadequate management of nitrogen fertilization are responsible for the low-salt, high-nitrate concentrations in soil and surface drainage outflows from the studied basins. In consequence, higher irrigation efficiencies, optimized nitrogen fertilization and the reuse for irrigation of the low-salt, high-nitrate drainage waters are key management strategies for a better control of the off-site pollution from the studied irrigation district.     

Agricultural practices,soil fertility management modes and resultant nitrogen leaching rates under semi-arid conditions

Under semi-arid or arid conditions, growing needs for agricultural commodities dictate the intensification of agricultural activities through the application of irrigation and fertilization practices aimed at increasing crop yields. A certain amount of the added irrigation water is designed to seep below the root zone and leach excessive salts accumulated in the irrigated soil. This entails, in part, recharging the ground water-table aquifers. Hence, intensification of agricultural activities introduces a long-term risk of groundwater pollution by unused fertilizers, e.g., nitrogen, salts and pesticides, herbicides, leached from the irrigated fields. To avert or minimize this risk, the amounts of applied water and fertilizer should be determined and minimized by optimizing them to match crop requirements. The objectives of the present work were to determine the amounts of water and salts leached below several agricultural areas subjected to differing soil fertility practices, and to try to relate them to the yields obtained. Published data and experimental data sets of water, chloride and nitrate concentration – depth distributions were used and analyzed. The results show that intensification of agricultural activities leads to increased hazards to surface and groundwater pollution and this can be diminished provided balanced irrigation – fertilization programs are developed for different crops, by using the results of leachate loads seeping from long-term fertility and irrigation studies (permanent plot experiments).     

基于水盐生产函数的绿洲灌区水盐调控研究

土壤次生盐碱化是新疆灌溉农业所面临的最大环境问题。灌溉农业的快速扩展与灌排系统不完善是造成土壤次生盐碱化发生与恶化的关键因素。以水盐生产函数为依据,计算了不同生育阶段及全生育期阶段棉花相对产量与土壤全盐的关系,依据该计算结果对塔里木灌区的土壤盐化程度做了初步划分。基于塔里木灌区地下水埋深较浅且多为微咸水的事实,比较深入地探讨了地下水合理的动态水位及作物对潜水利用问题。最后,提出了灌区水盐调控的对策,强调排水系统的通畅运行是控制土壤次生盐碱化的关键,通过排水系统和减少灌溉定额使作物生长期的地下水埋深控制在1.6~2.1 m内,不但可以减少排水成本,而且也可使作物充分利用地下水,同时促进塔里木河水质的改善。     

Prediction of leaching fraction from soil properties,irrigation water and rainfall

Summary Fine textured soils (> 40% clay) form a major proportion of irrigated soils in northeastern Australia. More than half these soils are irrigated with groundwater, some of which has high salinity (electrical conductivity > 2.9 mS cm^–1). A simple prediction of salt leaching was sought to aid in land management decisions.An empirical model of leaching fraction is presented based on rainfall and easily measured soil properties related to hydraulic conductivity. The model is based on data from 766 soils. To account for the complexity of interactions between soil properties, the data was stratified into groups based on clay content and mineralogy (expressed here as CEC/clay ratio). This allowed simple linear regressions using ESP and rainfall to be developed to predict leaching fraction.When applied to irrigated soils, a salinity correction term (EC_{rain+irrigation}/EC_rain) was used to account for the flocculation effects of the increased salinity of irrigation waters. The model gave good predictions of leaching fraction for two irrigation regions with widely differing soil properties (Fig. 4).     

Assessment of irrigation and environmental quality at the hydrological basin level: I. Irrigation quality

Irrigated agriculture notably increases crop productivity, but consumes high volumes of water and may induce off-site pollution of receiving water bodies. The objectives of this paper were to diagnose the quality of irrigation and to prescribe recommendations aimed at improving irrigation management and reducing the off-site pollution from a 15,500 ha irrigation district located in the Ebro River Basin (Spain). Three hydrological basins were selected within the district where the main inputs (irrigation, precipitation, and groundwater inflows) and outputs (actual crop's evapotranspiration, surface drainage outflows, and groundwater outflows) of water were measured or estimated during a hydrological year. The highest volume of water (I = 1400 mm/year) was applied in the basin with highly permeable, low water retention, flood irrigated soils where 81% of the total surface was planted with alfalfa and corn. This basin had the lowest consumptive water use efficiency (CWUE = 45%), the highest water deficit (WD = 5%) and the highest drainage fraction (DF = 57%). In contrast, the lowest I (950 mm/year), the highest CWUE (62%), and the lowest WD (2%) and DF (37%) were obtained in the basin with 60% of the surface covered with deep, high water retention, alluvial valley soils, where 39% of the cultivated surface is sprinkler irrigated and with only 48% of the surface planted with alfalfa and corn. We concluded that the three most important variables determining the quality of irrigation and the volume of irrigation return flows in the studied basins were (i) soil characteristics, (ii) irrigation management and irrigation system, and (iii) crop water requirements. Therefore, the critical recommendations for improving the quality of irrigation are to (i) increase the efficiency of flood-irrigation, (ii) change to pressurized systems in the shallow and highly permeable soils, and (iii) reuse of drainage water for irrigation within the district. These management strategies will conserve water of high quality in the main reservoir and will decrease the crop water deficits and the volume of irrigation return flows, therefore, minimizing the off-site pollution from this irrigation district.     

Irrigation management for corn in the northern Great Plains, USA

Irrigation management influences production costs and affects leaching of nutrients to groundwater. This study was conducted to compare irrigation scheduling techniques on a field-scale site and to determine whether significant irrigation water savings and equivalent yields could be achieved compared with the practices of other commercial growers in the local area. The effects of four irrigation scheduling techniques on seasonal irrigation water requirements and corn grain yields were studied for the 1990–1995 seasons at a field-scale (53.4 ha) site within the Oakes Test Area (OTA) of the Garrison Diversion Unit in southeastern North Dakota, USA. The four scheduling techniques, applied with field quadrants and seasons as dimensions of a modified Latin square statistical design, included irrigating based on tensiometer and infrared canopy temperature measurements, two water balance methods, and irrigating based on CERES–Maize estimates of plant-extractable soil water. No statistically significant differences in seasonal irrigation totals were found between irrigation scheduling methods or irrigation quadrants, while statistically significant differences were found for season. Corn grain yield was significantly affected by seasons, quadrants, and irrigation scheduling methods for both the current and previous seasons. Compared to other commercial growers in the OTA, this study maintained 5% higher yields and saved approximately 30% in irrigation inputs. Careful irrigation scheduling, based on any of the four techniques, offers the potential to reduce input costs for irrigated corn production in the area. Received: 3 February 1999     

Nitrate leaching and soil nitrate content as affected by irrigation uniformity in a carrot field

High value crops such as carrot planted in coarse soils of the Southern San Joaquin Valley in California are prime candidates for nitrate leaching through irrigation nonuniformity. A 2-year study was carried out to explore the impact of irrigation uniformity on nitrate leaching. Irrigation uniformity was measured using catchcans. Soil nitrate (NO₃-N) and ammonium (NH₄-N) contents were measured from soil sampled at different depths and times during two growing seasons. Nitrate leaching was determined using ion-exchange resin bags at 1-m depth sampled three times during each season. Although, soil NO₃-N as well as seasonal irrigation was significantly higher along the lateral irrigation pipe than between the sprinklers, nitrate leaching was not significantly higher. As expected, soil nitrate content decreased as percolation increased for both years. Nitrate leaching, as estimated by anion-exchange resin bags, was positively correlated to soil NO₃-N content but was not correlated to irrigation depth, irrigation uniformity, or deep percolation. Field variation in saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s), soil organic matter (OM), and soil water retention at field capacity had limited effect on NO₃-N and NH₄-N distributions in the profile and on nitrate leaching. The results of this experiment suggest that irrigation nonuniformity has less impact on nitrate movement than suggested by earlier 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.     

水肥气耦合滴灌提高温室番茄土壤通气性和水氮利用

【目的】探索温室作物水肥气耦合滴灌下掺气量、灌水量和施氮量适宜组合方案,为提高水氮利用效率提供理论依据。【方法】设置施氮量(低氮和常氮)、掺气量(常规滴灌和曝气滴灌)和灌水量(低水量和高水量)3因素2水平随机区组试验,以地下滴灌为供水方式,通过系统监测土壤水分饱和度、氧气扩散速率(ODR)、氧化还原电位(Eh)、矿质氮量及作物水氮利用等指标,研究了水肥气耦合滴灌对温室番茄土壤通气性及水氮利用的影响。【结果】与常规滴灌相比,高水量条件下曝气处理的土壤水分饱和度有所降低,ODR和Eh显著提高。灌水量、施氮量和掺气量影响土壤矿质氮量,曝气滴灌下土壤硝态氮和铵态氮量较常规滴灌平均降低21.4%和15.5%(P<0.05),高水量处理土壤硝态氮和铵态氮量较低水量处理平均降低22.7%和14.7%(P<0.05),常氮处理土壤硝态氮和铵态氮量较低氮处理平均增加29.0%和17.8%(P<0.05)。高水量和常氮条件下番茄灌溉水利用效率较低水量、低氮处理平均降低6.7%和增加40.9%(P<0.05),高水量和常氮条件下番茄氮素吸收利用效率较低水量、低氮处理平均增加13.6%和12.7%(P<0.05),曝气滴灌下番茄灌溉水利用效率和氮素吸收利用效率较常规滴灌平均增加22.9%和12.4%(P<0.05)。【结论】水肥气耦合滴灌可有效改善土壤通气性,提高水氮利用效率,促进番茄生长,实现作物增产。本试验中,常氮曝气高水量处理是温室番茄适宜的水肥气组合方案。