Simulation of soil water in space and time using an agro-hydrological model and remote sensing techniques

Complete knowledge of all components of the water balance is essential to optimize water use in irrigated agriculture. However, most water balance components are very difficult to measure in terms of the required time interval and due to the complexity of the processes. An unsaturated zone model is a useful tool for predicting the effects of agricultural management on crop water use and can be used to optimize agricultural practices in view of minimizing the agricultural water use. For the irrigated areas in Minqin County of northwest China, the physically based one-dimensional agro-hydrological model SWAP (Soil, Water, Atmosphere and Plant) for water movement and crop growth was applied to reveal all the components of the water balance at multiple sites. This model has a varying level of abstraction referring to simulated processes in time and space. A combination of field, meteorological and aerial data was used as input to the model. Inverse modeling of evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes was followed to calibrate the soil hydraulic functions by using the parameter estimation package PEST. Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) was used to estimate actual ET fluxes from NOAA AVHRR satellite images. Simulations were carried out for 15 different sites in Minqin County by using wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as a test crop, but only three sites were selected for model calibration and evaluation. The period of simulation for the whole wheat growing season was from 1 April 2004 to 30 July 2004 and detailed analyses were performed for all sites. SWAP simulated soil water dynamics well and the distributed SWAP model is a useful tool to analyze all water balance components.     

Combining remote sensing and in situ soil moisture data for the application and validation of a distributed water balance model (HIDROMORE)

An application of the FAO56 approach to calculate actual evapotranspiration (AET) and soil moisture is reported, implemented by means of the HIDROMORE computerized tool, which performs spatially distributed calculations of hydrological parameters at watershed scale. The paper describes the application and validation of the model over 1 year in an area located in the central sector of the Duero Basin (Spain), where there is a network of 23 stations for continuous measurement of soil moisture (REMEDHUS; Soil Moisture Measurement Stations Network) distributed over an area of around 1300 km². The application integrated a series of Landsat 7 ETM+ images of 2002, from which the NDVI series (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and the map of land covers/uses were derived. Validation consisted of the use of the REMEDHUS soil moisture series and their comparison with the series resulting from the application. Two simulations were performed, with soil parameters values at the surface (0-5 cm depth) and at the mean of the profile scale (0-100 cm depth). The behaviour of the simulated soil moisture was described by means of its correlation with the measured soil moisture (determination coefficient, R² = 0.67 for the surface values and 0.81 for the mean profile values), and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), resulting in a range of it for the 23 stations between 0.010 and 0.061 cm³ cm⁻³. The application afforded an underestimation of the soil moisture content, which suggests the need for a redefinition of the limits of the plant available water used in the calculation. The results showed that HIDROMORE is an efficient tool for the characterization of hydrological parameters at global scale in the study zone. The combination of the FAO56 methodology and remote sensing techniques was efficient in the spatially distributed simulation of soil moisture.     

Geospatial estimation of soil moisture in rain-fed paddy fields using SCS-CN-based model

Paddy fields are characterized by standing water and saturation condition during the entire crop growth period. However, in sub-humid and semi-arid areas, scarce rainfall and intermittent dry spells often cause soil moisture depletion resulting in unsaturated condition in the fields. These distinctive characteristics of the paddy fields have significant influence on the runoff generation and soil moisture retention characteristics of the watershed. In this study, the objective is to extend the application of the Soil Conservation Services Curve Number (SCS-CN)-based models for the geospatial and temporal simulation of soil moisture to paddy field-dominated agricultural watersheds in the water scarce areas. Different SCS-CN-based models, integrated with the soil moisture balance equation, are used to estimate the surface runoff and soil moisture content wherein, the spatial variation in the soil hydraulic characteristics is used to calculate the geospatial variation in soil moisture content. Physical significance of the terms initial abstraction (I_a) and potential maximum retention (S) in these models and their influence on the estimation of runoff and soil moisture are analysed in detail. A new SCS-CN-based model for soil moisture simulation (SCS-CN-SMS), to improve the soil moisture estimation, is proposed in this paper. The proposed model is built up on the soil moisture balance equation to account for the effect of ponding condition and soil moisture variation between the dry and saturation condition. The method is tested with 3 years observed surface runoff data and crop production statistics from a part of the Gandeshwari sub-watershed in West Bengal, India. The entire study area is divided into cells of 20 m × 20 m. Various components of the soil moisture balance equation are estimated for each cell as a function of the soil moisture content. Remote Sensing Technique and Geographic Information System (GIS) are used to extract and integrate the spatially distributed land use and soil characteristics. The Hortonion overland flow concept adopted in the SCS-CN method is used to estimate the soil hydraulic characteristics of each cell in which the curve number is used to infer the spatial variation of the land use and soil characteristics. Even though the original SCS-CN method and the existing modified versions are efficient for runoff estimation, these models are found to be inappropriate for the estimation of soil moisture distribution. On the other hand, the proposed SCS-CN-SMS model gives better results for both runoff and soil moisture simulation and is, therefore, more suitable for the hydrological modeling of paddy field-dominated agricultural watersheds.     

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.     

Long-term water balances in La Violada irrigation district (Spain): I. Sequential assessment and minimization of closing errors

Long-term analysis of hydrologic series in irrigated areas allows identifying the main water balance components, minimizing closing errors and assessing changes in the hydrologic regime. The main water inputs [irrigation (I) and precipitation (P)] and outputs [outflow (Q) and potential (ET_c) crop evapotranspiration] in the 4000-ha La Violada irrigation district (VID) (Ebro River Basin, Spain) were measured or estimated from 1995 to 2008. A first-step, simplified water balance assuming steady state conditions (with error ? = I + P − Q − ET_c) showed that inputs were much lower than outputs in all years (average ? = −577 mm yr⁻¹ or −33% closing error). A second-step, improved water balance with the inclusion of other inputs (municipal waste waters, canal releases and lateral surface runoff) and the estimation of crop's actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) through a daily soil water balance reduced the average closing error to −13%. Since errors were always higher during the irrigated periods, when canals are full of water, a third-step, final water balance considered canal seepage (CS) as an additional input. The change in water storage in the system (ΔW) was also included in this step. CS and ΔW were estimated through a monthly soil–aquifer water balance, showing that CS was a significant component in VID. With the inclusion of CS and ΔW in the water balance equation, the 1998–2008 annual closing errors were within ±10% of total water outputs. This long-term, sequential water balance analysis in VID was an appropriate approach to accurately identify and quantify the most important water balance components while minimizing water balance closing errors.     

Numerical assessment of effective evapotranspiration from maize plots to estimate groundwater recharge in lowlands

To maximize the irrigation efficiency and to protect groundwater from agrochemical pollution, two variables must be known with good accuracy: effective evapotranspiration and infiltration, especially in lowland areas were the run-off is minimal. Three different experimental plots cultivated with maize were equipped with tensiometers and soil moisture probes to monitor every day the water movement in the unsaturated zone. Other relevant parameters of the various soil layers, as hydraulic conductivity and water retention curve, were obtained in laboratory experiments, while boundary conditions, as precipitations, temperature and root growth, were obtained on site. Inverse modeling was performed using HYDRUS-1D to assess the degree of uncertainty on model parameters. Results showed a good model fit of water content and head pressure at various depths, in each site, using Penman-Monteith formula for daily potential evapotranspiration calculation, but poor fit applying the Hargreves and Turk formulas. Best performance of model fit was observed for S-shaped equation employed to simulate the root water-uptake reduction with respect to Feddes equation. The soil parameters uncertainty was limited and remained within analytical errors, thus a robust estimation of cumulative infiltration and evapotranspiration has been derived. This study points out that evapotranspiration is the most important variable in defining groundwater recharge for maize crops in lowlands.     

Effects of planting density on the productivity and water use of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) clones: I. Measurement of water use in young tea using sap flow meters with a stem heat balance method

Sap flow meters based on the stem heat balance method were used to measure the mass flow rates or water use in young potted tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants of clones AHP S15/10 and BBK35. The meters were constructed on site and installed onto the stem or branch sections of field growing plants in an experiment originally designed to study the effects of plant population density and drought on the productivity and water use of young tea clones. The objective of the study was to use the SHB method as a first attempt to use sap flow meters for determining the water use of young tea growing in the field under well watered conditions in Tanzania. The results are reported and recommendation made for further work on using the technique.     

Simulation of soil water dynamics under subsurface drip irrigation from line sources

A mathematical model which describes water flow under subsurface drip lines taking into account root water uptake, evaporation of soil water from the soil surface and hysteresis in the soil water characteristic curve θ(H) is presented. The model performance in simulating soil water dynamics was evaluated by comparing the predicted soil water content values with both those of Hydrus 2D model and those of an analytical solution for a buried single strip source. Soil water distribution patterns for three soils (loamy sand, silt, silty clay loam) and two discharge rates (2 and 4 l m⁻¹ h⁻¹) at four different times are presented. The numerical results showed that the soil wetting pattern mainly depends on soil hydraulic properties; that at a time equal to irrigation duration decreasing the discharge rate of the line sources but maintaining the applied irrigation depth, the vertical and horizontal components of the wetting front were increased; that at a time equal to the total simulation time the discharge rate has no effect on the actual transpiration and actual soil evaporation and a small effect on deep percolation. Also the numerical results showed that when the soil evaporation is neglected the soil water is more easily taken up by the plant roots.     

Remote sensing for irrigation water management in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil

Northeast of Brazil is a semi-arid region, where water is a key strategic resource in the development of all sectors of the economy. Irrigation agriculture is the main water consumer in this region. Therefore, policy directives are calling for tools to aid operational monitoring in planning, control and charging of irrigation water. Using Landsat imagery, this study evaluates the utility of a process that measures the level of water use in an irrigated area of the state of Ceará. The experiment, which models evapotranspiration (ET), was carried out within the Jaguaribe-Apodi irrigation scheme (DIJA) during two months of the agricultural season. The ET was estimated with the model Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution and with Internalized Calibration (METRIC). The model uses the residual of the energy balance equation to estimate ET for each pixel in the image. The results of the estimates were validated using measurements of ET from a micrometeorological tower installed within a banana plantation located near the irrigation scheme. After evaluating the ET estimates, the average fraction of depleted water for a set of agricultural parcels combined with the monthly ET mapping estimates by METRIC provided a method for predicting the total water use in DIJA for the study period. The results were then compared against the monthly accumulated flow rates for all the pumping stations provided by the district manager. Finally, this work discusses the potential use of the model as an alternative method to calculate water consumption in irrigated agriculture and the implications for water resource management in irrigated perimeters.     

Potential impacts of water harvesting and ecological sanitation on crop yield, evaporation and river flow regimes in the Thukela River basin, South Africa

In this study we explore the potential impacts of two strategies, namely in situ water harvesting (in situ WH) and fertilisation with stored human urine (Ecosan), to increase the water and nutrient availability in rain-fed smallholder agriculture in South Africa's Thukela River basin (29,000 km²). We use the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) to simulate potential impacts on smallholder maize yields, river flow regimes, plant transpiration, and soil and canopy evaporation during 1997-2006. Based on the results, the impacts on maize yields are likely to be small with in situ WH (median change: 0%) but significant with Ecosan (median increase: 30%). The primary causes for these effects are high nitrogen stress on crop growth, and low or untimed soil moisture enhancement with in situ WH. However, the impacts vary significantly in time and space, occasionally resulting in yield increases of up to 40% with in situ WH. Soil fertility improvements primarily increase yield magnitudes, whereas soil moisture enhancements reduce spatial yield variability. Ecosan significantly improves the productivity of the evaporative fluxes by increasing transpiration (median: 2.8%, 4.7 mm season⁻¹) and reducing soil and canopy evaporation (median: −1.7%, −4.5 mm season⁻¹). In situ WH does not generally affect the river flow regimes. Occasionally, significant regime changes occur due to enhanced lateral and shallow aquifer return flows. This leads to higher risks of flooding in some areas, but also to enhanced low flows, which help sustain aquatic ecosystems in the basin.     

基于HYDRUS对稻田不同阶段土壤水分的模拟与分析

为探寻稻田不同阶段土壤水分状况下的差异性,基于重庆丘陵区紫色土常规轮作水稻土壤水分的连续监测数据,利用HYDRUS-1D模型对稻田淹水、排水落干和收获后3个不同干湿阶段(阶段Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ)的土壤水力参数和土壤含水量开展验证模拟分析.研究表明：(1)根据R²与RMSE的误差分析结果,HYDRUS可以实现对不同阶段稻田土壤水分变化的有效模拟.(2)根据土壤水量平衡分析,阶段Ⅰ的稻田土壤水分以水分补充的形式为主;阶段Ⅱ和Ⅲ的土壤水分以水分损失为主,底层渗漏量分别占总水分损失量的52%和95%.(3)根据HYDRUS的模拟结果,降雨直接影响土壤上下边界流的变化;阶段Ⅱ的实际作物蒸腾量和实际地表蒸发量低于阶段Ⅰ的,阶段Ⅲ稻田土壤的地表实际蒸发量与日照时数的关系更密切.     

再生水灌溉对稻田重金属分布的影响

以南方稻田为研究对象,以再生水安全灌溉调控为目标,基于田间试验,研究了不同灌溉水源(农村生活污水一级处理水R1、二级处理水R2、生态塘净化水R3和河道清水R4)、不同灌溉调控(低水位W1、中水位W2和高水位W3)对土壤-作物典型重金属(镉Cd、铅Pb、铬Cr、铜Cu、锌Zn)质量比变化的影响,分析了农村生活再生水灌溉调控对土壤重金属生态风险.研究表明,农村生活污水再生灌溉稻田Cd, Pb质量比略有升高,Cr, Cu, Zn含量下降;水稻植株各部分器官重金属质量比按植株器官排序从大到小依次为茎,稻米≈叶,重金属组成从大到小依次为Zn, Cr, Pb, Cd,相对灌溉水源,水位调控对水稻植株各部分器官重金属质量比累积影响较小,再生水灌溉条件下水稻籽粒重金属质量比并未明显增加,符合稻谷污染物的限量要求;农村生活污水再生灌溉稻田Cd生态风险系数最高,Cu和Pb次之,Cr和Zn风险系数较低,R3水源灌溉下土壤重金属污染潜在生态风险最低,总体上,再生水灌溉并未对土壤造成严重污染,但长期进行再生水灌溉是否会造成重金属污染风险持续增加有待研究.     

Effects of deficit irrigation on the yield and yield components of drip irrigated cotton in a mediterranean environment

A field study on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L., cv.) was carried out from 2005 to 2008 in the Çukurova Region, Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey. Treatments were designated as I₁₀₀ full irrigation; DI₇₀, DI₅₀ and DI₀₀ which received 70, 50, and 0% of the irrigation water amount applied in the I₁₀₀ treatment. The irrigation water amount to be applied to the plots was calculated using cumulative pan evaporation that occurred during the irrigation intervals. The effect of water deficit or water stress on crop yield and some plant growth parameters such as yield response, water use efficiencies, dry matter yield (DM), leaf area index (LAI) as well as on lint quality components was evaluated. The average seasonal evapotranspiration ranged from 287 ± 15 (DI₀₀) to 584 ± 80 mm (I₁₀₀). Deficit irrigation significantly affected crop yield and all yield components considered in this study. The average seed cotton yield varied from 1369 ± 197 (DI₀₀) to 3397 ± 508 kg ha⁻¹ (I₁₀₀). The average water use efficiency (WUE_ET) ranged from 6.0 ± 1.6 (I₁₀₀) to 4.8 ± 0.9 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ (DI₀₀), while average irrigation water use efficiency (WUE_I) was between 9.4 ± 3.0 (I₁₀₀) and 14.4 ± 4.8 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ (DI₅₀). Deficit irrigation increased the harvest index (HI) values from 0.26 ± 0.054 (I₁₀₀) to 0.32 ± 0.052 kg kg⁻¹ (DI₅₀). Yield response factor (Ky) was determined to be 0.98 based on four-year average. Leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter yields (DM) increased with increasing water use. This study demonstrated that the full irrigated treatment (I₁₀₀) should be used for semiarid conditions with no water shortage. However, DI₇₀ treatment needs to be considered as a viable alternative for the development of reduced irrigation strategies in semiarid regions where irrigation water supplies are limited.     

Monitoring water and NO3-N in irrigated maize fields in the Sorraia Watershed, Portugal

The Sorraia Watershed has a long history of continuous irrigated maize. Imprecise water and fertiliser management has contributed to increase nitrate in the groundwater. Solving this problem requires the identification of problem sources and the definition of alternate management practices. This can be performed by an interactive use of selective experimentation and modelling. This paper presents the experimentation phase, where the field experiments were conducted under the irrigation and fertilisation management commonly found in the watershed. Two different soil representatives of the watershed were selected, presenting different water and solute transport properties. One is a silty loam alluvial soil, with a shallow water table, and the other is a sandy soil with a very low water retention capacity. The various terms of the water (consumption, drainage, soil storage) and nitrogen balance (plant uptake, mineralisation and leaching) were obtained from intensive monitoring in the soil profile up to 80 cm, corresponding to the crop root zone. The results showed that in the alluvial soil, up to 70 kg N ha⁻¹ was produced by mineralisation. Current fertiliser management fail in that it does not consider the soil capability to supply mineral nitrogen from the organic nitrogen stored in the profile at planting. This leads to a considerable amount of NO₃-N stored in the soil at harvesting, which is leached during the winter rainy season. In the sandy soil, the poor irrigation management (45% losses by deep percolation), leads to NO₃-N leaching during the crop season and to inefficient nitrogen use by the crop.     

Seasonal variations in sap flow and soil evaporation in an olive (Olea europaea L.) grove under two irrigation regimes in an arid region of Argentina

The emergence of intensively managed olive plantations in arid, northwestern Argentina requires the efficient use of irrigation water. We evaluated whole tree daily transpiration and soil evaporation throughout the year to better understand the relative importance of these water use components and to calculate actual crop coefficient (Kc) values. Plots in a 7-year-old ‘Manzanilla fina’ olive grove with 23% canopy cover were either moderately (MI) or highly irrigated (HI) using the FAO method where potential evapotranspiration over grass is multiplied by a given Kc and a coefficient of reduction (Kr). The Kc values employed for the MI and HI treatments were 0.5 and 1.1, respectively, and the Kr was 0.46. Transpiration was estimated by measuring main trunk sap flow using the heat balance method for three trees per treatment. Soil evaporation was measured using six microlysimeters in one plot per treatment. Both parameters were evaluated for 7-10 consecutive days in the fall, winter, mid-spring, summer, and early fall of 2006-2007. Maximum soil evaporation was observed in the summer when maximum demand was combined with maximum surface wetted by the drips and evaporation from the inter-row occurred due to rainfall. Similarly, maximum daily transpiration was observed in mid-spring and summer. Transpiration of MI trees was 30% lower than in HI trees during the summer period. However, this difference in transpiration disappeared when values were adjusted for total leaf area per tree because leaf area was 28% less in the MI trees. Transpiration represented about 70-80% of total crop evapotranspiration (ETc) except when soil evaporation increased due to rainfall events or over-irrigation occurred. We found that daily transpiration per unit leaf area had a positive linear relationship with daily potential evapotranspiration (r² = 0.84) when considering both treatments together. But, a strong relationship was also observed between transpiration per unit leaf area and mean air temperature (r² = 0.93). Thus, it is possible to predict optimum irrigation requirements for olive groves if tree leaf area and temperature are known. Calculated crop coefficients during the growing season based on the transpiration and soil evaporation values were about 0.65-0.70 and 0.85-0.90 for the MI and HI treatments, respectively.     

Yield and quality response of drip irrigated broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) under different irrigation regimes, nitrogen applications and cultivation periods

The experiment aimed at evaluating the yield and quality response of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) to applied irrigation water and nitrogen by drip irrigation method during the spring and autumn cultivation periods of 2007. Irrigation water was applied based on a ratio of Class A pan evaporation (k_cp = 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25) with 7 days interval. Also, the effect of four nitrogen levels (0 kg ha⁻¹, 150 kg ha⁻¹, 200 kg ha⁻¹ and 250 kg ha⁻¹) was compared with each treatment. The seasonal evapotranspiration in the treatments varied from 233 mm to 328 mm during the spring period and from 276 mm to 344 mm during the autumn period. The highest broccoli yield was obtained in the spring period as 11.02 t ha⁻¹ and in the autumn period as 4.55 t ha⁻¹. In general, there were statistical differences along nitrogen does with respect to yield and yield components while there were no statistically significant differences in the yield and yield components among irrigation regimes. Both yield and yield parameters in the spring period were found to be higher than that of the autumn period due to the low temperature and high rainy days in autumn. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) ranged from 3.78 kg m⁻³ to 14.61 kg m⁻³ during the spring period and from 1.89 kg m⁻³ to 5.93 kg m⁻³ during the autumn period. On the other hand, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) changed as 37.32-73.13% and 13.08-22.46% for spring and autumn season, respectively.     

Water use efficiency and economic feasibility of growing rice and wheat with sprinkler irrigation in the Indus Basin of Pakistan

With a population of more than 150 million, Pakistan cannot meet its need for food, if adequate water is not available for crop production. Per capita water availability has decreased from 5600 m³ in 1947 to 1000 m³ in 2004. Water table has gone down by more than 7 m in most parts of the country. Present need is to identify and adopt measures, that will reduce water use and increase crop production. This study was conducted in farmers’ fields during 2002–2004 to evaluate the water use efficiency and economic viability of sprinkler irrigation system for growing rice and wheat crops. Yields and water use were also measured on adjacent fields irrigated by basin flooding, which were planted with the same crop varieties. Sprinkler irrigation of rice produced 18% more yield, while reducing consumption of water to 35% of that used in the traditional irrigation system. Sprinkler irrigation of wheat resulted in a water use efficiency of 5.21 kg of grain per cubic meter of water used compared to 1.38 kg/m³ in the adjacent flooded basins. Benefit–cost analysis showed that adoption of rain-gun sprinkler irrigation for rice and wheat is a financially viable option for farmers. While these findings show large potentials for improving water use efficiency in crop production they also indicate that a large portion of the water applied in traditional flooded basin irrigation is going to groundwater recharge, which has high value near large cities which draw their water from the aquifer.     

Water balance of the olive tree–annual crop association: A modeling approach

Water transfers within mixed crops systems are complicated to understand due to the large number of complex interactions between the various components. Standard techniques fail to provide the proper assessment of the components of the water balance. Experiments and modeling developments are used to understand the dynamics of water transfers within the association of olive trees with annual crops under irrigation in Central Tunisia. The whole system is represented by a unit area made up of three components: a plot with the annual crop, a plot with the olive tree and a plot of bare soil. The modeling approach is based on the concept of reservoir. The model works on a daily time step and accounts for the lateral transfers of water occurring between the components of the system: (i) the water uptake by the roots of olive trees; (ii) the physical flow of water between the irrigated plot and the non-irrigated ones. A field experiment was carried out during 2 years (2002, 2003) and three crop cycles (spring potato, spring pea and autumn potato) in order to calibrate the model and test its validity. Olive tree transpiration was estimated from sap flow measurements and soil moisture in the different compartments was measured by neutron probe technique. The experimental data compare fairly well with the model outputs. The first purpose of the model is to understand the functioning of the olive tree–annual crop association from a water standpoint, but it can be easily extended to other intercropping systems mixing perennial vegetation with annual crops or used as a management tool. The estimates of the water extracted by the olive trees in each reservoir appear to be much more significant than those of the water physically transferred between reservoirs.     

滴头最大流量偏差率计算方法及影响因素评价

首先分析了滴头水力特征曲线方程中流量系数分布规律,当流量系数服从正态分布时,流量系数在其平均值的±3倍标准差之间变化的概率为9973％(近似于100％),因此流量系数最小值为平均值减3倍标准差,最大值为流量系数平均值加3倍标准差,在此基础上提出了综合考虑水力偏差、制造偏差和微地形偏差的综合流量偏差率计算公式;然后以制造偏差系数、流态指数、压力差、平均工作水头及田面局部高差作为影响因子进行流量偏差率及毛管造价敏感性分析．结果表明:对流量偏差率影响程度由大到小的顺序为滴头制造偏差系数、滴头流态指数、压力偏差．当制造偏差系数大于004时,毛管造价急剧增大,在设计中应尽可能选择制造偏差系数小、流态指数小的滴头.对于常规滴灌系统,当滴头工作水头大于10 m时,田面局部高差对流量偏差率影响可忽略．     

Modeling approach for the assessment of recharge contribution to groundwater from surface irrigation conveyance system

Rice–Wheat rotation system utilizes surface, ground and rain water resources conjunctively. Recent studies have shown increasing contribution of groundwater for crop irrigation. As the system utilizes water pumped from the underlying aquifer and partly seeps back, a cycle of recharge and discharge continues. Sustainability of groundwater system for the on-going drought in the country depends mainly on the recharge of the aquifer. The reported study was, therefore, carried out to measure and assess the recharge contribution of a distributary of canal in Punjab, Pakistan. Assessment of recharge through distributary was carried out using a groundwater flow “MODFLOW” model, which utilized the observed watertable, climatic, crop and soil for a period of about 1 year in addition to hydraulic conductivity, evapotranspiration and aquifer characteristics data. The requisite primary data for “MODFLOW” were collected from field and secondary data from public sector organizations dealing with water. Model calibration involved changing input parameters within reasonable limits until acceptable matches were obtained between the observed and simulated water levels for all observed hydrographs. The external inputs such as, recharge through irrigation, precipitation, stresses due to evaporation, lateral flow and stream were simulated to calculate the monthly water budget of aquifer. As concluded, recharge contribution was 16.5% of the inflow rate of the distributary. Using predicted results of the model a relationship between recharge (R) and discharge (Q) was also developed. Although, the presented results of recharge contribution were limited to one distributary of canal irrigation system, yet the developed methodology can be extended to the other canal systems of the Indus Basin.