Dynamics and modeling of soil water under subsurface drip irrigated onion

Subsurface drip irrigation provides water to the plants around the root zone while maintaining a dry soil surface. A problem associated with the subsurface drip irrigation is the formation of cavity at the soil surface above the water emission points. This can be resolved through matching dripper flow rates to the soil hydraulic properties. Such a matching can be obtained either by the field experiments supplemented by modeling. Simulation model (Hydrus-2D) was used and tested in onion crop (Allium cepa L.) irrigated through subsurface drip system during 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Onion was transplanted at a plant to plant and row to row spacing of 10 cm × 15 cm with 3 irrigation levels and 6 depths of placement of drip lateral. The specific objective of this study was to assess the effect of depth of placement of drip laterals on crop yield and application of Hydrus-2D model for the simulation of soil water. In sandy loam soils, it was observed that operating pressures of up to 1.0 kg cm⁻² did not lead to the formation of cavity above the subsurface dripper having drippers of 2.0 l h⁻¹ discharge at depths up to 30 cm. Wetted soil area of 60 cm wide and up to a depth of 30 cm had more than 18% soil water content, which was conducive for good growth of crop resulting in higher onion yields when drip laterals were placed either on soil surface or placed up to depths of 15 cm. In deeper placement of drip lateral (20 and 30 cm below surface), adequate soil water was found at 30, 45 and 60 cm soil depth. Maximum drainage occurred when drip lateral was placed at 30 cm depth. Maximum onion yield was recorded at 10 cm depth of drip lateral (25.7 t ha⁻¹). The application of Hydrus-2D confirmed the movement of soil water at 20 and 30 cm depth of placement of drip laterals. The model performance in simulating soil water was evaluated by comparing the measured and predicted values using three parameters namely, AE, RMSE and model efficiency. Distribution of soil water under field experiment and by model simulation at different growth stages agreed closely and the differences were statistically insignificant. The use of Hydrus-2D enabled corroborating the conclusions derived from the field experimentation made on soil water distribution at different depths of placement of drip laterals. This model helped in designing the subsurface drip system for efficient use of water with minimum drainage.     

Effect of subsurface drip irrigation on onion yield

Subsurface drip system is the latest method of irrigation. The design of subsurface drip system involves consideration of structure and texture of soil, and crop’s root development pattern. A 3-year experiment was conducted on onion (Allium Cepa L., cv. Creole Red) in a sandy loam soil from October to May in 2002–2003, 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 to study the effect of depth of placement of drip lateral and different levels of irrigation on yield. Tests for uniformity of water application through the system were carried out in December of each year. Three different irrigation levels of 60, 80 and 100% of the crop evapotranspiration and six placement depths of the drip laterals (surface (0), 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 cm) were maintained in the study. Onion yield was significantly affected by the placement depth of the drip lateral. Maximum yield (25.7 t ha⁻¹) was obtained by applying the 60.7 cm of irrigation water and by placing the drip lateral at 10 cm soil depth. Maximum irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (0.55 t ha⁻¹ cm⁻¹) was obtained by placing the drip lateral at 10 cm depth. The greater vertical movement of water in the sandy-loam soil took place because of the predominant role of gravity rather than that of the capillary forces. Therefore, placement of drip lateral at shallow depths is recommended in onion crop to get higher yield.     

Effect of saline water irrigation and manure application on the available water content, soil salinity, and growth of wheat

Good water management combined with appropriate soil management is necessary for sustainable crop production in drylands. A pot culture experiment was conducted using sand dune soil under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to the application of farmyard manure (FYM) or poultry manure (PM), and irrigation with water at two salinity levels (0.11 and 2.0 dS m⁻¹) and two irrigation intervals (daily and every second day). The manure was applied at a rate of 20 Mg ha⁻¹. The soil water content, measured 1 h before every irrigation, showed that soil treated with PM retained more water than that treated with FYM, while the control (no manure) contained the least water. FYM treatment resulted in 78 and 21% higher dry matter yield compared to the control and PM treatments, respectively, under daily irrigation using good-quality water. The increase was 29 and 55%, respectively, when saline water was used for daily irrigation. A similar trend was observed with the alternate day irrigation treatment; FYM gave the highest dry matter yield. The number of tillers and plant height showed that FYM was better than PM, which in turn was better than the control under irrigation with good-quality water regardless of the irrigation interval. When water of the highest salinity was used for irrigation, FYM was still always the best, but the control was now better than the PM treatment. The electrical conductivity of the soil measured at the end of the experiment was slightly higher with PM, as compared to the FYM and control treatments. A significant interaction between irrigation water quality and manure application was observed, affecting plant growth. PM aggravated the adverse affect of saline water on plant growth by increasing soil salinity.     

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.     

Effect of seasonal water stress imposed on drip irrigated second crop watermelon grown in semi-arid climatic conditions

A study was conducted to determine the water stress effect on yield and some physiological parameters including crop water stress index for drip irrigated second crop watermelon. Irrigations were scheduled based on replenishment of 100, 75, 50, 25, and 0% soil water depletion from 90 cm soil depth with 3-day irrigation interval. Seasonal crop evapotranspiration (ET) for I₁₀₀, I₇₅, I₅₀, I₂₅, and I₀ were 660, 525, 396, 210, and 70 mm in 2003 and 677, 529, 405, 221, and 75 mm in 2004. Fruit yield was significantly lowered by irrigation water stress. Average water-yield response factor for both of the years was 1.14. The highest yield was obtained from full irrigated treatment as 34.5 and 38.2 t ha⁻¹ in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Lower ET rates and irrigation amounts in water stress treatments resulted in reductions in all measured parameters, except water-soluble dry matter concentrations (SDM). Canopy dry weights, leaf relative water content, and total leaf chlorophyll content were significantly lowered by water stress. Yield and seasonal ET were linearly correlated with mean CWSI values. An average threshold CWSI value of 0.17 before irrigation produced the maximum yield and it could be used to initiate the irrigation for watermelon.     

Evaluation on the irrigation and fertilization management practices under the application of treated sewage water in Beijing, China

Irrigation and fertilization management practices play important roles in crop production. In this paper, the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) was used to evaluate the irrigation and fertilization management practices for a winter wheat–summer corn double cropping system in Beijing, China under the irrigation with treated sewage water (TSW). A carefully designed experiment was carried out at an experimental station in Beijing area from 2001 to 2003 with four irrigation treatments. The hydrologic, nitrogen and crop growth components of RZWQM were calibrated by using the dataset of one treatment. The datasets of other three treatments were used to validate the model performance. Most predicted soil water contents were within ±1 standard deviation (S.D.) of the measured data. The relative errors (RE) of grain yield predictions were within the range of −26.8% to 18.5%, whereas the REs of biomass predictions were between −38% and 14%. The grain nitrogen (N) uptake and biomass N uptake were predicted with the RE values ranging from −13.9% to 14.7%, and from −11.1% to 29.8%, respectively. These results showed that the model was able to simulate the double cropping system variables under different irrigation and fertilization conditions with reasonable accuracy. Application of RZWQM in the growing season of 2001–2002 indicated that the best irrigation management practice was no irrigation for summer corn, three 83 mm irrigations each for pre-sowing, jointing and heading stages of winter wheat, respectively. And the best nitrogen application management practice was 120 kg N ha⁻¹ for summer corn and 110 kg N ha⁻¹ for winter wheat, respectively, under the irrigation with TSW. We also obtained the alternative irrigation management practices for the hydrologic years of 75%, 50% and 25%, respectively, in Beijing area under the conditions of irrigation with TSW and the optimal nitrogen application.     

Evapotranspiration components and dual crop coefficients of coffee trees during crop production

Quantifying crop water consumption is essential for many applications in agriculture, such as crop zoning, yield forecast and irrigation management. The objective of this study was to determine evaporation (E), transpiration (T) and dual crop coefficients (Ke and Kcb) of coffee trees during crop production (3rd and 4th year of cultivation), conducted under sprinkler and drip irrigation and no irrigation, in Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil. Crop evapotranspiration (ET) was measured by weighing lysimeters cultivated with plants of cultivar IAPAR 59, E was measured by microlysimeters installed on the lysimeters and T was obtained by the difference between ET and E. The crop coefficient (Kc) was determined for the irrigated treatments as the ratio between ET and the reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Similarly, evaporation coefficient (Ke) and basal crop coefficient (Kcb) were determined as the ratio of E and T, respectively, to the value of ETo, which was estimated by the ASCE Penman-Monteith method on an hourly basis. The values of E and Ke varied due to atmospheric demand and water application method. Those factors, in addition to crop phenology and leaf area evolution, also influenced T and Kcb. Regardless irrigation treatment, the measured values of E represented 35% of ET, while T was 65% of ET. The recommended values of Ke were 0.46 and 0.26 for sprinkler and drip irrigation, respectively. The recommended values of Kcb were 0.52 and 0.82 for sprinkler-irrigated, and 0.5 and 0.65 for drip-irrigated treatments, varying as a function of daily ETo (ETo ≥ or <3 mm day⁻¹, respectively).     

Evaluation of CERES-Wheat and CropSyst models for water–nitrogen interactions in wheat crop

Crop simulation models can provide an alternative, less time-consuming and inexpensive means of determining the optimum crop N and irrigation requirements under varied soil and climatic conditions. In this context, two dynamic mechanistic models (CERES (Crop Environment REsource Synthesis)-Wheat and CropSyst (Cropping Systems Simulation Model)) were validated for predicting growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L) under different nitrogen and water management conditions. Their potential as N and water management tool was evaluated for New Delhi representing semi-arid irrigated ecosystems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The field experiment was carried out on a silty clay loam soil at the Research Farm of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India during 2000–2001 to collect the input data for the calibration and validation of both the models on wheat crop (variety HD 2687). The models were evaluated for three water regimes [I4 (4 irrigations within the growing season), I3 (3 irrigations within the growing season) and I2 (2 irrigations within the growing season)] and five N treatments (N₀, N₆₀, N₉₀, N₁₂₀ and N₁₅₀). Both the models were calibrated using data obtained from the treatments receiving maximum nitrogen and irrigations, i.e., N₁₅₀ and I4 treatments. The models were then validated against other water and nitrogen treatments. For performance evaluation, in addition to coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and Wilmot's index of agreement (IoA) were estimated. Both CERES-Wheat and CropSyst provided very satisfactory estimates for the emergence, flowering and physiological maturity dates. For CERES-Wheat overall prediction (pooled result of the three water regimes) of grain yield was satisfactory with significant R² values (0.88). The model, however, under estimated the biomass under all water regimes and N levels except for N₀ level, under which biomass was overpredicted. CropSyst predicted yield and biomass of wheat more closely than CERES-Wheat. The combined RMSE for the three water regimes between predicted and observed grain yield was 0.36 Mg ha⁻¹ for CropSyst as compared to 0.63 Mg ha⁻¹ for CERES-Wheat. Similarly, RMSE between observed and predicted biomass by CropSyst was 1.27 Mg ha⁻¹ as compared to 1.94 Mg ha⁻¹ between observed and predicted biomass by CERES-Wheat. Wilmot's index of agreement (IoA) also indicated that CropSyst model is more appropriate than CERES-Wheat in predicting growth and yield of wheat under different N and irrigation application situations in this study.     

Tape depth and germination method influence patterns of salt accumulation with subsurface drip irrigation

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) can result in accumulation of soluble salts at or near the soil surface. In the southwestern USA, rainfall is usually inadequate for stand establishment, thus supplemental irrigation is necessary. Use of sprinklers to minimize salt concentrations near the soil surface is an alternative to using SDI for stand establishment. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of germination method (irrigation with SDI or sprinklers), depth of SDI tape (0.18 and 0.25 m), and irrigation water salinity (1.5 and 2.6 dS m⁻¹) on salt and Br distribution after each of two consecutive growing seasons. Treatments consisted of factorial combinations of these three factors. Bromide was used to trace salt accumulation from the drip tape. After season 1, the highest salt concentrations (ECe up to 11 dS m⁻¹) were in the top 3 cm of soil. Below 3 cm, soil EC dropped significantly and remained constant to 1.05 m. Similarly, Br concentrations were highest in the top 3 cm of soil. The mass of salt and Br recovered in the top 3 cm were significantly affected by tape depth, and water EC significantly affected salt mass. Salt present in the soil after season 1 adversely affected crop emergence in season 2, where SDI was used for stand establishment. After season 2, the highest salt and Br concentrations were at about 25 cm depth, probably due to 210 mm of rainfall that occurred near the end of the growing season. There were no significant differences among treatments in the mass of either salt or Br in the top 3 cm or 16 cm of the soil profile after season 2. Timely rainfall, transplanting rather than direct seeding, and changing bed geometry can reduce dependence on sprinklers for stand establishment.     

Characterizing ground water use by safflower using weighing lysimeters

Decades of irrigation on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley without sufficient drainage have created large areas where shallow ground water (<1.5 m) has become a problem for agriculture. Because drainage outflow is restricted as a result of environmental concerns, reducing the amount of irrigation applied is a farm management solution for this situation. One option to reduce the amount of irrigation water is to include shallow ground water use as a source of water for crop production when scheduling irrigation. The objective for this study is to describe soil water fluxes in the presence of saline, shallow ground water under a safflower crop. Two weighing lysimeters, one with and one without shallow saline ground water were used to measure crop evapotranspiration of surface drip irrigated safflower. A saline water table (14 dS/m) was maintained in one of the lysimeters. Ground water use as part of crop evapotranspiration was characterized using hourly measurements of the water level in a ground water supply tank (Mariotte bottle). Ground water contribution of up to 40% of daily crop water use was measured. On a seasonal basis, 25% of the total crop water use originated from the ground water. The largest ground water contribution was shown to occur at the end of the growing season, when roots are fully developed and stored soil water in the root zone was depleted. The applied irrigation on the crop grown in the presence of a water table was 46% less than irrigation applied to the crop without a water table. The reduction of irrigation was obtained by using the same irrigation schedule as on the lysimeter without ground water, but through smaller applied depths per irrigation event.     

Subsurface drip irrigation and reclaimed water quality effects on phosphorus and salinity distribution and forage production

In the Canary Islands, water scarcity is one of the constraints for agricultural activity. Non-conventional water resources generally represent more water volume than conventional ones. The distribution of these resources frequently permits the possibility of a conjunctive use of desalinated (DW) water and reclaimed municipal wastewater (RW). Field testing with both water qualities and different irrigation systems is necessary for optimal site-specific management. The objective of this work was to evaluate soil salinity and phosphorus distribution, and alfalfa yield in a 20 month field experiment carried out in the island of Gran Canaria, using municipal RW and freshwater (FW) under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Phosphorus speciation was performed both in irrigation waters and in soils (Olsen's inorganic, organic, and microbial). RW had large EC values (2.4 dS m⁻¹) with a remarkable nutrient load contribution and an average total P around 3 mg L⁻¹, predominantly hydrolysable forms, while FW had very low salinity and negligible amounts of P. For the RW treatment a salt gradient was established, causing plant mortality between the irrigation lines. The study of P speciation allows describing P distribution and plant uptake in terms of P forms. Large values of microbial P were produced for the two irrigation waters around the emitters, especially for FW.A faster P-cycling could have contributed to the significantly larger inorganic P contents observed in FW irrigated soils, in spite no external sources were added by the irrigation water.     

Overland water and salt flows in a set of rice paddies

Cultivation of paddy rice in semiarid areas of the world faces problems related to water scarcity. This paper aims at characterizing water use in a set of paddies located in the central Ebro basin of Spain using experimentation and computer simulation. A commercial field with six interconnected paddies, with a total area of 5.31 ha, was instrumented to measure discharge and water quality at the inflow and at the runoff outlet. The soil was classified as a Typic Calcixerept, and was characterized by a mild salinity (2.5 dS m⁻¹) and an infiltration rate of 5.8 mm day⁻¹. The evolution of flow depth at all paddies was recorded. Data from the 2002 rice-growing season was elaborated using a mass balance approach to estimate the infiltration rate and the evolution of discharge between paddies. Seasonal crop evapotranspiration, estimated with the surface renewal method, was 731 mm (5.1 mm day⁻¹), very similar to that of other summer cereals grown in the area, like corn. The irrigation input was 1874 mm, deep percolation was 830 mm and surface runoff was 372 mm. Irrigation efficiency was estimated as 41%. The quality of surface runoff water was slightly degraded due to evapoconcentration and to the contact with the soil. During the period 2001–2003, the electrical conductivity of surface runoff water was 54% higher than that of irrigation water. However, the runoff water was suitable for irrigation. A mechanistic mass balance model of inter-paddy water flow permitted to conclude that improvements in irrigation efficiency cannot be easily obtained in the experimental conditions. Since deep percolation losses more than double surface runoff losses, a reduction in irrigation discharge would not have much room for efficiency improvement. Simulations also showed that rice irrigation performance was not negatively affected by the fluctuating inflow hydrograph. These hydrographs are typical of turnouts located at the tail end of tertiary irrigation ditches. In fact, these are the sites where rice has been historically cultivated in the study area, since local soils are often saline-sodic and can only grow paddy rice taking advantage of the low salinity of the irrigation water. The low infiltration rate characteristic of these saline-sodic soils (an experimental value of 3.2 mm day⁻¹ was obtained) combined with a reduced irrigation discharge resulted in a simulated irrigation efficiency of 60%. Paddy rice irrigation efficiency can attain reasonable values in the local saline-sodic soils, where the infiltration rate is clearly smaller than the average daily rice evapotranspiration.     

Modelling soil water and salt dynamics under pulsed and continuous surface drip irrigation of almond and implications of system design

The HYDRUS-2D model was experimentally verified for water and salinity distribution during the profile establishment stage (33?days) of almond under pulsed and continuous drip irrigation. The model simulated values of water content obtained at different lateral distances (0, 20, 40, 60, 100?cm) from a dripper at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140 and 160?cm soil depths at different times (5, 12, 19, 26 and 33?days of profile establishment) were compared with neutron probe measured values under both irrigation scenarios. The model closely predicted water content distribution at all distances, times and soil depths as RMSE values ranged between 0.017 and 0.049. The measured mean soil water salinity (ECsw) at 25?cm from the dripper at 30, 60, 90 and 150?cm soil depth also matched well with the predicted values. A correlation of 0.97 in pulsed and 0.98 in continuous drip systems with measured values indicated the model closely predicted total salts in the root zone. Thus, HYDRUS-2D successfully simulated the change in soil water content and soil water salinity in both the wetting pattern and in the flow domain. The initial mean ECsw below the dripper in pulsed (5.25?dSm^?1) and continuous (6.07?dSm^?1) irrigations decreased to 1.31 and 1.36?dSm^?1, respectively, showing a respective 75.1 and 77.6% decrease in the initial salinity. The power function [y?=?ax ^?b ] best described the mathematical relationship between salt removal from the soil profile as a function of irrigation time under both irrigation scenarios. Contrary to other studies, higher leaching fraction (6.4–43.1%) was recorded in pulsed than continuous (1.1–35.1%) irrigation with the same amount of applied water which was brought about by the variation in initial soil water content and time of irrigation application. It was pertinent to note that a small (0.012) increase in mean antecedent water content (θ _i ) brought about 8.25–9.06% increase in the leaching fraction during the profile establishment irrespective of the emitter geometry, discharge rate, and irrigation scenario. Under similar θ _i , water applied at a higher discharge rate (3.876?Lh^?1) has resulted in slightly higher leaching fraction than at a low discharge rate (1.91?Lh^?1) under pulsing only owing to the variation in time of irrigation application. The influence of pulsing on soil water content, salinity distribution, and drainage flux vanished completely when irrigation was applied daily on the basis of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) with a suitable leaching fraction. Therefore, antecedent soil water content and scheduling or duration of water application play a significant role in the design of drip irrigation systems for light textured soils. These factors are the major driving force to move water and solutes within the soil profile and may influence the off-site impacts such as drainage flux and pollution of the groundwater.     

Integrated management of irrigation water and fertilizers for wheat crop using field experiments and simulation modeling

The reported study aimed at developing an integrated management strategy for irrigation water and fertilizers in case of wheat crop in a sub-tropical sub-humid region. Field experiments were conducted on wheat crop (cultivar Sonalika) during the years 2002–2003, 2003–2004 and 2004–2005. Each experiment included four fertilizer treatments and three irrigation treatments during the wheat growth period. During the experiment, the irrigation treatments considered were I₁ = 10% maximum allowable depletion (MAD) of available soil water (ASW); I₂ = 40% MAD of ASW; I₃ = 60% MAD of ASW. The fertilizer treatments considered in the experiments were F₁ = control treatment with N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 0:0:0 kg ha⁻¹, F₂ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 80:40:40 kg ha⁻¹; F₃ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 120:60:60 kg ha⁻¹ and F₄ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 160:80:80 kg ha⁻¹. In this study CERES-wheat crop growth model of the DSSAT v4.0 was used to simulate the growth, development and yield of wheat crop using soil, daily weather and management inputs, to aid farmers and decision makers in developing strategies for effective management of inputs. The results of the investigation revealed that magnitudes of grain yield, straw yield and maximum LAI of wheat crop were higher in low volume high frequency irrigation (I₁) than the high volume low frequency irrigation (I₃). The grain yield, straw yield and maximum LAI increased with increase in fertilization rate for the wheat crop. The results also revealed that increase in level of fertilization increased water use efficiency (WUE) considerably. However, WUE of the I₂ irrigation schedule was comparatively higher than the I₁ and I₃ irrigation schedules due to higher grain yield per unit use of water. Therefore, irrigation schedule with 40% maximum allowable depletion of available soil water (I₂) could safely be maintained during the non-critical stages to save water without sacrificing the crop yield. Increase in level of fertilization increases the WUE but it will cause environmental problem beyond certain limit. The calibrated CERES-wheat model could predict the grain yield, straw yield and maximum LAI of wheat crop with considerable accuracy and therefore can be recommended for decision-making in similar regions.     

Managing subsurface drip irrigation in the presence of shallow ground water

A 3-year project compared the operation of a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and a furrow irrigation system in the presence of shallow saline ground water. We evaluated five types of drip irrigation tubing installed at a depth of 0.4 m with lateral spacings of 1.6 and 2 m on 2.4 ha plots of both cotton and tomato. Approximately 40% of the cotton water requirement and 10% of the tomato water requirement were obtained from shallow (<2 m) saline (5 dS/m) ground water. Yields of the drip-irrigated cotton improved during the 3-year study, while that of the furrow-irrigated cotton remained constant. Tomato yields were greater under drip than under furrow in both the years in which tomatoes were grown. Salt accumulation in the soil profile was managed through rainfall and pre-plant irrigation. Both drip tape and hard hose drip tubing are suitable for use in our subsurface drip system. Maximum shallow ground water use for cotton was obtained when the crop was irrigated only after a leaf water potential (LWP) of −1.4 MPa was reached. Drip irrigation was controlled automatically with a maximum application frequency of twice daily. Furrow irrigation was controlled by the calendar.     

RZWQM2模型对河北坝上地区大白菜模拟适用性评价

为明析根区水质模型(RZWQM2)对河北坝上地区蔬菜作物的适用性,以该地区膜下滴灌大白菜为研究对象,建立模型运行的气象、土壤及作物数据库,模拟2018年和2019年大白菜生育期内田间土壤水分动态变化、作物株高变化及最终产量,并通过实测值进行对比分析.结果表明:①经过对该模型参数的校准,得到各土层(20 cm、40 cm...     

Yield and quality of two tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars as influenced by drip and furrow irrigation using waters having high residual sodium carbonate

Performance of tomato when irrigated with sodic waters particularly under drip irrigation is not well known. A field experiment was conducted for 3 years to study the response of tomato crop to sodic water irrigation on a sandy loam soil. Irrigation waters having 0, 5 and 10 mmol_c L⁻¹ residual sodium carbonate (RSC) were applied through drip and furrow irrigation to two tomato cultivars, Edkawi (a salt tolerant cultivar) and Punjab Chhuhara (PC). High RSC of irrigation water significantly increased soil pH, ECe and exchangeable sodium percentage progressively; the increases were higher in furrow compared to drip irrigation. Effect of high RSC on increasing bulk density and decreasing infiltration rate of soil was also pronounced in furrow-irrigated plots. Higher soil moisture and lower salinity near the plant was maintained under drip irrigation than under furrow irrigation. Performance of the two cultivars was significantly different; pooled over 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, PC yielded 38.8 and 30.0 Mg ha⁻¹ and Edkawi yielded 31.8 and 22.9 Mg ha⁻¹ under drip and furrow irrigation, respectively. At RSC10, cultivar PC produced 38 and 46% higher fruit yield than cultivar Edkawi under drip and furrow irrigation, respectively. Reduction in fruit yield at higher RSC was due to lower fruit weight under drip irrigation and due to reduced fruit number as well as fruit weight under furrow irrigation. Decrease in fruit weight was more pronounced in cultivar Edkawi than in cultivar PC. Increase in RSC lowered quality of the fruits except the ascorbic acid content. High RSC under drip irrigation, in general, had lesser deteriorating effect on the fruit quality particularly for cultivar PC than under furrow irrigation. For obtaining high tomato yield and better-quality fruits using high RSC sodic waters, drip irrigation should be preferred over furrow irrigation. Better performance of local cultivar PC compared to Edkawi at medium and high RSC suggests that cultivars categorized as tolerant to salinity should be evaluated in the sodic environment particularly when irrigated with high RSC sodic waters.     

Effect of water shortage on yield, and protein and mineral compositions of drip-irrigated sweet corn in sustainable agricultural systems

Water is a natural resource of prime value that is very often limited and costly, particularly in semi-arid regions. While traditional irrigation methods increase the amount of surface runoff, drip irrigation provides efficient use of the limited water resources. This study was conducted to determine the water-yield relationship and the quality of sweet corn grown under deficit drip irrigation in 1998 and 1999 in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Irrigation treatments analysed in this study were full irrigation as well as 10, 20 and 30% deficiency of Class A pan evaporation. In both years, water use efficiency ranged between 1.18 and 1.36 kg m⁻³, and irrigation water use efficiency ranged between 1.36 and 1.62 kg m⁻³. The yield response factor (k_y) or the ratio of the decrease in relative yield to the decrease in relative water consumption varied from 0.82 to 1.43, and the water-saving rate ranged from 10.9 to 31.1%. The relationships between fresh ear yield and the irrigation treatments were statistically significant (P < 0.01), and the yield decreased with increasing deficit irrigation. Root dry matter increased with water shortage. Maximum values of leaf area index were obtained at full irrigation, whereas the lowest values were found at 30% water deficiency. The values of the deficit irrigation stress index increased with decreasing water application. Although the protein content increased, the Fe, Zn and Cu concentration of the kernels decreased with increasing water deficiency. Despite the reduction of fresh ear yield with deficit irrigation, the number of marketable ears at 10% water deficiency was still high and acceptable for sweet corn (var. Reward) in south-eastern Turkey.     

Comparison of sprinkler,trickle and furrow irrigation efficiencies for onion production

In the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico, furrow irrigation is the primary source of water for growing onions. As the demand for water increases, there will be increasing competition for this limited resource. Water management will become an essential practice used by farmers. Irrigation efficiency (IE) is an important factor into improving water management but so is economic return. Therefore, our objectives were to determine the irrigation efficiency, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water use efficiency (WUE), under sprinkler, furrow, and drip irrigated onions for different yield potential levels and to determine the IE associated with the amount of water application for a sprinkler and drip irrigation systems that had the highest economic return.Maximum IE (100%) and economic return were obtained with a sprinkler system at New Mexico State University’s Agriculture Science Center at Farmington, NM. This IE compared with the 54–80% obtained with the sprinkler irrigation used by the farmers. The IEs obtained for onion fields irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation methods ranged from 45 to 77%. The 45% represents the nonstressed treatments, in which an extra amount of irrigation above the evapotranspiration (Et) requirement was applied to keep the base of the onion plates wet. The irrigation water that was not used for Et went to deep drainage water. The return on the investment cost to install a drip system operated at a IE of 45 was 29%. Operating the drip system at a IE of 79% resulted in a yield similar to surface irrigated onions and consequently, it was not economical to install a drip system. The IEs at the furrow-irrigated onion fields ranged from 79 to 82%. However, the IEs at the furrow-irrigated onion fields were high because farmers have limited water resources. Consequently, they used the concept of deficit irrigation to irrigate their onion crops, resulting in lower yields. The maximum IWUE (0.084 t ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ of water applied) was obtained using the sprinkler system, in which water applied to the field was limited to the amount needed to replace the onions’ Et requirements. The maximum IWUE values for onions using the subsurface drip was 0.059 and 0.046 t ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ of water applied for furrow-irrigated onions. The lower IWUE values obtained under subsurface drip and furrow irrigation systems compared with sprinkler irrigation was due to excessive irrigation under subsurface drip and higher evaporation rates from fields using furrow irrigation. The maximum WUE for onions was 0.009 t ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ of Et. In addition, WUE values are reduced by allowing the onions to suffer from water stress.     

Towards using a thermal infrared index combined with water balance modelling to monitor sugarcane irrigation in a tropical environment

In humid regions, the timing and quantity of a complementary irrigation regime is challenging because of the irregularity of rainfalls events. In this study, we tested the use of a thermal infrared derived empirical crop water stress index (CWSI_e) as an in situ measurement of the water status of sugarcane, to better monitor the irrigation scheduling. To do this, we set up a 2-year experiment in Reunion Island, on a trial with plots under different water conditions (rainfed and irrigated). Crop surface temperature was measured daily with infrared radiometers (Apogee Instruments) installed above the canopy, and soil moisture and drainage measurements were used to derive the ratio between actual and maximum evapotranspiration (AET/MET) values that were then averaged on “hydrically homogeneous” time periods (between 7 and 25 days). Only the thermal data acquired on clear days and 1 h after noon in 2007 were used to define the empirical lower and upper baselines required for the calculation of empirical CWSI. The data set acquired in 2008 was used to test the robustness of the method as we used the upper and lower baselines defined in 2007 to calculate CWSI_e. The linear regression between AET/MET and (1 − CWSI_e) averaged on the same periods (values ranging between 0.4 and 1) showed a significant correlation for both experimental years (global R² = 0.75 and RMSE = 0.12). This result indicates the effectiveness of the CWSI_e to measure the water status of the sugarcane crop, even in humid conditions with a vapor pressure deficit (VPD) between 0.5 and 2.1. We conclude the study by discussing the complementarity of this remote water stress index (CWSI_e) with OSIRI water balance modelling tool currently used in Reunion Island for monitoring sugarcane crop irrigation.