Effects of rainfall harvesting and mulching technologies on water use efficiency and crop yield in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

In semi-arid areas, crop growth is greatly limited by water. Amount of available water in soil can be increased by surface mulching and other soil management practices. Field experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 at Gaolan, Gansu, China, to determine the influence of ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system (RFRHS), surface mulching and supplementary irrigation (SI) in various combinations on rainwater harvesting, amount of moisture in soil, water use efficiency (WUE), biomass yield of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L.) and seed yield of maize (Zea mays L.). In conventional fields without RFRHS, gravel-sand mulching produced higher biomass yield than plastic-mulching or straw-mulching. In plastic-mulched fields, an increasing amount of supplemental irrigation was needed to improve crop yield. There was no effect of RFRHS without plastic-covered ridge on rainwater harvesting when natural precipitation was less than 5 mm per event. This was due to little runoff of rainwater from frequent low precipitation showers, and most of the harvested rainwater gathered at the soil surface is lost to evaporation. In the RFRHS, crop yield and WUE were higher with plastic-covered ridges than bare ridges, and also higher with gravel-sand-mulched furrows than bare furrows in most cases, or straw-mulched furrows in some cases. This was most likely due to decreased evaporation with plastic or gravel-sand mulch. In the RFRHS with plastic-covered ridges and gravel-sand-mulched furrows, application of 30 mm supplemental irrigation produced the highest yield and WUE for sweet sorghum and maize in most cases. In conclusion, the findings suggested the integrated use of RFRHS, mulching and supplementary irrigation to improve rainwater availability for high sustainable crop yield. However, the high additional costs of supplemental irrigation and construction of RFRHS for rainwater harvesting need to be considered before using these practices on a commercial scale.     

Impact of fertilisation practices on nitrogen leaching under irrigation

Field experiments were carried out over a 2-year period on a loamy soil plot under corn in Montpellier (south-east France). The effectiveness of improved irrigation practices in reducing the adverse impact of irrigation on the environment was assessed. Different irrigation and fertiliser treatments were applied to identify the best irrigation and fertilisation strategy for each technique (furrow and sprinkler) to ensure both good yields and lower NO₃^- leaching. No significant differences in corn yield and NO₃^- leaching were found for the climatic scenario of 1999 between sprinkler and furrow irrigation during the irrigation season. Following the rainy events occurring after plant maturity (and the irrigation season), differences in N leaching were observed between the treatments. The study shows that both the fertiliser method, consisting of applying a fertiliser just before ridging the furrows, and the two-dimensional (2D) infiltration process, greatly influence the N distribution in the soil. N distribution seems to have a beneficial impact on both yield and N leaching under heavy irrigation rates during the cropping season. But, under rainy events (particularly those occurring after harvesting), the N, stored in the upper part of the ridge and not previously taken up by plants, can be released into the deeper soil layers in a furrow-irrigated plot. In contrast, the 1D infiltration process occurring during sprinkler irrigation events affects the entire soil surface in the same way. As a result the same irrigation rate would probably increase N leaching under sprinkler irrigation to a greater extent than under furrow-irrigation during an irrigation period. In order to assess the robustness of these interpretations derived from soil N-profile analysis, a modelling approach was used to test the irrigation and fertilisation strategies under heavy irrigation rates such as those occurring at the downstream part of closed-end furrows. The RAIEOPT and STICS models were used to simulate water application depths, crop yield and NO₃^- leaching on three measurement sites located along the central furrow of each treatment. The use of a 2D water- and solute-transport model such as HYDRUS-2D enabled us to strengthen the conclusions derived from the observations made on the N distribution under a cross-section of furrow. This model helped to illustrate the risk of over-estimation of N leaching when using a simplified 1D solute-transport model such as STICS.     

Water flow and solute transport in furrow-irrigated fields

Field-scale solute transport experiments are not easily implemented because of the overwhelming problems of soil heterogeneity and variability in subsurface hydraulic and solute transport properties. In this paper, the results of four field-scale furrow irrigation experiments designed to investigate the effect of flow depth and solute application time on bromide distribution along and below the furrows are presented. One experiment was conducted under free-draining (FD) conditions in which bromide was applied during the entire irrigation event. Three experiments were carried out in blocked-end furrows in which bromide was injected either during the entire irrigation event (100%), the first half of the irrigation (FH), or the second half of the irrigation (SH). The FD experiment was equipped with neutron probe tubes for measuring soil water contents at different times and locations in furrow cross-section whereas soil samples for bromide analysis and gravimetric soil water contents from all the experiments were collected at different depths up to 1.80 m, 5 days after the irrigation at three locations near the inlet, in the middle, and close to the outlet of the furrows. Overland flow depths along the furrows were also recorded using staff gauges at the inlet, middle, and outlet sites every few minutes during the entire irrigation. Results showed substantial non-uniformity in solute movement along the monitored furrows, with the degree of non-uniformity depending upon flow depth and solute application time. Non-uniform distributions were observed especially at the outlet sites, compared with those at the inlet and middle sites. Solute application efficiencies for the FD, 100%, FH, and SH experiments were 50, 100, 64, and 93%, respectively. The effects of flow depth and irrigation/solute application time on soil water contents were more pronounced in the soil surface layers and were found to be relatively minor at deeper depths. Water and solute deep percolation rates also showed dependency to flow depth and solute application/opportunity time and gradually decreased along the furrows.     

干旱区垄膜沟灌条件下土壤水盐空间分布特征研究

研究了垄膜沟灌条件下,不同灌溉定额下土壤水盐空间分布特征。结果表明,土壤含水率的时空分布受灌水次数和灌水定额的影响。灌溉期,在垂直方向上沟底土壤含水率较垄顶明显增加。在非灌溉期,由于强烈的蒸发蒸腾作用,垄顶土壤含水率持续降低,含水率阶段性变化明显。土壤盐分空间分布随土壤含水率的变化而变化,在灌溉期,沟底土壤脱盐深度随灌溉定额的增加呈增加的趋势。在非灌溉期,垄顶在作物生育期均发生积盐现象,且垄顶表层土壤盐分累积量高于沟底表层土壤。     

Effects of sand column, furrow and supplemental irrigation on agricultural production in an arid environment

The effects of supplemental irrigation, sand columns and blocked furrows on soil water distribution and barley yield were studied on arid soils affected by surface crusts. The sand columns were 50 mm diameter, 600 mm deep, and filled with sand of 0.375 mm mean diameter. The blocked furrows were trenches about 250 mm deep, 300 mm wide, and 6 m long established perpendicular to the slope direction. Sand column and furrow treatments significantly increased soil water storage compared with natural or control treatments. Soil water storage significantly increased by about 210% and 230% near the center of the sand column and the furrow treatments, respectively, relative to the control treatment. For sand column treatments, soil water storage decreased linearly with distance from the center of the sand column to about 2.5 m, while for the furrow treatment soil water storage decreased logarithmically to a distance of about 1.0 m, beyond which the soil water storage was not significantly different from the natural or control treatments. The furrow and sand column treatments significantly increased the water application efficiency, seasonal consumptive use and barley grain and straw yields compared with natural and control treatments. Increasing furrow spacing increased the catchment area and consequently crop production per furrow, but decreased crop production per unit total (cultivated and catchment) area. Decreasing sand column spacing reduced surface runoff and increased soil water storage and consequently barley grain and straw yields. Supplemental irrigation is essential for grain production in limited rainfall areas. Soil management is also required to overcome the problems of the soil surface crusting and the low permeability of subsurface soil layers for maximum rainwater efficiency, and for optimal crop production with minimum supplemental irrigation water. Where agricultural land is not limited, furrowed soil surfaces appear to be the most suitable technique for barley grain production. Sand columns with sprinkler irrigation might be more suitable for growing barley as forage crop where agricultural land is limited. Received: 19 October 1998     

灌水施氮方式对玉米生育期土壤NO3--N时空分布的影响

在干旱区大田条件下,以制种玉米"金西北22号"为供试材料,采用交替灌水、固定灌水、均匀灌水和交替施氮、固定施氮、均匀施氮二因素三水平的完全组合方案,在拔节期、大喇叭口期、抽雄期、灌浆期和成熟期对0~100 cm土层分层监测植株正下方、植株正南侧和植株正北侧的土壤NO_3~--N含量。结果表明:监测时期内,植株南、北两侧较植株下和0~40 cm土层较40~100 cm土层的土壤NO_3~--N含量时空分布受灌水施氮方式影响更大。固定灌水固定施氮下,水氮同区时土壤NO_3~--N在施氮侧下移,而水氮异区时土壤NO_3~--N在施氮侧累积。灌浆期,40~80 cm土层的植株下,与均匀灌水相比,交替灌水下不同施氮方式的土壤NO_3~--N含量减少9.9%~14.4%。交替灌水均匀施氮或交替灌水交替施氮使得土壤NO_3~--N在较长时间内维持在0~40 cm土层周围,成熟期二者0~100 cm土层的土壤NO_3~--N残留量相近,但较其他处理减少11.7%~27.3%。综上,交替灌水均匀施氮或交替灌水交替施氮使玉米生育期土壤NO_3~--N含量时空分布比较合理,成熟期土壤NO_3~--N残留量较低。     

Irrigation management in arid areas affected by surface crust

The effects of supplemental irrigation and irrigation practices on soil water storage and barley crop yield were studied for a crust-forming soil at the University of Jordan Research Station near Al-Muwaqqar village during the 1996/97 growing season. An amount of 0.0, 48.9, 73.3, 122.2 and 167 mm supplemental irrigation water were applied. The 48.9, 73.3 and 122.2 mm applications were applied through surface irrigation into furrows with blocked ends, and the 0.0 and 167 mm applications via sprinkler irrigation. The greatest water infiltration and subsequent soil storage was achieved with the 122.2 mm application followed by the 73.3 mm irrigation, both surface applied. Application efficiency (the fraction of applied water that infiltrated into the soil and stored in the 600 mm soil profile) and soil water storage associated with supplemental blocked furrow irrigation was significantly greater than with supplemental sprinkler irrigation. For arid zone soil, which has little or no structural stability, application of supplemental irrigation water via short, blocked-end furrows prevents runoff and increases the opportunity time for infiltration, thereby increasing the amount of applied water that is infiltrated into the soil and stored in the soil profile. Supplemental irrigation, applied by a low-rate sprinkler system, was not as effective because of the low infiltration rates that resulted from the development of a surface throttle due to dispersion of soil aggregates at the soil surface. The differences in stored water had a significant effect on grain and straw yields of barley. Without supplemental irrigation, barley grain and straw yields were zero in natural rainfall cultivation with a total rainfall of 136.5 mm. Barley yields in the control treatment, with a 167 mm supplemental sprinkler irrigation were low being 0.19 and 1.09 ton/ha of barley grain and straw, respectively. Supplemental irrigation through blocked-end furrows increased barley grain and straw yields significantly compared with supplemental sprinkler irrigation to a maximum of 0.59 and 1.8 ton/ha, respectively. The improvement coming from the increased water storage associated with furrows. Since irrigation water is very limited if available, farmers are encouraged to form such furrows for reducing runoff from rainfall thereby increasing the amount of water available for forage and field crop production.     

Comparison of soil water content and corn yield in furrow and conventional ridge sown systems in a semiarid region of China

Water deficits and unusually warm soil temperatures can adversely affect conventional ridge sown systems. Increasingly serious water and temperature issues associated with global climate change may be problematic in the future, particularly in semiarid regions. This study explored the soil water and crop yield benefits of switching the sowing location of corn from ridges to furrows. Experiments were conducted over three years. Corn was grown in shallow furrow (SF) and deep furrow (DF) sown treatments until the V8 stage (eight visible leaf collars). New ridges were then built over the existing furrows. Grain yield was found to be higher in the SF and DF sown treatments than in a conventional ridge sown treatment (CR), especially in drought years. Switching sowing position from ridge to furrow could increase corn yield, directly, by improving soil moisture early in the growing season and, indirectly, by stimulating the growth of resource-capturing organs (e.g., leaves and roots). This simple and efficient approach to crop production in semiarid climates may be practical for the management of numerous agricultural systems, particularly those that are resource-limited, with greater vulnerability to the effects of global climate change.     

Using a furrow system for surface drainage under unsteady rain

Water excess during winter limits crop development on heavy clay soil conditions of the Gharb valley (Morocco). The furrow system to eliminate these negative effects is the adopted solution. This article focuses on the development of a water transfer model through a furrow system during unsteady rainfall event to evaluate the runoff volume resulting from a reference rainy event. This model contains a production function associated to a transfer function. The production function is based on the Green-Ampt infiltration equation. The latter has been adapted to account for unsteady rain conditions and rainfall intermittence. The transfer function is based on the kinematic wave model, the explicit solution of which is coupled with the water excess generated by the production function. Simulated runoff in the furrows is collected by a drainage ditch evacuating the flow outside a plot of 1.3 ha. The similarity between parameters of a furrow irrigation model and those of the production function is advantageously used for model calibration.The proposed modelling approach shows capabilities to predict water amount and peak discharges evacuated from a plot of around 1 ha by a furrow system under unsteady rainfall events. As an application, it is used to evaluate the ability of the surface drainage system to evacuate the excessive volumes of water under typical rainfalls.     

Yield and water-production functions of two durum wheat cultivars grown under different irrigation and nitrogen regimes

Wheat (Triticum durum L.) yields in the semi-arid regions are limited by inadequate water supply late in the cropping season. Planning suitable irrigation strategy and nitrogen fertilization with the appropriate crop phenology will produce optimum grain yields. A 3-year experiment was conducted on deep, fairly drained clay soil, at Tal Amara Research Station in the central Bekaa Valley of Lebanon to investigate the response of durum wheat to supplemental irrigation (IRR) and nitrogen rate (NR). Three water supply levels (rainfed and two treatments irrigated at half and full soil water deficit) were coupled with three N fertilization rates (100, 150 and 200 kg N ha⁻¹) and two cultivars (Waha and Haurani) under the same cropping practices (sowing date, seeding rate, row space and seeding depth). Averaged across N treatments and years, rainfed treatment yielded 3.49 Mg ha⁻¹ and it was 25% and 28% less than half and full irrigation treatments, respectively, for Waha, while for Haurani the rainfed treatment yielded 3.21 Mg ha⁻¹, and it was 18% and 22% less than half and full irrigation, respectively. On the other hand, N fertilization of 150 and 200 kg N ha⁻¹ increased grain yield in Waha by 12% and 16%, respectively, in comparison with N fertilization of 100 kg N ha⁻¹, while for cultivar Haurani the increases were 24% and 38%, respectively. Regardless of cultivar, results showed that supplemental irrigation significantly increased grain number per square meter and grain weight with respect to the rainfed treatment, while nitrogen fertilization was observed to have significant effects only on grain number per square meter. Moreover, results showed that grain yield for cultivar Haurani was less affected by supplemental irrigation and more affected by nitrogen fertilization than cultivar Waha in all years. However, cultivar effects were of lower magnitude compared with those of irrigation and nitrogen. We conclude that optimum yield was produced for both cultivars at 50% of soil water deficit as supplemental irrigation and N rate of 150 kg N ha⁻¹. However, Harvest index (HI) and water use efficiency (WUE) in both cultivars were not significantly affected neither by supplemental irrigation nor by nitrogen rate. Evapotranspiration (ET) of rainfed wheat ranged from 300 to 400 mm, while irrigated wheat had seasonal ET ranging from 450 to 650 mm. On the other hand, irrigation treatments significantly affected ET after normalizing for vapor pressure deficit (ET/VPD) during the growing season. Supplemental irrigation at 50% and 100% of soil water deficit had approximately 26 and 52 mm mbar⁻¹ more ET/VPD, respectively, than those grown under rainfed conditions.     

Assessing impacts of surge-flow irrigation on water saving and productivity of cotton

To improve water saving and conservation in irrigated agriculture, a range of field evaluation experiments was carried out with various furrow irrigation treatments in cotton fields to estimate the possibilities of improving furrow irrigation performances under conditions of Central Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan. The research consisted in comparing surge and continuous-flow in long furrows and adopting alternate-furrow irrigation. The best results were achieved with surge-flow irrigation applied to alternate furrows. Field data allowed the calibration of a surface irrigation model that was used to identify alternative management issues. Results identified the need to better adjust inflow rates to soil infiltration conditions, cut-off times to the soil water deficits and improving irrigation scheduling. The best irrigation water productivity (0.61 kg m⁻³) was achieved with surge-flow on alternate furrows, which reduced irrigation water use by 44% (390 mm) and led to high application efficiency, near 85%. Results demonstrated the possibility for applying deficit irrigation in this region.     

Effect of irrigation method and quantity on squash yield and quality

Squash yield and quality under furrow and trickle irrigation methods and their responses to different irrigation quantities were evaluated in 2010 spring and fall growing seasons. A field experiment was conducted using squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) grown in northern Egypt at Shibin El Kom, Menofia. A randomized split-plot design was used with irrigation methods as main plots and different irrigation quantities randomly distributed within either furrow or trickle irrigation methods. Irrigation quantity was a fraction of crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) as: 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, and 1.5 ET_c. Each treatment was repeated three times, two of five rows from each replicate were left for squash seed production. In well-watered conditions (1.0 ET_c), seasonal water use by squash was 304 and 344 mm over 93 days in spring and 238 and 272 mm over 101 days in fall under trickle and furrow irrigation methods, respectively. Squash fruit yield and quality were significantly affected by season and both irrigation method and quantity. Fruit number and length were not affected by irrigation method and growing season, respectively. Interaction between season and irrigation quantity significantly affected leaf area index, total soluble solid (TSS), and fruit weight. Moreover, seed yield and quality were significantly affected by growing season and both irrigation method and quantity except harvest index, which was not affected by irrigation method. Significant differences for the interaction between season and irrigation method were only found for seed yield and 100 seeds weight. Except for harvest index, no significant difference was observed by interaction between season and irrigation quantity. Both fruit and seed yields were significantly affected in a linear relationship (r² ≥ 0.91) by either deficit or surplus irrigation quantities under both irrigation methods. Adequate irrigation quantity under trickle irrigation, relative to that of furrow, enhanced squash yield and improved its quality in both growing seasons. Fall growing season was not appropriate for seed production due to obtaining many of empty seeds caused by low weather variables at the end of the season. The results from small experiment were extrapolated to large field to find out optimal irrigation scheduling under non-uniform of irrigation application.     

A comparison of drip and furrow irrigated cotton on a cracking clay soil

Summary To determine if drip irrigation increases fertilizer requirements and/or the efficiency of utilization compared to furrow irrigation, growth and nitrogen uptake were measured in a four-year experiment comparing surface (SD) and buried (BD) methods of drip irrigation with furrow irrigation (F) of cotton. The soil was a slowly-permeable cracking grey clay (vertisol) at Narrabri, N.S.W Drip-irrigated treatments were maintained at a deficit of 45 mm below the fully-irrigated soil water content, while F was irrigated when the deficit reached about 90 mm. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer was applied weekly with drip irrigation to BD and SD over the first half of the season, and as a conventional single application to F before sowing. Leaf area index (LAI), dry matter and N uptake were influenced more by season than by method of irrigation. LAI during boll filling averaged 2.4 and was 10% greater in BD than in SD and F. Final dry matter averaged 988 g m^–2 and was 10% greater in BD and SD than in F. The efficiency of conversion of solar radiation into dry matter averaged 0.55 g MJ^–1; lint yield as a fraction of dry matter averaged 0.18; neither parameter was consistently influenced by the method of irrigation. Total N uptake ranged from 97 to 170 kg ha^–1 and was influenced by irrigation method in one season only, when it was less in F than in SD and BD. N was often taken up later under drip irrigation than under F: there was up to 40% less N taken up by SD than F in the early flowering stage. The delay was associated with later application of N to BD and SD compared with F, and the application of N to the surface of alternate furrows of SD. Plant factors such as root ageing and competition between roots and bolls, were also implicated. We conclude that all of the N should be applied to drip-irrigated cotton on these soils by mid flowering, and that some of the N should be applied in the soil before sowing.     

Effects of irrigation strategies and soils on field grown potatoes: Root distribution

Root distribution of field grown potatoes (cv. Folva) was studied in 4.32 m² lysimeters and subjected to full (FI), deficit (DI), and partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation strategies. Drip irrigation was applied for all irrigations. Irrigations were run in three different soils: coarse sand, loamy sand, and sandy loam. Irrigation treatments started after tuber bulking and lasted until final harvest with PRD and DI receiving 65% of FI. Potatoes irrigated with water-saving irrigation techniques (PRD and DI) did not show statistically different dry root mass and root length density (RLD, cm root per cm³ soil) compared with root development in fully irrigated (FI) potatoes. Highest RLD existed in the top 30-40 cm of the ridge below which it decreased sharply. The RLD was distributed homogenously along the ridge and furrow but heterogeneously across the ridge and furrow with highest root density in the furrow. Most roots accumulated in the surface layers of coarse sand as compared to the other soil types. In the deep soil profile (30-70 cm) a higher root density was found in loamy sand compared with the sandy loam and coarse sand. Approximately twice the amounts of roots were found below the furrows compared with the corresponding layers below the ridges. The RLD values in the soil profile of the ridges and the furrows followed the Gerwitz and Page model: RLD = α × exp(−β × z). The highest value of surface root density (α) and rate of change in density (β) was found in coarse sand while the lowest values of α and β were found in the sandy loam and loamy sand. The model estimated the effective rooting depth in coarse sand and sandy loam quite well but did slightly overestimate it in the loamy sand. Statistical analysis showed that one α and β value can be used for each soil irrespective of the irrigation treatment. Thus, the effective rooting depths corresponding to root length densities of 0.1 and 0.25 cm cm⁻³ for sandy loam, loamy sand, and coarse sand soils were 99, 141, and 94 cm, and 80, 115, and 78 cm, respectively, calculated from top of the ridge. The findings of this study can be used in practice for efficient use of water and nutrients in the field.     

Effects of different ridge:furrow ratios and supplemental irrigation on crop production in ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system with mulches

The ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RFRH) system with mulches is being promoted to increase water availability for crops for higher and stable agricultural production in many areas of the Loess Plateau in northwest China. In the system, plastic-covered ridges serve as rainfall-harvesting zones and stone-, straw- or film-mulched furrows serve as planting zones. To adopt this system more effectively, a field study (using corn as an indicator crop) was conducted to determine the effects of different ridge:furrow ratios and supplemental irrigation on crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in the RFRH system with mulches during the growing seasons of 1998 and 1999.The results indicated that the ridge:furrow ratios had a significant effect on crop yield and yield components. The 120:60 cm ridge and furrow (120 cm wide ridge and 60 cm wide furrow) system increased yield by 27.9%, seed weight per head by 14.8%, seed number per head by 7.4% and 1000-seed weight by 4.7%, compared with the 60:60 cm ridge and furrow (60 cm wide ridge and 60 cm wide furrow) system. No differences in WUE were found between the two ratio systems. For corn and winter wheat, the optimum ridge:furrow ratio seems to be 1:1 in the 300-mm rainfall area, 1:2 in the 400-mm rainfall area and 1:4 in the 500-mm rainfall area. The optimum ridge:furrow ratio seems to be 1:3 for millet in the 300-mm rainfall area, although it is unnecessary to adopt RFRH practice in regions with more than 400 mm rainfall. The most effective ridge size for crop production seems 60 cm in the Loess Plateau. Implementing supplemental irrigation in the RFRH system is also a useful way to deal with the temporal problem of moisture deficits. In the case of corn, supplemental irrigation at its critical growth stage can increase both grain yield and WUE by 20%. The combination of in situ RFRH system with supplemental irrigation practice will make the RFRH system more attractive.     

沟向与灌溉方式对玉米根区土温的影响

为了阐明不同沟向与沟灌方式下作物根区土壤温度的变化规律,通过垄作玉米田不同点位处的根区地温观测,研究了南北沟向和东西沟向下交替隔沟灌溉(AFI)和常规沟灌(CFI)田的地温变化。结果表明,东西沟向时AFI在湿沟、垄位和干沟处0～20cm土温分别高于南北沟向0～4.60、0～5.37、0～6.57℃;同一沟向条件下,AFI的平均土温比CFI提高了0.02～7.00℃,且AFI在非灌水区域的土温比灌水区域高0.23～6.20℃。东西沟向AFI的作物根区土温最高,提高了根区土壤热能,以其通过栽培方式或灌溉方式的改变调节田间光热环境以适应不同作物的生长需求。     

Water, nitrogen and yield losses for a nonhomogeneous furrow set

Water distribution can be nonuniform along the furrow length under surface irrigation. This “down field” nonuniformity is combined with “inter-row” non-uniformity which is a consequence of differences in infiltration characteristics across the plot. Global nonuniformity of application depth causes variation of yield, drainage and nitrogen leaching. In addition to that, due to year-to-year variability of climate, irrigation depths range significantly (from 0 to 360 mm/season). The objective of this paper is to study the impact of the nonuniformity of irrigation-water distribution within a furrow plot on yield, water and nitrogen losses when climate variation is taken into account. Six maize vegetation seasons on a Chromic Luvisol soil in the Sofia region with varying irrigation requirements are considered. Irrigation water is distributed in relative terms over the plot at different levels of nonuniformity (coefficient of variation C_v ranging from 13 to 66%) by the FURMOD model. Water and nitrogen cycle and crop growth are simulated then compared at 30 representative points in the set with various “climate-irrigation nonuniformity” combinations by the CERES-maize model. It was established that non-uniformity of irrigation is not important in wet vegetation periods. The drier the irrigation season, the higher the yield loss and risk to environment due to nonuniformity of irrigation water distribution. In moderate and dry irrigation seasons it causes yield losses of 2–14%, significant variation (30% < C_v < 200%) of drainage, nitrogen leaching and residual soil nitrate over the furrow set. Surface irrigation performances can be improved by reducing lateral nonuniformity of stream advance.     

Development of an adaptive surface irrigation system

Cablegation is a simple system for automating surface irrigation in small- and medium-sized fields using a gated pipe. In this work, a Programmable Logic Control, PLC, was used to develop an adaptive cablegation system capable of establishing the infiltration equation in real time and then adjusting the irrigation times to the infiltration rate and field geometry. A controlling program was developed for the on-field determination of the infiltration equation, simulation of advance in each furrow, and the optimization and management of the irrigation event. The equipment was tested in three experimental stations, including a Luvissol field organized in contour terraces with furrows of various lengths. The results demonstrate the capability of the system to adapt the application times to the different furrow lengths and the gradual decrease in the soil infiltration and to recommend an application depth that optimizes the Application Efficiency. Various improvements were made to this solar-powered cablegation, resulting in a reliable surface irrigation system capable of unsupervised operation.     

Deficit irrigation and nitrogen effects on seed cotton yield, water productivity and yield response factor in shallow soils of semi-arid environment

A field experiment was conducted for 2 years to investigate the effects of deficit irrigation, nitrogen and plant growth minerals on seed cotton yield, water productivity and yield response factor. The treatment comprises six levels of deficit irrigation (Etc 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.5) and four levels of nitrogen (80, 120, 160 and 200 kg N ha⁻¹). These were treatments superimposed with and without plant growth mineral spray. Furrow irrigation treatments were also kept. Cotton variety Ankur-651 Bt was grown during 2006 and 2007 cotton season. Drip irrigation at 1.0 Etc saved 26.9% water and produced 43.1% higher seed cotton yield over conventional furrow irrigation (1.0 Etc). Imposing irrigation deficit of 0.8 Etc caused significant reduction in seed cotton yield to the tune of 9.3% of the maximum yield. Further increase in deficit irrigation from 0.7 Etc to 0.5 Etc significantly decreased seed cotton yield over its subsequent higher irrigation level. Decline in the yield under deficit irrigation was associated with reduction in number of bolls plant⁻¹ and boll weight. Nitrogen at 200 kg ha⁻¹ significantly increased mean seed cotton yield by 36.3% over 80 kg N ha⁻¹. Seed cotton yield tended to increase linearly up to 200 kg N ha⁻¹ with drip Etc 0.8 to drip Etc 1.0. With drip Etc 0.6-0.5, N up to 160 kg ha⁻¹ provided the highest yield, thereafter it had declined. Foliar spray of plant growth mineral (PGM) brought about significant improvement in seed cotton yield by 14.1% over control. The water productivity ranged from 0.331 to 0.491 kg m⁻³ at different irrigation and N levels. On pooled basis, crop yield response factor of 0.87 was calculated at 20% irrigation deficit.     

Investigating water availability for introducing an additional crop yield in dry season on hill land at Rubirizi, Rwanda

The study explores the potential of introducing an additional crop during dry season in Rwanda, comparing the efficiency of in situ soil moisture conservation techniques to sustain rain-fed agriculture. Comparative study of in situ soil moisture conservation techniques in bench terraces and unterraced field with maize crop had been conducted from June 2007 to October 2007. Bench terrace increased the average soil moisture content in 90 cm soil depth by more than 50% than that of unterraced land. Within the bench terraced field compartment bund and ridges and furrows increased soil moisture by 19.5% and 27.9% higher than plain bed. In terms of efficiency of moisture conservation, ridges and furrows performed well with 85.8% followed by compartment bund with 75.9% in terraced field. Unterraced field conserved moisture very poorly with 13.9% efficiency inferring importance of bench terraces for soil moisture conservation. No maize grain yield was recorded in all the techniques because soil water depleted to 60% and above from the beginning of the cropping period inferring the need of supplementary irrigation. Analysis of rainfall, crop water demand and in situ moisture conservation reveals exciting opportunities for water productivity enhancements by integrating components of water management within the context of rain-fed farming through water harvesting and supplemental or microirrigation for dry spell mitigation. Detailed analysis is needed for feasibility of lift irrigation with different crops under different altitudes to derive suitable policy for hill land irrigation.