Elevation and infiltration in a level basin. II. Impact on soil water and corn yield

The spatial variability of irrigation water recharge and crop yield is affected by a number of factors. Soil surface elevation, infiltration and soil water MAD are the most relevant related to level-basin irrigation. Measurements of soil water recharge (using a neutron probe) were compared to estimates based on ring infiltrometers and observations of the opportunity time. Estimates of cumulative infiltration (ECI) were obtained, separating the variability of infiltration and opportunity time (largely determined by elevation). Soil surface elevation was correlated with measured recharge, grain yield and total dry matter. A correlation was found between infiltration and the measurements of water recharge. While soil surface elevation can be regarded as a management variable, little can be done to reduce the variability of infiltration. Distribution uniformities from ECI were about 20% higher than those obtained from measurements of water recharge. Seasonal uniformity was only marginally higher than average uniformity, confirming the low random component of water recharge in level-basin irrigation. Deep percolation was more intense in areas with low MAD. This finding emphasizes the relevance of characterizing the variability of soil physical properties in surface irrigation. Extrapolation of the results of this research to field-scale irrigation basins should take into account the methodology used: in particular, the reduced scale of the experimental level basin. Received: 24 February 1998     

Elevation and infiltration in a level basin. I. Characterizing variability

Spatial characterization of soil physical properties could improve the estimation of surface irrigation performance. The aim of this research was to characterize the spatial and time variability of a set of irrigation-related soil properties. The small-scale experimental level-basin (729 m²) was located on an alluvial loam soil. A corn crop was established in the basin and irrigated five times during the season. A detailed survey of the soil properties (generally using a 3 × 3 m network) was performed. Classic statistical and geostatistical tools were used to characterize the variables and their interactions. Semivariograms were validated for the studied variables, except for the clay fraction, the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the infiltration parameters. The resulting geostatistical range was often in the interval of 6–10 m. For the three surveys of soil surface elevation the range was smaller, about 4 m. No correlation was found between saturated hydraulic conductivity and the other soil physical properties. Soil surface elevation showed a high correlation between surveys. After the first irrigation, the standard deviation of elevation increased from an initial 9.6 mm to 20.8 mm. The soil physical parameters were used to map the soil water management allowable depletion. In a companion paper these results are used to explain the spatial variability of corn yield and soil water recharge due to irrigation. Received: 24 February 1998     

Short staple cotton under micro and level-basin irrigation methods

Summary Advanced irrigation methods and water management practices are needed for high yields with minimum water applications: A three-year study using recently introduced surface-micro and level-basin irrigation methods was conducted in central Arizona on a nonuniform sandy loam soil to determine optimum water placement and irrigation frequency. Several newer, short staple cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars and different row spacings were also evaluated. Precision micro and level-basin irrigation systems achieved maximum lint yields of more than 2,000 kg/ha and lint water use efficiencies in excess of 0.21 kg/m³. A single micro line per every two rows irrigated daily averaged about 25% more lint cotton than every furrow, level-basin treatment irrigated every two weeks. With a micro irrigation line per every three rows, yields were reduced by an average of 15% and as much as 33% compared with a micro line per every two rows. The cotton production on the narrow row (0.75 m) spacing with a 33% higher plant population outyielded the conventional row (1.0 m) spacing by about 15% in the third year. In addition, some of the newer cotton cultivars had a lower water requirement than the ones prevalent 10 years ago. In the future, cotton growers should be able to irrigate with less water by using improved irrigation systems and water management practices.Contribution of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pacific West Area     

Calibration and validation of a three-dimensional subsurface irrigation hydrology model

An enhanced subsurface irrigation hydrology model, developed by Buyuktas & Wallender (Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, ASCE 128(3): 71–81), is calibrated and validated using 2 years of data collected in a field in Broadview Water District in California, USA. The first year data is used to calibrate the model, while the second year data is used for model validation. Calibration of the model is achieved by trial-and-error adjustments of model parameters to match simulated results with measured cumulative drain flow, water table depth and salinity of the drain flow. Adjustments of the model input parameters include van Genuchten soil hydraulic function parameters (n and K_s), maximum allowed pressure head at the soil surface and irrigation duration. For validation of the model, a particular case is chosen to match the measured drain flow, water table depth and drain flow salinity, based on the graphical and objective functions used. It is found, through model validation, that the predicted drain flow is slightly lower than the observed data, while the predicted water table depth is slightly higher.     

Impact of drip and level-basin irrigation on growth and yield of winter wheat in the North China Plain

A field experiment was conducted for 3 consecutive years (2007–2009) to study the effects of two different irrigation methods, that is, level-basin irrigation (BI) and drip irrigation (DI), and different treatment levels on crop growth, yield, and WUE of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the North China Plain (NCP). The results indicate that irrigation methods and treatment levels had significant effects on crop growth and yield of winter wheat. Irrigation amounts significantly influenced plant heights, LAI, and winter wheat grain yields (P < 0.05 level) for both irrigation methods. Further, the DI method significantly improved yield and WUE compared with the BI method (P < 0.05 level) under conditions of deficit irrigation. Without irrigation system investment consideration, crop water productivity was highest when DI was used and irrigations were scheduled when soil water was depleted to 60 and 50 % of field capacity.     

Stochastic modeling of basins microtopography: analysis of spatial variability and model testing

Microtopography is among the most important factors affecting the performance of basin irrigation system due to its influence on the advance and recession processes. This study is based on field-measured surface elevation of 116 basins in North China. The spatial variability of basins microtopography was analyzed using geostatistics; the spatial structure of basins microtopography can be characterized by a spherical semivariogram model. The correlations between selected basin geometry parameters, mainly the standard deviation (S _d ) of surface elevation differences (SED), and the semivariogram parameters were calculated and allow estimating the semivariogram parameters from basin characteristics. Considering the randomness of SED and, simultaneously, its spatial dependence, a procedure was developed to model the spatial distribution of SED using Monte-Carlo generation and kriging interpolation techniques. The required number of SED generations was also estimated depending upon the S _d of SED. The SED stochastic generation model was tested by comparing the advance, recession, flow water depths and performance parameters observed in an experimental basin with those simulated using measured and model generated SED data. Results show that estimation errors from using generated data are similar to those resulting from observations. Thus, SED generated data may be used for assessing the impacts of microtopography on irrigation performance.     

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

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

Analysis of salinization dynamics by remote sensing in Hetao Irrigation District of North China

Remote sensing can provide base information for documenting salinity change and for predicting its future evolution trend. The spatial and temporal distributions of soil salinization of Jiefangzha Irrigation Sub-district, the western part of Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia in northern China, were determined through analysis of satellite-based remote sensing images. Three Landsat TM/ETM+ satellite images taken during 14 years (1991 ∼ 2005) coupled with field observations were chosen as the basic data sources. Supervised classification and visual interpretation were used to analyze salinity classification and statistical method was applied to analyze the relationship between salinity and groundwater depth. From 1991 to 2005 the area of heavy saline land decreased from 191 to 136 km², or 3.9 km² per year; the moderate saline land decreased from 318 to 284 km², or 2.5 km² per year; the slight saline land decreased from 510 to 394 km², or 8.2 km² per year. Therefore, soil salinization in Jiefangzha Irrigation Sub-district is decreasing in general. The electrical conductivity (EC) values measured from field have the following relationship with the reflectance composition obtained from LANDSAT Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data: EC = 5.653(band5 − band7)/(band5 + band7) + 0.246. In addition, an r² value between EC values and groundwater depth is 0.72, which indicates groundwater depth is the major factor for the regional soil salinity control. The paper can serve as a theoretical reference for optimal allocation of irrigation water resource and salinization control in Hetao Irrigation District.     

Effects of soil type on soybean crop water use in weighing lysimeters

Summary Different soils are known to affect the amount and distribution of both available water and roots. Optimising irrigation water use, especially when shallow water-tables are present requires accurate knowledge of the root zone dynamics. This study was conducted to determine the effect of two soil types on root growth, soil water extraction patterns, and contributions of a water-table to crop evaporation (E). Two weighing lysimeters (L1 and L2) with undisturbed blocks of soil were used. The soil in L1 had higher hydraulic conductivity and lower bulk density than that in L2. Well watered conditions were maintained by irrigation for the first 110 days from sowing (DFS). Root length density (RLD) was calculated from observations made in clear acrylic tubes installed into the sides of the lysimeters. Volumetric soil water contents were measured with a neutron probe. A water-table (EC = 0.01 S m^-1) was established 1 m below the soil surface 18 DFS. RLD values were greater in L1 than L2 at any depth. In L1, maximum RLD values (3 × 10⁴ m m^-3) were measured immediately above the water-table at physiological maturity (133 DFS). In L2, maximum RLD values (1.5 × 10⁴ m m^-3) were measured at 0.42 m on 120 DFS and few roots were present above the water-table. From 71 to 74 DFS, 55 and 64% of E was extracted from above 0.2 m for L1 and L2, respectively. In L2, extraction was essentially limited to the upper 0.4 m, while L1 extraction was to 0.8 m depth. Around 100 DFS the water-table contributed 29% (L1) and 7% (L2) of the water evaporated. This proportion increased rapidly as the upper soil layers dried following the last substantial irrigation 106 DFS. Over the whole season the water-table contributed 24% in L1 and 6.5% in L2 of total E.     

Irrigation of lucerne with saline groundwater on a slowly permeable,duplex soil

Summary Lucerne was irrigated for three years on a slowly permeable, duplex soil, with saline water up to 2.4 dS m^–1 without significant yield decline. Irrigation water of 4.5 dS m^–1 significantly reduced yield. Lucerne yield was most closely related to the soil ECe of the 0–15 cm depth, rather than the total rootzone, and was described by; Relative yield=100–6.5 (ECe-2.1). While lucerne roots reached depths of at least 150 cm, approximately 80% of total root length was located in the 0–60 cm depth.Increasing salinity increased the plant concentrations of sodium and chloride, however, these changes were not closely related to changes in yield.Soil salinity increased with increasing salinity of the applied water. However, during the irrigation season water penetration and the accumulation of salt within the profile was predominantly restricted to the 0–60 cm depth. No portion of the applied irrigation water was available as a leaching fraction. Any leaching of salts to the watertable, particularly below 120 cm, was due to winter rainfall rather than the application of summer irrigation water.Ripping the soil to a depth of 75 cm increased water infiltration and resulted in increased crop yields, but did not significantly affect the crop relative yield-soil ECe relationship.From the results it is proposed that on the slowly permeable duplex soils, when watertable depth is controlled, management strategies for lucerne irrigated with saline water should be based on controlling the salinity of the shallow soil depths, to 60 cm.     

Irrigation for crops in a sub-humid environment

Summary A four year study examined the effect of irrigating at various water deficits at different times in the growing season, in combination with a range of nitrogen fertilizer rates, on the growth, yield and quality of cotton. The major effect of irrigation treatment on growth was to increase leaf area and plant size; net assimilation rate in the vegetative phase was not affected by irrigation treatment. The initial rate of boll setting was slightly faster in low nitrogen and less frequent irrigation treatments, but by day 180 (immediately prior to defoliation), all treatments had 60% of total dry weight as bolls and 7% as leaf. The best irrigation strategy varied from year to year due to the variable rainfall pattern. Irrigation when 80% of the available soil moisture had been depleted in the first half of the season only decreased total lint yield by up to 12% in two of the four seasons. During the second half of the season the 80% level of depletion decreased yield by an average of 15% but gave an earlier crop. Yield was reduced by up to 17% if irrigation at 40–60% of available moisture depletion in the first half of the season was followed by irrigation at 80% of available moisture depletion in the second half of the season. A rainfed treatment yielded from 16 to 43% less than the heaviest yielding irrigation treatment. After irrigation there was evidence of poor aeration in the soil which was most severe and lasted the longest at 30 cm depth. Heaviest yields were obtained with 100–150 kgN ha^–1, except in rainfed treatments where 0–50 kgN ha^–1 was sufficient. Irrigation at only 40% of available moisture depletion decreased nitrogen uptake in all seasons. Treatment effects on fibre quality in these experiments were small and variable. Nitrogen fertilizer generally increased length and strength but decreased micronaire. Stress during boll filling decreased micronaire and length in two of the four seasons.     

Evapotranspiration and irrigation effeciency of mature orange orchards in Valencia (Spain)

Actual evapotranspiration (ETc) of three mature sweet orange orchards (cv. Salustiana and Washington Navel on sour orange), under border irrigation and typical cultural practices was measured by the water balance method during 1981 to 1984. Soil water content was measured at 7 to 10 day intervals using a neutron meter and soil sampling of the 0–10 cm surface layer. Zero flux plane was calculated by measurements with mercury tensiometers. Irrigation water in these and other 5 similar orchards was measured by broad crested weirs. Rainfall and other climatic data for calculation of reference evapotranspiration by FAO's methods (ETo) were collected in a nearby meteorological station. Average yearly ETc ranged from 750 to 660 mm and mean monthly maximum was 3.7 and 3.2 mm/day in July for Salustiana and W. Navel orchards, respectively.ETo estimates for the different methods used were highly correlated (r ²0.94). Monthly crop coefficients (Kc) based on pan evaporation ranged from 0.5–0.6 in spring and summer to 0.8 in autumn and were about 10% higher than those for Penman or radiation methods. Average annual Kc for the three plots studied was 0.64, 0.61 and 0.51, respectively, and correlated well (r ²=0.99) with tree ground cover. Irrigation efficiency was about 50% for orchards with soils with less water holding capacity and more applied water per irrigation and 70–80% in orchards with deeper soils or with a higher water holding capacity. Increasing irrigation frequency and applying smaller amounts of water per irrigation with good uniformity can improve on-farm irrigation efficiency.     

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.     

Performance assessment of small irrigation schemes along the Mauritanian banks of the Senegal River

Irrigation plays a fundamental role in world food provision but, to date, it has performed below expectations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The present study assesses and diagnoses the performance of 22 small and medium size community-managed irrigation schemes, mainly devoted to rice production, in different locations along the Mauritanian banks of the Lower Senegal River. The evaluations followed the Rapid Appraisal Process in which semi-structured interviews were held with representatives of the Cooperatives’ Boards in charge of each scheme to obtain information about the organisation of the cooperative, land tenure, irrigation system and organization, cropping pattern and soils. Additionally, for each irrigation scheme, the water-delivery service was characterized by making qualitative and comparative observations during field inspections; the pumping station's performance was diagnosed by a local specialist; the discharge at the head of the system was measured; daily irrigation time was recorded; and crop yields were determined by plot sampling. Then a set of performance indicators was computed. Water delivery capacity referred to irrigated areas was insufficient in a third of the schemes, and this insufficiency was exacerbated by poor maintenance. Irrigation intensity in habilitated areas was rather low being less than 0.66 in 50% of the schemes. The average productivity of land, irrigation water, and fuel (3.38 t ha⁻¹, 0.30 kg m⁻³ and 2.37 kg kWh⁻¹, respectively) were well below potential.     

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.     

Irrigation and tillage effects on root development,water use and yield of wheat on coarse textured soils

Summary Rapid drying of surface layers of coarse-textured soils early in the growth season increases soil strength and restricts root growth. This constraint on root growth may be countered by deep tillage and/or early irrigation. We investigated tillage and irrigation effects on root growth, water use, dry matter and grain yield of wheat on loamy sand and sandy loam soils for three years. Treatments included all combinations of two tillage systems i) conventional tillage (CT) — stirring the soil to 10 cm depth, ii) deep tillage (DT) — subsoiling with a single-tine chisel down to 35–40 cm, 40 cm apart followed by CT; and four irrigation regimes, i) I₀ — no post-seeding irrigation, ii) I₁ — 50 mm irrigation 30 days after seeding (DAS), iii) I₂ — 50 mm irrigation 30 DAS and subsequent irrigations of 75 mm each when net evaporation from USWB class A open pan (PAN-E) since previous irrigation accumulated to 82 mm, and iv) I₃ — same as in I² but irrigation applied when PAN-E accumulated to 62 mm. The crop of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. HD 2329) was fertilized with 20kg P, 10kg K and 5kg Zn ha^–1 at seeding. The rate of nitrogen fertilization was 60 kg ha^–1 in the unirrigated and 120 kg ha^–1 in the irrigated treatments. Tillage decreased soil strength and so did the early post-seeding irrigation. Both deep tillage and early irrigation shortened the time needed for the root system to reach a specified depth. Subsequent wetting through rain/irrigation reduced the rate of root penetration down the profile and also negated deep tillage effects on rooting depth. However, tillage/irrigation increased root length density in the rooted profile even in a wet year. Better rooting resulted in greater profile water depletion, more favourable plant water status and higher dry matter and grain yields. In a dry year, the wheat in the DT plots used 46 mm more water, remained 3.3 °C cooler at grain-fill and yielded 68% more grain than in CT when unirrigated and grown in the loamy sand. Early irrigation also increased profile water depletion, more so in CT than DT. Averaged over three years, grain yield in DT was 12 and 9% higher than in CT on loamy sand and sandy loam, respectively. Benefits of DT decreased with increase in rainfall and irrigation. Irrigation significantly increased grain yield on both soils, but the response was greatly influenced by soil type, tillage system and year. The study shows that soil related constraints on root growth may be alleviated through deep tillage and/or early irrigation.     

Irrigation, tillage and mulching effects on soybean yield and water productivity in relation to soil texture

Depleting groundwater resources in Indian Punjab call for diversifying from rice to crops with low evapo-transpiration needs and adopting water-saving technologies. Soybean offers a diversification option in coarse- to medium-textured soils. However, its productivity in these soils is constrained by high soil mechanical resistance and high soil temperature during early part of the growing season. These constraints can be alleviated through irrigation, deep tillage and straw mulching. This 3-years field study examines the individual and combined effects of irrigation, deep tillage, and straw mulching regimes on soybean yield and water productivity (WP) in relation to soil texture. Combinations of two irrigation regimes viz., full irrigation (I_f), and partial irrigation (I_p) in the main plot; two tillage regimes viz., conventional-till (CT)-soil stirring to 0.10 m depth, and deep tillage (DT)-chiseling down to 0.35 m depth followed by CT in the subplot; and two mulch rates viz., 0 (M₀) and 6 t ha⁻¹ (M) in the sub-subplot on two soils differing in available water capacity were evaluated.Seed yield was greater in the sandy loam than in the loamy sand reflecting the effects of available water capacity. Irrigation effects were greater on loamy sand (40%) than on sandy loam (5%) soil. Deep tillage benefits were also more on loamy sand (14%) compared to sandy loam (5%) soil. Yield gains with mulching were comparable on the two soils (19%). An evaluation of interaction effects showed that mulching response was slightly more in I_p (20%) than in I_f regimes (17%) in the sandy loam; while in the loamy sand, mulching gains were comparable (18-19%) in both irrigation regimes. Benefits of deep tillage in the loamy sand soil were more in I_p (20%) than in I_f regimes (17%). Deep tillage and straw mulching enhanced WP (ratio of seed yield/water use) from 1.39 to 1.97 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ in I_p regime, and from 1.87 to 2.33 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ in I_f regime in the loamy sand soil. These effects on WP were less in the sandy loam soil with greater available water capacity. Yield and WP gains are ascribed to deeper and denser rooting due to moderation of soil temperature and water conservation with straw mulching and tillage-induced reduction in soil mechanical resistance. Root mass in CTM₀, CTM, DTM₀ and DTM was 2.79, 5.88, 5.34 and 5.58 mg cm⁻² at pod-filling in the loamy sand soil. Comparable yield responses to deep tillage or mulching in the loamy sand soil suggest that either of the options, depending on their cost and availability considerations, can be employed for improving soybean yield and water productivity.     

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.     

The potential of precision surface irrigation in the Indus Basin Irrigation System

In this research we explore the potential of precision surface irrigation to improve irrigation performance under the warabandi system prevalent in the Indus Basin Irrigation System. Data on field dimensions, field slopes along with characteristic soil infiltration properties and outlet discharge were collected through a survey of a sample tertiary unit of Maira Branch Canal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The performance of all fields in the tertiary unit was analysed and reported in aggregate, with detailed results of one field presented for illustration. The objective is to determine the optimum field layout, defined as the number of border strips, for the observed field characteristics to maximize performance. The results indicate that performance improvement is relatively easily achievable through changes in field layout within current irrigation services. Estimated application efficiency is sensitive to the selected depth of application, and it is important that a practical depth of application is selected. We recommend a depth of application of 50 mm and show how this is achievable and leads to a low quarter distribution uniformity of 0.750 and an application efficiency of 80 %. We also explore the feasibility of a 10-day warabandi rather than the 7-day warabandi and show that there is no significant change in the performance under a 10-day warabandi.     

Uptake of 15N-labelled nitrate by irrigated wheat

Summary Uptake of nitrate (NO ₃ ^- ) by wheat (cv. Condor) grown on a heavy clay soil in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation Region of south-eastern Australia was investigated. ¹⁵N-labelled NO ₃ ^- was applied at 2 gNm^–2 on 7 September, 5 October and 5 November 1987 to microplots in a larger field experiment involving two irrigation treatments. The irrigation treatments were either complete irrigation until maturity or partial irrigation. Plant tops were harvested from three microplots selected at random from each treatment on 4 occasions; 7,14, 21 and 28 days after N application. Irrigation had no effect on the rate of uptake of ¹⁵N. Recovery of ¹⁵N-labelled NO ₃ ^- in the plant tops increased from 50% for the September ¹⁵N addition to 70% for the October and November additions. The low recovery of ¹⁵N in September occurred when soil NO ₃ ^- values were relatively high. Daily uptake of ¹⁵N-labelled NO ₃ ^- ranged from 0.08 to 0.15g Nm^–2 between September and November, whereas total N accumulation data indicated a mean N uptake of 0.17, 0.18 and 0.20 g Nm^–2 d^–1 during September, October and November, respectively.