Choosing optimal design depth for surface irrigation systems

The surface irrigation system design was formulated as a mathematical programming problem. The minimum cost of a furrow irrigation system for a hypothetical case was calculated for different design depths (25, 51, 76, 102 and 127 mm). The crop yields and net returns were simulated for the given design depths. A design (depletion) depth of 51 mm was found optimal under the given conditions.     

Frequency and amount of irrigation for maize in western Nigeria

This study was designed to investigate the frequency and amount of irrigation needed for maize in westerń Nigeria. The investigation indicated that about 330 mm of water either from irrigation or from well distributed rainfall is sufficient to produce a good crop of maize utilizing an irrigation frequency of 7 days. For good maize yields, soil moisture in the root zone should be maintained at a high level throughout the growing period. This avoids moisture stress and permits easy nutrient uptake by the plant, resulting in higher yields. Crop water use efficiency increased as the soil moisture level increased. A moisture level of approximately 70% of field capacity was sufficient to produce a good yield.     

不同灌溉方式对降雨入渗深度的影响

为了研究不同灌溉方式对降雨入渗深度的影响,基于田间原位观测试验,分析膜下滴灌和传统地面灌溉2种方式对降雨入渗初始含水率的影响,并应用HYDRUS-2D模型模拟2种灌溉方式下不同降雨条件的入渗深度差异.结果表明:与传统地面灌溉方式相比,膜下滴灌改变了降雨入渗初始含水率,且在玉米不同的生育期,其对降雨入渗初始含水率的影响规律不同.通过不同情景的降雨入渗模拟得到,在初始条件完全相同的情况下,2种方式的降雨入渗深度主要受雨量和时间的影响,在降雨量较小时,膜下滴灌的入渗深度大于地面灌;随着降雨量及时间增加,2种灌溉方式下的入渗深度逐渐趋于一致.不论是玉米苗期阶段还是主要生长阶段,降雨入渗的土壤初始含水率均会对降雨入渗深度产生一定的影响:在玉米苗期阶段,膜下滴灌的入渗深度大于地面灌,而在玉米主要生长阶段,地面灌的入渗深度大于膜下滴灌.     

葡萄分层地下滴灌滴头布设深度优化

为解决不同树龄葡萄根系的差异使得地下滴灌系统在布设应用中存在的困难,采用室内试验和HYDRUS-2D数值模拟相结合的方法,以宁夏和关中葡萄产区为例,研究了2种土质条件下分层地下滴灌土壤水分运动规律,提出了分层地下滴灌带最佳布设深度.研究结果表明,HYDRUS-2D模拟值与试验实测值具有良好的吻合度.地下滴灌带的埋深直接影响土壤水分的分布,2种土质下湿润体内部处于最佳含水率区间的土壤体积随滴头间距的增加而增大.通过适当增大浅层滴头埋深并减小深层滴头埋深可减小表层水分无效损耗.从避免水分无效消耗以及提高湿润体与根系匹配效果等角度出发,建议关中地区葡萄单滴头灌溉且适宜滴灌带布设深度为20 cm;宁夏贺兰山地区滴灌带布设深度以15 cm和45 cm为宜.     

温室番茄对微小流量滴灌埋深与灌水量的响应

试验采用番茄品种为“中研998”,于2017年3-7月在中国农业大学通州实验站春秋大棚中进行.试验共6个处理,3个灌水梯度(以田持的85%,75%,65%计)与2个痕量带埋深梯度(15,30 cm).研究结果表明:埋深与灌水下限对番茄植株株高茎粗的影响规律性不强;深埋处理更有利于植株茎干物质积累,浅埋更有利于叶干物质积累,说明浅埋处理植株蒸腾量更大;埋深与灌水下限对根干重的影响规律性不强;深埋更有利于提高果实产量、氮素表观利用率与肥料偏生产力,浅埋更有利于提高水分利用效率;灌水下限越低,果实产量、水分利用效率、氮素表观利用率与肥料偏生产力越高.因此根据本试验研究的各项指标综合得出埋深为30 cm、灌水下限为65%田持时最适宜此种试验条件下温室番茄的生长.     

Water-use efficiency of sorghum and groundnut under traditional and current irrigation in the Gezira scheme, Sudan

In the Gezira irrigation scheme in central Sudan, serious symptoms of water waste have been identified in the last two decades, especially in sorghum and groundnut fields. To quantify losses, water-use efficiencies and related parameters were obtained for these two food crops under the traditional attended daytime water application and the newly evolved unattended continuous watering method. In this on-farm research, the neutron scattering method was used to determine the actual soil water deficits of the two crops. A simple Penman equation was used for approximating reference crop evapotranspiration and evaporation losses from standing water and wet soil surface. An updated approach using the Penman-Monteith equation was additionally applied. The study revealed wastage of irrigation water in both irrigation methods but at different rates and also differently for each crop. In the attended field, the average seasonal over-irrigation, which is the difference between average application depth Q and average soil moisture deficit SWD, was observed to range between 0.4 and 1.5 of SWD (0.3 and 0.6 of Q) and the corresponding values in the unattended field were 0.6 and 3.2 of SWD (0.4 and 0.8 of Q). Higher values are shown by the groundnut subplots, which crop also suffers from excess water, and by the drier year as well as in the unattended fields. A first approximation is given, still including readily available water at harvest, of minimum water requirements in attended watering for maximum yields. In the drier year, when more irrigation water was applied, an amount equal to 30-50% of these minimum water requirements was lost in evaporation from standing water/wet surface, which is the main unproductive water. More frequent land levelling aiming at minimum standing water in better attended irrigation and farm management (e.g. weeding) are priority measures proposed. The quantitative on-farm water waste determinations represent the innovative content of this paper. Knowing precisely how large the problem is and being able to quantify its components will contribute much to the arguments of those who wish to take the proposed measures.     

Effective irrigation uniformity as related to root zone depth

Summary In models used for relating the yield to irrigation uniformity it has been assumed that the spatial distribution of irrigation water, as measured at the soil surface, is indeed the water distribution at any depth throughout the root zone. In the present paper the distribution of infiltrated water within the soil bulk, as determined by an analytic solution of the two-dimensional unsaturated flow equation, did not conform to this assumption. A new alternative definition of irrigation uniformity is proposed under the assumption that water uptake by roots does not affect the flux distribution within the soil profile. In this analysis the spatial distribution of irrigation water flux at the soil surface, which is the upper boundary condition of the flow equation, is assumed to be a sine function. The solution to this problem indicates that there is a damping effect, which increases with soil depth, on the surface flux fluctuations. Furthermore, the actual irrigation uniformity at a given depth below the soil surface depends upon the initial uniformity at the surface and the distance between adjacent water sources. The closer the water sources are to each other, the shallower is the depth needed to damp the oscillations down to a certain level. This may explain why the actual uniformity of drip irrigation is high while the detailed distribution is very nonuniform and on the other hand, why the actual uniformity of sprinkler guns is low while the detailed actual distribution is close to uniform. Two uniformity coefficients are derived in this study: 1. A depth dependent coefficient which is made up of the damping factor that multiplies the flux fluctuations at the soil surface; 2. An effective uniformity coefficient, which is an average of the depth dependent coefficient over a part or the entire root zone. Different degrees of uniformity are expected when water is applied by different irrigation systems having similar uniformity coefficients at the soil surface, but dissimilar distances between the emitters. Assuming that crop yield depends to some extent on the uniformity of water depth actually available to the roots, the yields associated with such irrigation systems will probably also vary.     

排灌输水隧洞正常水深的简捷算法

为了使标准城门洞形断面正常水深的求解具有简单的显函数计算公式,对标准城门洞形断面正常水深的基本方程进行恒等变形,将水面位于底角圆弧段和顶弧段正常水深的超越方程以及水面位于侧边直线段正常水深的高次方程,变成无量纲化正常水深与已知量综合参数的单变量函数方程.引入准线性函数的概念并将准线性函数作为标准模板,再对正常水深的单变量函数方程应用准线性函数标准模板,在工程常用范围即无量纲化正常水深y∈[0.051,.80]范围内进行优化计算及准线性函数逼近,得到了超越方程和高次方程的替代函数方程,替代函数具有类似于线性函数形式,即正常水深的准线性显函数表达式,并进行误差分析.结果表明,在隧洞底部圆弧段正常水深的最大相对误差小于0.36%,侧边直线段正常水深的最大相对误差小于0.31%,顶弧段正常水深的最大相对误差小于0.39%,说明准线性公式在隧洞有效水深范围内计算的水深准确度较高,可为排灌输水隧洞的断面设计及实现渠道水位控制时确定均匀流水深提供参考.     

Cotton-root distribution as a function of trickle irrigation emitter depth

Summary The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum cv GSA 71) root system under four depths of trickle irrigation emitter. Cotton was grown on an Amarillo fine sandy loam (fine loamy, mixed thermic Aridic Paleustalf) at Lubbock, Texas. Trickle irrigation was applied at the surface (0), 0.15, 0.3, or 0.45 m depths in amounts calculated using daily pan evaporation, crop coefficient, and crop development stage. Effects of depth of trickle irrigation were evaluated by measuring the cotton root-length density in 0.15 m increments to the 0.90 m depth at distances of 0, 0.25, and 0.5 m perpendicular to the cotton rows. The root-length distributions were not significantly (0.05%) different in the top 0.15 m when the surface irrigated treatment was compared with the 0.45 m irrigation depth treatment. Root-length densities for the 0.15 and 0.3 m treatments were not significantly different from one another nor were they different from treatments within the evaluated zones (0 to 0.3 m or 0.15 to 0.45 m). Root-length density within the 0.3 to 0.6 m zone, was not significantly different for the 0.45 m treatment compared with the surface irrigation treatment. Root-length density in the 0.6 to 0.9 m zone was not significantly different for any treatment. Emitter depth of trickle irrigation did not significantly influence the depth or distribution of cotton-root development.     

The dependence of irrigation requirements on water-table depth in drained lands

The amount of irrigation water required to maintain an optimal average water content in the root zone for maximum crop yield is dependent on the water-table depth as well as on evapotranspiration. An approximate expression is derived in terms of soil constants for the vertical soil water flux, which may be directed upwards or downwards, above the water table. This has been used in a water-balance equation in order to estimate the irrigation requirement. Satisfactory agreement is found between results calculated using this theoretical relationship and published experimental work.     

Yield and water relations of wheat as influenced by irrigation and depth of tillage

Summary Development of a ploughpan has been reported in Bangladesh for almost all ploughed soils which are puddled for transplanted rice cultivation. Field information on the water requirement of dryland crops such as wheat and the effects of loosening the dense layer on crop yield and water use efficiency are very limited. Field experiments were, therefore, conducted in the grey floodplain soil of Sonatala series (Aeric Haplaquept) to study the irrigation and tillage effects on the yield and water relations of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Sonalika). The split plot design experiment comprised four irrigation treatments in the mainplots viz. W₀ = no irrigation, W₁ = irrigation of 5 cm at 4 weeks after planting, W₂-W₁ + irrigation(s) of 5 cm each at irrigation water to cummulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio of 0.75 and W₃- W₁ + irrigation(s) of 5 cm eacht at IW/CPE ratio of 0.50. The sub-plot tillage depth treatments were: A-7.5 cm (traditional), B-15 cm, C-22.5 cm, D-22.5 cm practised in alternate wheat seasons. Measurements were made of grain and straw yield, soil water depletion and water expense efficiency.Irrigation had no effect on grain or straw yield. Tillage to 15 cm increased wheat yield by about 15% over traditional depth to ploughing. In general, deep tillage coupled with one irrigation at four weeks after planting produced the largest wheat yield.Soil water depletion (SWD) in the 0–90 cm profile was greatest in the treatment receiving two irrigations, one at 4 weeks and again at IW/CPE ratio of 0.50. The average SWD in this treatment was 113 in 1982–83 and 82 mm in 1983–84. Plots receiving traditional tillage (7.5 cm) had the greatest SWD. Total water expense were the greatest in treatments receiving three irrigations. The maximum water expense efficiency (WEE) of wheat was observed in the non-irrigated plots in 1982–83 and 1983–84, respectively. Deep tillage treatments, in general, had significantly greater WEE than those under traditional ploughing. Intensive irrigation and efficient soil and water management are important factors in enhancing crop productivity. The former not only permits judicious water use but also better utilization of other production factors thereby leading to increased crop yield which, in turn, helps stabilize the farming economy. The best way to meet increasing demand for water is to adopt efficient water management practices to increase water use efficiency.Irrigation should aim at restoring the soil water in the root zone to a level at which the crop can fully meet its evapo-transpiration (ET) requirement. The amount of water to be applied at each irrigation and how often a soil should be irrigated depend, however, on several factors such as the degree of soil water deficit before irrigation, soil types, crops, and climatic conditions (Chaudhury and Gupta 1980).Knowledge of movement of water through the soil is imperative to efficient water management and utilization. The presence of a dense pan impedes water movement into the sub-soil. As a result, the top soil becomes saturated by irrigation and sensitive dryland crops can fail as this plough layer impedes the penetration of roots into deeper soil layers and decreases water extraction. Crops growing in these soils often undergo severe water stress within 5–8 days after rainfall or irrigation (Lowry et al. 1970). Due to decrease rates of water flow, the lower soil layer may remain unsaturated and as a result, the recharge and soil water storage in the profile are considerably decreased (Sur et al. 1981).In Bangladesh, ploughpans develop to varying degree in almost all ploughed soils (Brammer 1980). They are particularly marked in soils which are puddled for transplanted rice cultivation where the pan is usually only 8–10 cm below the soil surface and 3–5 cm thick. Its presence is generally regarded as advantageous for cultivation of transplanted rice in that it prevents excessive deep percolation losses of water. But in the same soil this cultivation for a subsequent dryland crop would adversely affect yield. A slight modification of the plough layer could enable good yields of both rice and a dryland crop to be obtained in the same soil in different seasons (Brammer 1980). The sub soils have a good bearing capacity, both when wet and dry and the pan can easily be reformed, if desired, for cultivating transplanted rice after a dryland crop like wheat.Professor of Soil Science, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh     

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.     

希尼尔水库灌区地下水埋深时间稳定性分析

该研究基于2004-2013年对新疆希尼尔水库灌区13个观测井地下水埋深的长序列监测结果,利用相对差分法、Spearman秩相关系数法和Morlet小波变换的方法分析了研究区地下水埋深的时间稳定性和周期性特征.结果表明:在不同监测时间的地下水埋深均属于中等变异,变异系数的范围为44%~75%.地下水埋深表现出强烈的时间稳定性;小波分析表明研究区地下水埋深存在周期性变化.研究结果为灌区合理开发利用地下水资源以降低土壤盐渍化风险提供了一定的参考.     

Effect of irrigation application depth on cereal production in the semi-arid climate of southern Alberta

Different water application depths and irrigation intervals were compared for two cereal crops in southern Alberta. Four irrigation treatments and three fertilizer N treatments were applied to soft white wheat in 1987 and 1988 and barley in 1989 and 1990 on a Lethbridge loam. The treatments were light, frequent irrigation for the whole growing season (F), conventional irrigation for the whole growing season (C), light, frequent irrigation until heading, followed by conventional irrigation (FC), and conventional irrigation until heading, followed by light, frequent irrigation (CF). Fertilizer N as ammonium nitrate was broadcast in the spring at 0, 60 and 120 kg N ha^-1. Light frequent irrigations for the entire growing season increased wheat straw yield compared to the conventional irrigation treatment (5211kg ha^-1 vs 4152 kg ha^-1, respectively). Straw yield with F irrigation for part of the growing season was intermediate between the other two irrigation treatments. Irrigation treatment did not affect soft white wheat grain yield. Barley straw yield was not affected by irrigation treatment but barley grain yield was greater for the C irrigation treatment than the F and FC treatments (4924 kg ha^-1 vs 4177 kg ha^-1, respectively). Lodging was evident in the barley crops, particularly with F irrigation in the first half of the growing season. Grain/straw ratios were greater for the C than the other irrigation treatments. Higher water use in the F than the C treatment in the higher water stress years (1988 and 1989) was balanced with greater vegetative growth. In the lower water stress growing seasons (1987 and 1990), higher water use in the C than the F treatment was attributed to deep percolation. Water use efficiency (WUE) was generally not affected by irrigation treatment except for barley in 1989, when lower WUE values in the F than the C treatment were associated with severe lodging.     

不同地下水埋深污灌硝态氮对土壤-地下水环境影响试验研究

地下水埋深是影响污灌污染物在土壤-地下水系统中运移特性的主要因素之一。通过室内污水入渗试验,研究了不同地下水埋深条件下污灌污染物NO3--N在土壤中的运移特性及对地下水环境的影响。研究结果表明:地下水埋深的不同导致了土壤内水分分布和NO3--N迁移路径的差异,从而影响了NO3--N在土壤-地下水系统中的运移特性。埋深浅,高土水势能和反硝化潜势制约了污水携带NO3--N向下层土壤迁移淋失的趋势,但高土水势能和短迁移路径使下层土壤基质中的NO3--N易被挤入至地下水中,NO3--N污染地下水风险较大。     

Comparing theoretical irrigation requirement and actual irrigation for citrus in Florida

Florida ranks first in citrus production, with nearly 68% of all U.S. citrus growing in the season 2005-2006. Most of the citrus groves are located from central to south Florida, and agricultural irrigation permitting is regulated by three of Florida's five water management districts. Most of the permitting for citrus production in Highlands, Polk and Hillsborough counties is conducted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), and quantities are based on the District's AGMOD computer program. In 2003, the SWFWMD implemented new permit criteria so that permitted amounts were more representative of actual water use. This paper compares grower reported citrus irrigation water use in Highlands, Polk and Hillsborough counties from 1994 through 2005 with permitted and theoretical irrigation requirements calculated by a daily water balance. Two different sets of crop coefficients (K_c's) developed for citrus in Florida were compared in the daily soil water balance calculation of theoretical irrigation requirements. The percentage of irrigated area considered in this study ranged from 40 to 60% to simulate a range of grower practices. Meteorological data from two weather stations and additional rainfall information from 50 locations within the three counties was used in the water balance. Missing and error values in the meteorological historical record data were filled with weather generators. The multiannual average water consumption (including cold protection water use) from growers ranged from 243 (Hillsborough) to 406 mm (Highlands) and the multiannual average permitted irrigation requirement (without cold protection) ranged from 295 to 557 mm. The simulated gross irrigation requirements under different scenarios of location-K_c-wetted area were variable but mostly lower than the limits established by the district, except for some scenarios in Polk County, whose maximum simulated irrigation value reached 578 mm year⁻¹. In general, permitted limits recommended by the SWFWMD seem to be reasonable for the actual water use by growers in these counties.     

Effect of crop sequence,soil sample location and depth on soil water holding capacity under center pivot irrigation

This study was carried out to investigate the changes that may occur to the soil water holding capacity under center pivot irrigation systems when grown with different crop patterns over a long period of time. The changes of water holding capacity were checked as affected by crop location and depth. The study was carried out in a dominantly sandy loam soil irrigation scheme, north of Saudi Arabia in 1999. The field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP) were determined by the pressure membrane method. The general trend of the results showed that crop sequences that were fallow or had cereal crops in their rotation before sampling period considerably affected FC and PWP. This is represented by crop sequences 6, 5 and 2 which produced the highest means of FC at 14.75, 12.79 and 12.68%, respectively. Moreover, the lowest means of FC were produced with alfalfa dominating the crop rotation prior to the sampling period. This is represented by crop sequences 7, 3 and 4 at FCs of 9.56, 9.74 and 10.28%, respectively. Crop sequences 1,4,5 and 6 gave the highest values of PWP, while the lowest one was in crop sequence 7 (4.79%). The highest means of available water (AW) were found in crop sequences 6, 2, 5 at 8.65, 6.87 and 6.35%, respectively. While the lowest value of AW was found in crop sequence 4 at 3.69%. The results showed that the soil samples collected from inside center pivots, for all crop sequences, produced higher means of FC at 12.87%, PWP at 6.53 and 6.34% compared with soil samples collected from outside the center pivot. The relative decrease of FC, PWP and AW due to increasing the soil sample depth from 0–15 to 60–90 cm was 21.55, 22.52 and 20.53%, respectively. The measured values of FC, PWP and AW showed that the highest values of standard deviation (S.D.) and coefficient of variation (CV), for FC, PWP, and AW were found in soil sample depth followed by soil sample location and crop sequence respectively. The interaction effect of crop sequences and soil sample depths on PWP and AW was significant.     

Assessing irrigation projects performance for sustainable irrigation policy reform

This study examines the socio-economic and financial performances of irrigation projects under the Ogun-Oshun River Basin and Rural Development Authority (O-ORBRDA) in Nigeria. Primary data on the farming activities of the project farmers during the 2001/02 seasons and the projects' records for the period of 1995/96 to 2001/02 were summarised into socio-economic and financial performance indicators. In the Sepeteri Project, a revenue recovery level of 96% was estimated. The project is not financially viable as only 29% of its recurrent expenditure is covered. The farmers do not show commitment to making the project successful. An approximate 67% social capacity level was estimated. The relative irrigation cost and profit indexes do not show sufficient evidence that farmers would prefer irrigation farming to rain-fed farming. The Itoikin Project records a lower revenue recovery level of 75%. The project covers about 50% of its recurrent expenditure. In addition, the farmers do not appear to have a commitment to making the project successful, with a 33% social capacity level. A number of problems may be the causes of unprofitable irrigated cropping. If government increases the subvention, the O-ORBRDA prioritises irrigation service in disbursing the subvention to the projects, and the project manages the risks in the project sites, conscientises and incorporates the intended beneficiaries into managing the projects, the projects would be equipped to supply more irrigation services thereby making it more profitable and encouraging more participation of the intended beneficiaries. This would improve the socio-economic and financial performance of the projects.     

Performance indicators for irrigation and drainage

This paper summarises the performance indicators currently used in the Research Program on Irrigation Performance (RPIP).Within this Program field data are measured and collected to quantify andtest about 40 multidisciplinary performance indicators. These indicatorscover water delivery, water use efficiency, maintenance, sustainability ofirrigation, environmental aspects, socio-economics and management. Theindicators now are sufficiently mature to be recommended for use inirrigation and drainage performance assessment.     

桔园喷灌增产机理和灌溉制度探讨

喷灌是柑桔等经济作物先进的灌溉方式,充分认为柑桔喷灌增产机理,采用合理的灌溉制度,对提高柑桔产量和品质有十分积极的意义。