Effect of sustained saline irrigation on soil salinity and crop yields

Summary Field studies were conducted for a period of ten years (1974 to 1984) on Typic Ustochrept to determine the sustained effects of saline irrigation water electrical conductivity (EC _iw ) 3.2 dS/m, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) 21 (mmol/1)^1/2 and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) 4me/1, on the build up of salinity in the soil profile and yield of crops grown under fixed rice-wheat and maize/millet-wheat rotations. Saline waters were continuously used with and without the addition of gypsum (at the rate needed to reduce RSC to zero) applied at each irrigation. In maize/millet-wheat rotation, two additional treatments viz. (i) irrigation with 50% extra water over and above the normal 6 cm irrigation, and (ii) irrigation with good water and saline water alternately, were also kept. The results showed that salinity increased rapidly in the profile during the initial years but after five years (1979–1984) the average soluble salt concentration in 0–90 cm soil profile did not appreciably vary and the mean EC _e values under saline water treatment remained almost similar to EC _iw , under both the crop rotations.Saline water irrigation increased pH and Na saturation of the soil, reduced water infiltration rate and decreased yields of maize, rice and wheat. The differences in the build up of salinity and ESP of the soil under the two cropping sequences seemed to be related with the differences in leaching that occurred under rice-wheat and maize/millet-wheat rotations. Application of gypsum increased the removal of Na from the profile, appreciably decreased the pH and Na saturation and improved water infiltration rate and raised crop yields. Application of non-saline and saline waters alternately was found to be a useful practice but irrigation with 50% extra water to meet the leaching requirement did not control salinity and hence lowered crop yields.     

Response of crops to high exchangeable sodium percentage

Summary Tolerance of crops to soil sodicity as represented by high exchangeable sodium has been examined utilizing data from field and greenhouse studies. A piecewise linear model has been utilized for describing the crop response curves. Salt tolerance indices including the threshold ESP, slope which represents yield decline per unit increase in ESP and the value of ESP at which yield is reduced by 50% are reported for 20 crops. In respect to threshold ESP, Sesbania is the most tolerant of the crops tested followed by rice (transplanted) and wheat. These are the only three crops in which threshold ESP exceeds 15. Genotypic differences for sodicity tolerance have been examined for rice and wheat, with CSR 3 — a natural selection among the rice genotypes — and Kharchia 65 among the wheat genotypes appear to be the most tolerant. The cumulative effect of ionic imbalance and water uptake are found to be the factors governing tolerance differences. The sodicity tolerance indices reported herein represent the relative sodicity tolerance of crops to high exchangeable sodium and could be used in management and crop planning in amended sodic soils and/or management of sodic waters.Principal Scientist (Soil and Water Conservation Engg.) and Senior Scientist (Plant Physiology) respectively     

Polymer effects on runoff and soil erosion from sodic soils

High levels of soil sodicity, resulting from intensive irrigation with saline-sodic waters, lead to an increased soil susceptibility to seal formation and to severe problems of runoff and soil erosion. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the addition of small amounts of an anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) to the irrigation water in controlling seal formation, runoff and soil erosion. Two predominantly montmorillonitic soils were studied, a grumusol (Typic Haploxerert) and a loess (Calcic Haploxeralf), having naturally occurring exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP)>12. The soils were exposed to 60 mm of simulated irrigation with commonly used tap water (TW, electrical conductivity=0.8 dS m^–1; sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)=2), or saline water (SW, electrical conductivity=5.0 dS m^–1; SAR>12). PAM effectiveness in controlling runoff and erosion from the sodic soils was compared with runoff and erosion levels obtained from untreated soils having low ESPs (<4). For both soils and for both water qualities and polymer concentrations in the irrigation water, PAM was efficient in controlling runoff at low ESP levels and inefficient at high ESP levels. At moderate ESP levels, PAM's efficacy in controlling runoff was inconsistent and varied with water quality and polymer concentration. Conversely, in general, soil loss originating from rill erosion, was significantly and effectively reduced in moderate and high ESP soils by addition of PAM to the irrigation water, irrespective of water quality and polymer concentration. PAM was more effective in reducing rill erosion than in reducing runoff in the moderate and high ESP samples, because the energy involved in generating runoff is much higher than that involved in rill erosion. PAM treated surface aggregates were not stable against the distructive forces leading to seal formation and runoff production; but they were stable enough to resist the hydraulic shear exerted by the runoff flow.     

Assessment and management of poor quality waters for crop production: A simulation model (SWAM)

A simulation model has been prepared for assessing water quality to judge its suitability for irrigation. When water is classified as poor quality water (saline/sodic/saline-sodic) utilizing standard norms for Indian agro-climatic conditions, the model determines the potential of the water for direct application. Further, it also evaluates management strategies based on conjunctive use of fresh and saline waters. For this purpose, the model requires water quality data, crop data, soil data and rules established in the expert system rule-base. Data are compiled in data files which can be updated. For conjunctive use of saline and fresh waters, an irrigation scheduling sub-model has been modified to include a soil salinization-desalinization module based on layer-wise equilibrium theory. The module was independently tested using field data. The model SWAM has been successfully tested using data from a number of field experiments. Sodic waters of 16.2 meq l⁻¹ residual sodium carbonate would require 2.73 t ha⁻¹ of gypsum for each 20 cm of water applied to the soil. Field observations usually attest to this requirement. Likewise, saline water of 16 dS m⁻¹, when applied to a wheat crop in conjunction with fresh water of 0.5 dS m⁻¹, would yield optimally in case two saline water irrigations are followed by one fresh water irrigation in a normal rainfall year with an initial soil salinity of 2.98 dS m⁻¹. Some more useful data sets are analyzed and compared with results from field experiments. In our opinion, the model which is based upon recent guidelines can be applied to the classification of waters and their management. The minor changes necessary to apply the model to other conditions can be easily carried out.     

Yield and fibre quality of cotton cultivars as affected by the build-up of sodium in the soils with sustained sodic irrigations under semi-arid conditions

Cotton is commonly grown in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world having sodic ground waters. A field plot study was, therefore, conducted for 2 years to study the effect of sustained sodic irrigation on yield and fibre quality of two hirustum cotton cultivars (F-505 and F-846) and one arborium cultivar (LD-327). The exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of 0–30 cm soil under sustained canal water (CW) irrigation treatment was 3.5 whereas long-term irrigations (for more than 10 years) with sodic waters having residual sodium carbonate (RSC) of 5, 10 and 15 me l⁻¹ resulted in ESP bulid-up of 16.4, 39.6 and 56.2, respectively. These sodic waters were used for irrigation in the respective plots, for both years of the study. High ESP of the soil decreased the growth (in terms of plant height) and yield of all the three cotton cultivars. The rate of decline in plant height at 50, 80 and 140 days of sowing (DAS) was maximum in F-505 and minimum in F-846. Compared with CW treatment, relative seed-cotton yield under 16.4, 39.6 and 56.2 ESP levels obtained with respective sodic water treatments for 2 years were 99, 70 and 69%, respectively in F-846, 101, 46 and 29%, respectively in F-505 and 98, 67 and 49%, respectively in LD-327. Similar trends were observed in case of boll number per square metre and boll weight. The cultivar F-846 produced heavier bolls than the other two cultivars under ESP levels of 56.2 obtained under RSC₁₅ treatment which helped this cultivar to perform relatively better. The harmful effect of sodic waters on fibre quality (2.5% span length, micronaire value and bundle strength) were also not observed in the case of F-846. A slight deterioration in fibre quality was, however, observed in cultivars F-505 and LD-327 at an ESP of 56.2 in the soil.     

Soil texture, climate and management effects on plant growth, grain yield and water use by rainfed maize–wheat cropping system: Field and simulation study

In sub-mountain tract of Punjab state of India, maize (Zea mays, L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops are grown as rainfed having low crop and water productivity. To enhance that, proper understanding of the factors (soil type, climate, management practices and their interactions) affecting it is a pre-requisite. The present study aims to assess the effects of tillage, date of sowing, and irrigation practices on the rainfed maize–wheat cropping system involving combined approach of field study and simulation. Field experiments comprising 18 treatments (three dates of sowing as main, three tillage systems as subplot and two irrigation regimes as the sub-subplot) were conducted for two years (2004–2006) and simulations were made for 15 years using CropSyst model. Field and simulated results showed that grain yields of maize and wheat crops were more in early July planted maize and early November planted wheat on silt loam soil. Different statistical parameters (root mean square error, coefficient of residual mass, model efficiency, coefficient of correlation and paired t-test) indicated that CropSyst model did fair job to simulate biomass production and grain yield for maize–wheat cropping system under varying soil texture, date of planting and irrigation regimes.     

Use of saline–sodic waters through phytoremediation of calcareous saline–sodic soils

Use of poor-quality groundwater has become inevitable for irrigation to compensate rapidly increasing water demands in many arid and semiarid regions. Salinity and sodicity are the principal soil and water quality concerns in such areas. Many saline–sodic and sodic soils have saline or saline–sodic subsurface drainage waters. Amelioration of these soils needs a source of calcium (Ca²⁺) that can replace the excess exchangeable sodium (Na⁺). Most of these soils, however, contain calcite (CaCO₃) of extremely low solubility. The native calcite does not supply adequate levels of Ca²⁺ for soil amelioration as do other chemical amendments. Phytoremediation may help ameliorate such soils through cultivation of certain crops tolerant to ambient soil salinity and sodicity. This amelioration strategy works through plant root action to help dissolve CaCO₃ to supply adequate Ca²⁺ without the application of an amendment. During a 3-year field experiment conducted under irrigated conditions, we evaluated phytoremediation against soil application of gypsum and farm manure, and water treatment with sulphuric acid on a calcareous saline–sodic soil (pH_s=8.0–8.4, EC_e=24–32 dS m⁻¹, SAR=57–78, CaCO₃=45–50 g kg⁻¹ for the top 0.15 m depth; Calcic Haplosalids). A saline–sodic water (EC=2.9–3.4 dS m⁻¹, SAR=12.0–19.4, RSC=4.6–10.0 mmol_c l⁻¹, SAR_adj=15.6–18.4) was used to irrigate the rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops grown in rotation. Active desalinisation and desodication processes were observed in all the treatments. After the final wheat crop, the 1.2 m soil profile EC_e was 7±0.5 dS m⁻¹ and SAR was 15±2 with non-significant treatment differences, indicating comparable soil amelioration effect of phytoremediation with other treatments. Better crop yields were obtained from the manure-treated plots, owing to its annual addition to the soil that possibly improved soil fertility. Phytoremediation needed minimum capital input because no initial investment was made to purchase the amendments.     

Salinity and sodicity influences on infiltration during surge flow irrigation

The interactive influences of water quality and surge-flow irrigation (intermittent application of water) on infiltration into a bare loam soil, packed into a long metal flume, were measured with a laboratory recirculating infiltrometer devised for the experiments. Cumulative infiltration and final infiltration rates were measured over three irrigation episodes using synthetic waters of different qualities. Four water-quality combinations of low and high salinity levels (i.e., electrical conductivity, EC=1.5 and 7.5 dS/m) and low and high degree of sodicity [i.e., sodium adsorption ratio in the range of 5-10 and 25-35 mmol^1/2 l^-1/2] were tested. Results showed that surge-flow cumulative infiltration of low saline waters - especially during the first irrigation episode - was lower than the corresponding continuous-flow cumulative infiltration. Conversely, it was higher for high saline and high saline-sodic waters. Effects of the water-quality treatments on final infiltration rate were similar to and in agreement with the effects on cumulative infiltration. However, the range of the final infiltration rates among surge-flow treatments was larger than with the continuous-flow treatments. Overall, infiltration was higher with surge-flow application of high saline and high saline-sodic waters than with the continuous-flow treatment. The observed contrasting results for the surge effect with the low saline, high saline, and high saline-sodic water-quality treatments were attributed to soil consolidation, formation of a depositional seal layer, and the different levels of irrigation water salinity and sodicity. It was concluded that the "surge effect" phenomena (reduction in soil infiltration caused by surge flow) under brackish (saline, sodic, and saline-sodic) water application was not pronounced and had adverse effects, in comparison to the low saline-sodic water application. Consequently, from theory, practical application of surge-flow irrigation under these circumstances, from viewpoints of infiltration reduction and irrigation efficiency improvements, is questionable.     

Residual alkalinity as tracer to estimate the changes induced by forage cultivation in a non-saline irrigated sodic soil

Soil alkalinisation generally constitutes a major threat to irrigated agriculture in the semi-arid regions of west Africa. The improvement of sodic soils is generally difficult and expensive. However, a recent study in the Niger valley in Niger, reveals that a natural de-alkalinisation is possible under natural conditions in a semi-arid climate. Transformation of non-saline sodic soil into brown steppe soil type was recorded. On the same site, the cultivation of a Sahelian fodder grass, locally known as ‘Burgu’ was used on the sodic soil/brown steppe soil transition zone to accelerate this natural de-alkalinisation and characterise its mechanisms. The geochemical properties of both soil types were monitored before cultivation and 1 year after continuous crop cultivation. After cultivation and regular irrigation, the chemical properties of the former sodic soils were close to those of the surrounding brown steppe soils, which are better suited for agriculture. This modification of the sodic soil properties can be attributed to (i) the large amount of water supplied during cultivation that induced salt leaching. This is the main phenomenon responsible for the changes observed; (ii) the root activity that modified the acid–base equilibrium and consumes alkalinity.

The residual alkalinity (RA) concept was used to select chemical tracers of the concentration/dilution of the soil solution. Here, sodium amount and calcite+fluorite residual alkalinity (RA_{calcite+fluorite}) were the most adequate ones. These two tracers decreased proportionally under the influence of leaching, but the exchanges between cations and protons changed the RA_{calcite+fluorite}, without modifying the sodium amount. Their combined use allowed us to separate and quantify the uptake of the plant from the leaching in the de-alkalinisation process. This study highlighted that reclamation of this type of sodic soils is feasible. The use of the RA concept is advisable to design a sustainable management system for irrigated sodic or saline soils.     

Comparative affects of blending,intera/inter-seasonal cyclic uses of alkali and good quality waters on soil properties and yields of paddy and wheat

Degradation of soils irrigated with the ground waters having residual alkalinity constitutes a major threat to irrigated agriculture in semi-arid parts especially the South Asia. Paddy–wheat has come to stay as the major crop rotation in the afflicted areas, which is either irrigated solely with alkali waters (AW) or combined with good quality water supplies through canal networks. Therefore, to develop appropriate conjunctive use strategies for the latter situations, response of paddy and wheat was evaluated to the combined use of a good quality water (GW, EC_iw 0.5, RSC nil) and that having residual alkalinity (AW, EC_w 2.3 dS m⁻¹, RSC 11.3 mequiv L⁻¹, SAR_w 15 mmol L^0.5) for 6 years (1997–2003) in lysimeters (2.0 m deep, 0.9 m i.d., with drainage outlets at the bottom) filled in with a sandy loam soil (pH 7.8, ESP 5.3). Increase in soil pH (8.71), salinity (3.8 dS m⁻¹) and sodicity (ESP 27.3) as a consequence of irrigation with alkali water markedly affected the yields of both the crops. The sustainability yield index (SYI) was 0.522 and 0.793 for paddy and wheat, respectively, indicating the sensitivity of the former to the use of alkali water. Keeping the AW input to be similar through irrigations, the SYI for paddy with blending of GW and AW in the ratio of 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2 was 0.732, 0.708 and 0.678, respectively, when compared with 0.751, 0.729 and 0.701 under intera-seasonal cyclic uses. Similarly, the SYI of wheat ranged between 0.821–0.907 and 0.853–0.949 with blending and cyclic uses of the two waters, indicating thereby a yield advantage with the latter. When the two waters were rotated inter-seasonally, the dilution effects of monsoon rains helped to induce greater use of AW for paddy. The overall deterioration in soil properties under different modes was related to proportion of AW applied. It was concluded that the alternating good quality and alkali waters could be a better way to alleviate sodicity problems caused with the use of alkali water alone.     

Simulation of water dynamics and irrigation scheduling for winter wheat and maize in seasonal frost areas

Continuous cropping of winter wheat and summer maize is the main cropping pattern in North China Plain lying in a seasonal frost area. Irrigation scheduling of one crop will influence soil water regime and irrigation scheduling of the subsequent crop. Therefore, irrigation scheduling of winter wheat and maize should be studied as a whole. Considering the meteorological and crop characteristics of the area lying in a seasonal frost area, a cropping year is divided into crop growing period and frost period. Model of simultaneous moisture and heat transfer (SMHT) for the frost period and model of soil water transfer (SWT) for the crop growing period were developed, and used jointly for the simulation of soil water dynamics and irrigation scheduling for a whole cropping year. The model was calibrated and validated with field experiment of winter wheat and maize in Beijing, China. Then the model was applied to the simulation of water dynamics and irrigation scheduling with different precipitation and irrigation treatments. From the simulation results, precipitation can meet the crop water requirement of maize to a great extent, and irrigation at the seeding stage may be necessary. Precipitation and irrigation had no significant influence on evaporation and transpiration of maize. On the other hand, irrigation scheduling of winter wheat mainly depends on irrigation standard. Irrigation at the seeding stage and before soil freezing is usually necessary. For high irrigation standard, four times of irrigation are required after greening. While for medium irrigation, only once (rainy year) or twice (medium and dry years) of irrigation is required after greening. Transpiration of winter wheat is very close for high and medium irrigation, but it decreases significantly for low irrigation and will result in a reduction of crop yield. Irrigation with proper time and amount is necessary for winter wheat. Considering irrigation quota and crop transpiration comprehensively, medium irrigation is recommended for the irrigation of winter wheat in the studying area, which can reduce the irrigation quota of over 150 mm with little water stress for crop growth.     

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.     

Conjunctive use of saline and non-saline irrigation waters in semi-arid regions

In arid and semi-arid regions, effluent from sub-surface drainage systems is often saline and during the dry season its disposal poses an environmental problem. A field experiment was conducted from 1989 to 1992 using saline drainage water (EC=10.5–15.0 dS/m) together with fresh canal water (EC=0.4 dS/m) for irrigation during the dry winter season. The aim was to find if crop production would still be feasible and soil salinity would not be increased unacceptably by this practice. The experimental crops were a winter crop, wheat, and pearl-millet and sorghum, the rainy season crops, grown on a sandy loam soil. All crops were given a pre-plant irrigation with fresh canal water. Subsequently, the wheat crop was irrigated four times with different sequences of saline drainage water and canal water. The rainy season crops received no further irrigation as they were rainfed. Taking the wheat yield obtained with fresh canal water as the potential value (100%), the mean relative yield of wheat irrigated with only saline drainage water was 74%. Substitution of canal water at first post-plant irrigation and applying thereafter only saline drainage water, increased the yield to 84%. Cyclic irrigations with canal and drainage water in different treatments resulted in yields of 88% to 94% of the potential. Pearl-millet and sorghum yields decreased significantly where 3 or 4 post-plant irrigations were applied with saline drainage water to previous wheat crop, but cyclic irrigations did not cause yield reduction. The high salinity and sodicity of the drainage water increased the soil salinity and sodicity in the soil profile during the winter season, but these hazards were eliminated by the sub-surface drainage system during the ensuing monsoon periods. The results obtained provide a promising option for the use of poor quality drainage water in conjunction with fresh canal water without undue yield reduction and soil degradation. This will save the scarce canal water, reduce the drainage water disposal needs and associated environmental problems.     

Crop yield and soil water restoration on 9-year-old alfalfa pasture in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China

The alfalfa pastureland in the semiarid Loess Plateau region of Northwest China usually has dry soil layers. A field experiment was conducted from October 2000 to October 2004 to examine soil water recovery and crop productivity on a 9-year-old alfalfa pasture. This experiment included six treatments: alfalfa pasture for 10-14 years, a conventional farming system without prior alfalfa planting, and four alfalfa-crop rotation treatments. For the rotation treatments, after 9 years of alfalfa selected crops were planted from 2001 to 2004 in the following sequence: (1) millet, spring wheat, potatoes, peas; (2) millet, corn, corn, spring wheat; (3) millet, potatoes, spring wheat, corn; (4) millet, fallow, peas, potatoes. The results showed that dry soil layers occurred in alfalfa pasture. We then plowed the alfalfa pasture and planted different crops. The soil water gradually increased during crop growth in the experimental period. The degree of soil water recovery in the four alfalfa-crop rotation treatments was derived from comparison with the soil water in the conventional system. After 4 years, the soil water recovery from the alfalfa-crop rotation systems at 0-500 cm soil depth was 90.5%, 89.8%, 92.2% and 96.7%, respectively. Soil total N content and soil respiration rate were high in the alfalfa-crop rotation systems. The yields of spring wheat in 2002, peas in 2003 and potatoes in 2004 in the alfalfa-crop rotation systems were not significantly different from yields in the conventional system. In the alfalfa-crop rotation systems, the yields of spring wheat and peas were greatly influenced by rainfall and were lowest in the dry year of 2004; the yields of corn and potatoes had a direct relationship with water use and were lowest in 2003. In summary, soil water in dry soil layers can recover, and crop yields in the alfalfa-crop systems were equal to those of the conventional system.     

DRAINMOD-S: Water management model for irrigated arid lands,crop yield and applications

The primary objective of an agriculture water management system is to provide crop needs to sustain high yields. Another objective of equal or greater importance in some regions is to reduce agriculture impacts on surface and groundwater quality. Kandil et al. (1992) modified the water management model DRAINMOD to predict soil salinity as affected by irrigation water quality and drainage system design. The objectives of this study are to incorporate an algorithm to quantify the effects of stresses due to soil salinity on crop yields and to demonstrate the applications of the model. DRAINMOD-S, is capable of predicting the long-term effects of different irrigation and drainage practices on crop yields. The overall crop function in the model includes the effects of stresses caused by excessive soil water conditions (waterlogging), soil water-deficits, salinity, and planting delays. Three irrigation strategies and six drain spacings were considered for all crops. In the first irrigation strategy, the irrigation amounts were equal to evapotranspiration requirements by the crops, with the addition of a 10 cm depth of water for leaching applied during each growing season. In the second strategy, the leaching depth (10 cm) was applied before the growing season. In the third strategy, a leaching depth of 15 cm was applied before the growing season for each crop. Another strategy (4th) with more leaching was considered for bean which is the crop most sensitive to salinity. In the fourth strategy, 14 days intervals were used instead of 7 and leaching irrigations were applied: 15 cm before the growing season and 10 cm at the middle of the growing season for bean. The objective function for these simulations was crop yield. Soil water conditions and soil salinity were continuously simulated for a crop rotation of bean, cotton, maize, soybean, and wheat over a 19 years period. Yields of individual crops were predicted for each growing season. Results showed that the third irrigation strategy resulted in the highest yields for cotton, maize, soybean and wheat. Highest yields for bean were obtained by the fourth irrigation strategy. Results are also presented on the effects of drain depth and spacing on yields. DRAINMOD-S is written in Fortran and requires a PC with math-coprocessor. It was concluded that DRAINMOD-S is a useful tool for design and evaluation of irrigation and drainage systems in irrigated arid lands.     

河西绿洲灌区主要作物需水量及作物系数试验研究

利用Penman-Monteith公式计算了甘肃张掖绿洲主要作物各生育期参考作物蒸散量,利用农田水量平衡方程及土壤水分胁迫系数计算了作物实际蒸发蒸腾量,并计算比较了充分灌溉和非充分灌溉条件下不同生育期作物需水特征,确定了非充分灌溉条件下主要作物的作物系数。结果表明,非充分灌溉条件下,主要作物各生育期需水规律和充分灌溉具有一致变化趋势。非充分灌溉条件下,小麦、玉米、马铃薯全生育期作物系数平均值分别为0.81、0.7和0.73。在全生育期当中,随生育期的延续,主要作物叶面蒸腾比例逐渐增大,棵间蒸发逐渐减少。     

Effect of land surface uniformity on some economic parameters of irrigation in sodic soils under reclamation

Summary The effect of levelling uniformity measured in terms of mean deviation from the desired plane and designated as levelling index (L.1.), on some irrigation quality parameters, such as water application and distribution efficiencies, and economic factors, including the cost of levelling and crop yield, has been investigated in sodic soils irrigated by graded borders. Increases in L. I. which reflects decreases in levelling quality, resulted in higher system water application depth, the values being 4.2 cm and 9.5 cm at L.1. values of 0–1.5 cm and 6.0–7.5 cm, respectively. Higher application depths were associated with low water application efficiencies and the relationship was logarithmic in nature. Higher application depths in poorly levelled plots not only resulted in reduced irrigation frequencies, but also caused water inundation over the field surface because of the low infiltration rates in sodic soils. With wheat grain yield of 3,128 kg/ha at L. I.=0-1.5 cm as compared to only 2,246 kg/ha at L.1.=6–7.5 cm, the effect of levelling quality on crop yield appears to be significant. The reduction in crop yield may be attributed to low irrigation frequencies which were associated with higher system water application depth that caused waterlogging. The results show that crop yields were likely to decrease for a depth of infiltration of 40 cm or more, which is indicative of surface water inundation for longer duration. The economic analysis of income from crop production and levelling cost at different L.I. values showed that improving the levelling quality to a fairly high uniformity level was profitable in sodic soils of the Indo-Gangetic plain.     

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

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

Effect of long-term un-treated domestic wastewater re-use on soil quality, wheat grain and straw yields and attributes of fodder quality

In 2006 a comprehensive sampling program was undertaken in two pre-selected peri-urban villages in Faisalabad, Pakistan to evaluate the soil and agronomic impacts of long-term (25–30 years) untreated wastewater re-use on wheat grain and straw yields and attributes of wheat straw fodder quality. Soil SAR, ESP, RSC and ECe were 63%, 37%, 31%, and 50% higher under wastewater (WW) as compared with canal water (CW) irrigated plots. Further, 2.7 and 6.65 fold increases in soil NO ₃ ^? + NO ₂ ^? - N and Olsen-P were observed in WW as compared with CW irrigated plots. However, no significant differences in grain yield, wheat straw biomass, or fodder quality attributes were observed between WW and CW irrigated plots. In addition, for both CW and WW irrigated plots wheat straw, Cd and Pb concentrations were orders of magnitude below the EC Maximum permissible levels for Pb and Cd in feed materials and thus pose no threat to the fodder-livestock food chain. Further, elevated soil N associated with WW irrigated plots has a significant (p?<?0.01) positive influence on fodder quality by increasing the N content. Factorial ANOVA with covariance indicates that effective management of the elevated soil ECe in WW irrigated plots would increase grain yield and wheat straw biomass by 853 kg ha^?1 (19.5%) and 819 kg ha^?1 (18.6%) respectively as compared with CW irrigated plots. In Faisalabad, if managed appropriately to address emerging salinity issues the contribution of wastewater irrigation to the achievement of MDGs 1 and 7 could be significant if adverse impacts remain as marginal as found in this study.     

Effects of saline water irrigation on soil salinity and yield of winter wheat–maize in North China Plain

Drought and fresh water shortage are in the way of sustainable agriculture development in the North China Plain. The scarcity of fresh water forces farmers to use shallow saline ground water, which helps to overcome drought and increase crop yields but also increases the risk of soil salinization. This paper describes salt regimes and crop responses to saline irrigation water based on field experiments conducted from October 1997 to September 2005. It was found that use of saline water causes the ECe of the topsoil (0–100 cm, Cv: 0.196∼0.330) to be higher and more variable than the subsoil (100–180 cm, Cv: 0.133∼0.219). The salt load rapidly increased, notably in the upper 80 cm and especially during the season of October 1999 to June 2000. It was concluded that the maximum soil depth to which the soil was leached during the wet season was about 150 cm. The relative yields of winter wheat could be ranked Fresh Sufficient (FS, 100%) > Fresh Limited (FL, 91.80%) > Saline Sufficient (SS, 91.63%) > Saline Limited (SL, 88.28%) > Control (C, 69.58%) and for maize FS (100%) > FL (96.37%) > SS (93.05%) > SL (90.04%)> C (89.81%). The best irrigation regime was Saline Limited for winter wheat and maize, provided rainfall is sufficient. The experiments confirm that saline irrigation water appears to be economically attractive to farmers in the short term and ecological hazards can still be controlled with proper leaching.