Trickle irrigation timing and its effect on plant and soil water status

Tomato plants on Sinai sand dunes were irrigated daily by drip irrigation. The irrigation was supplied during daytime hours for one field and a short time after sunset for the second. Results showed that daytime irrigation of soil with low water holding capacity increased the yield significantly and improved plant water potential as well as water use efficiency. The dominant component of water balance under these conditions was found to be deep percolation, which accounted for more than 70% of the water budget. Controlling this component rather than soil water status requires measurements of flux as input for managing the quantity of water to be applied. It is concluded that during hours of high net radiation flux, transpiration rate can best compete with deep percolation rate. Based on this conclusion, the use of net radiation flux as input is recommended for the best irrigation timing.     

Trickle irrigation: Predominant bacteria in treated Colorado River water and biologically clogged emitters

Summary Bacterial numbers and predominant bacterial types were determined in trickle irrigation systems receiving treated Colorado River water. Fourteen bacterial genera were isolated and identified from 86 water and sediment samples collected from trickle emitter systems receiving six water treatments. The bacteria identified were common aquatic and soil microbes and the genera in order of prevalence were Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Vibrio, Brevibacterium, Micrococcus, and Bacillus. A greater diversity of bacterial types was found in water that was sand filtered and received no chemical treatment. Regardless of the water treatment, Pseudomonas stutzeri was the predominant bacterium followed by Flavobacterium lutescens. The data indicated that pigmented bacteria, F. lutescens and ytophaga hutchinsonii caused the yellow color of the slime deposits in biologically clogged emitters; and, their growth was presumably supported by P. stutzeri., a nonpigmented bacterium. The occurrence of Bacillus sp. was enhanced by sand and screen filtration and markedly reduced by chemical conditioning the water with either chlorine and acid or acid alone. No strictly anaerobic bacteria, such as Clostridium sp., were detected in water treated with chlorine and acid. Iron bacteria, Sphaerotilus spp., were not detected in any water or sediment samples from trickle irrigation systems.Contribution from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration, Agricultural Research     

Trickle irrigation: Emitter clogging and other flow problems

Trickle irrigation experiments with Colorado River water on citrus trees in southwestern Arizona were conducted to develop water treatment methods for preventing emitter clogging and maintaining long-term operation of the system under actual field conditions. Eight trickle emitter systems in combination with six water treatments were evaluated during a comprehensive 4-year study. Emitter clogging was related to emitter design and to degree of filtration treatments of Colorado River water. If not positioned upright, emitters designed with moving parts were more susceptible to malfunctioning and clogging. Emitters with flexible membranes either failed after a few months of use with chemically conditioned water or showed serious deterioration and decomposition after 4 years. Five of the eight emitter systems required sand and screen (200 mesh) filtration plus chemically conditioned water to keep suspended materials from physically clogging the emitter. However, two emitter systems with the same design but different flow rates have continued to operate with only screen (50 mesh) filtration. For emitters unaffected by material deterioration, the water conditioned continuously with acid alone was just as effective as a combination of continuous or intermittent chlorine and acid treatments in reducing emitter clogging. The dominant causes of emitter clogging and flow reduction were physical particles; next, and minor in comparison, was the combined development of biological and chemical deposits.     

Trickle irrigation of cotton: Effect on soil chemical properties

The management of soil salinity and sodicity in the root zone (0–150 cm) of Panoche clay loam soil was studied during three consecutive growing seasons in a field experiment designed to determine the water requirement of Acala SJ-2 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under trickle irrigation in the western San Joaquin Valley of California. The trickle irrigation treatments (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the previous day's pan evaporation, PE) were imposed on each of three preplant furrow irrigation depths of 0, 190 and 380 mm. The electrical conductivity, EC, of the irrigation water ranged from 0.4 to 0.5 dS m⁻¹ unless groundwater had to be mixed with the surface supply; this practice raised the EC to 0.6–0.9 dS m⁻¹ for short time periods. The unadjusted sodium adsorption ratio, SAR, of the irrigation water averaged < 4.Soil salinity, as measured by EC_e, was < 5 dS m⁻¹ and sodicity, as measured by SAR_e, was < 15 in the root zone. Changes in these soil chemical properties were more related to the amount of preplant irrigation at the lower (< 40% PE) trickle-irrigation levels than at the higher levels. Results suggest that soil salinity and sodicity can be maintained at acceptably low levels by appropriate preplant irrigation with consideration to amount of winter rainfall; even when during the season only sufficient trickle irrigation is given to meet crop water requirements without regards to leaching needs. The lint cotton yields over the 3-year period ranged from 357 to 1542 kg ha⁻¹; the corresponding applied water ranged from 175 to 744 mm.     

滴灌技术在上海蔬菜生产中的应用

进入 90年代 ,上海的蔬菜生产从数量型转向质量型 ,市民要求常年能吃到各种新鲜的蔬菜 ,因此保护地栽培大量发展 ,到 1998年底 ,上海已拥有 3 0 0个蔬菜园场 ,保护地栽培面积达到 2 666ｈｍ2 。从 1997年 3月开始 ,在市郊蔬菜园艺场温室大棚内开展滴灌的试点工作 ,1998年在面上推广。经过全市各区县菜办、排灌部门的共同努力 ,到 1998年底为止 ,全郊区在 10个郊区县、国营农场原喷灌面积的基础上共发展滴灌 2 3处 ,面积 146ｈｍ2 ,投入资金约 3 3 0万元 ,其中市补资金 110万元。经过一年多时间的运行 ,取得了很好的经济效益 ,受到了菜农的欢…     

Influence of irrigation water quality on soil infiltration

The quality of municipal waste water is affected by its chemical composion and by the process used to treat it. If suspended solids limit infiltration, their removal by the municipal treatment facility is a factor to consider in the planning and management of water resources. The effect of water quality and sprinkler water application rate on bare soil infiltration was investigated. Treated wastewater and clean water were applied to a bare soil at two different application rates, 25 mm/hr and 100 mm/hr. The change in each soil infiltration rate after eight runs for each water quality was determined. The results showed that the reduction in infiltration rate was greatest for the soil under the treated wastewater application due to the effect of accumulation of suspended solids at the soil surface.     

Induction of soil water repellency following irrigation with treated wastewater: effects of irrigation water quality and soil texture

We hypothesized that organic matter (OM) content originating from treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation and soil texture dominate the intensity of soil water repellency. The relationship between soil texture, wastewater treatment level, and water repellency was examined in a 3-year lysimeter experiment (2008–2010). Soil type–water quality combinations, consisting of three soils with different specific surface area (SSA) and four levels of water quality differing in OM content, were tested. In each year, water repellency developed in all TWW quality treatments, but not in freshwater-irrigated controls. At the end of each year (except 2009), the highest degree of repellency was exhibited by sandy soil treated with the lowest quality TWW (highest OM content). The lowest degree of water repellency was consistently exhibited by the soil with the highest SSA irrigated with the highest quality TWW (lowest OM content). Water quality, rather than SSA, was the dominant factor in determining degree of repellency induced by TWW irrigation.     

灌溉水质和灌水方式对红壤斥水性及其理化性质的影响

以蒸馏水为对照,选取再生水和稀释2,4,6倍再生水等4种低质水,采用连续灌溉和再生水-蒸馏水交替灌溉等2种灌溉方式对红壤进行1年的处理,以此探明灌溉水质和灌水方式对酸性土壤斥水性、pH、盐分及有机质质量比的影响.结果表明:2种灌溉方式下红壤均产生亚临界斥水性,连续灌溉下红壤接触角比交替灌溉平均增加了23.1°;2种灌溉方式均使红壤酸性增强,盐分和有机质质量比增加,其中连续灌溉下的增长率大于交替灌溉下增长率;连续灌溉下红壤斥水性、pH、盐分和有机质质量比随灌溉水质的变化均可用二次函数来描述,决定系数均在0.9以上;交替灌溉下,红壤斥水性和盐分与灌溉水质的关系可用二次函数来表示,决定系数均在0.9以上,而土壤pH和有机质质量比与灌溉水质相关性不明显;2种灌溉方式下,红壤斥水性与pH呈负相关,与盐分质量比呈正相关,与土壤有机质质量比在连续灌溉下表现为正相关,而交替灌溉下则相反.采用再生水-蒸馏水交替灌溉方式能抑制土壤斥水性的产生.     

Effect of water quality on soil structure and infiltration under furrow irrigation

The quality of irrigation water has the potential to significantly affect soil structural properties, infiltration and irrigation application efficiency. While the effect of electrolyte concentration (as indicated by the electrical conductivity EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) have been studied under laboratory conditions, the effect on soil profile structural properties and irrigation performance have not been widely investigated under field conditions. In this paper, water with three different levels of sodium (SAR = 0.9, 10 and 30) was applied as alternative treatments to a clay loam soil. The application of 238–261 mm of medium- to high-SAR water was found to reduce aggregate stability, increase the bulk density of both the surface crust and underlying soil, and reduce the total depth of infiltration and final infiltration rate. Where low-SAR water was used, there was no significant (P<0.05) difference in final infiltration rate after the first four irrigations. However, where moderate- and high-SAR water was applied after the first four irrigations with the low EC-SAR water, the final infiltration rate was found to decrease on each of the successive irrigation events. For the moderate- and high-SAR treatments, this suggests that a steady-state equilibrium had not been reached within that part of the soil profile impeding infiltration. It is proposed that the initial reduction in infiltration is related to the physical processes of slaking leading to the development of an apedal, hardsetting surface soil layer. Similarly, it is proposed that the subsequent increase in bulk density and decline in infiltration where moderate and high EC-SAR water is applied is due to an increase in clay tactoid swelling reducing the size of the conducting micropores, dispersion blocking pores, and/or an increase in the thickness of the apedal surface layer. The reduction in infiltration associated with the use of high-SAR irrigation water was found to reduce the performance of the irrigations, with the application efficiency of the final irrigation decreasing from 40% where the low-SAR water was used, to 21% where the high-SAR water was applied. The implications for surface irrigating with water containing high sodium levels are discussed.Communicated by A. Kassam     

再生水灌溉对果菜类蔬菜产量及品质的影响

为推动再生水灌溉作物的适宜性分类，该文研究了再生水灌溉对果菜类蔬菜产量与品质的影响。结果表明，再生水处理与对照处理相比可显著增加果菜类蔬菜产量，其中，西红柿、黄瓜平均增产15.1%、23.6%。茄子、豆角增产60.7%、7.4%。再生水灌溉对果实含水率、粗蛋白、氨基酸含量、可溶性总糖、维生素C、粗灰分、硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐等品质或营养指标无显著影响，再生水灌溉处理硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐含量低于标准限值。研究为再生水适宜灌溉的作物筛选提供了技术依据。     

农村生活污水一级处理水灌溉对青菜生长品质影响

通过3种水质对生长中的青菜进行灌溉,探讨利用农村生活污水一级处理水对青菜植株生长发育的品质影响.研究表明,相比较自来水和50%的农村生活污水,经过一级处理的农村生活污水对生长期的青菜灌溉,对青菜植株维生素C和硝酸盐质量比有一定的影响,维生素C质量比下降10%左右,硝酸盐质量比增长6%左右,对青菜株高、叶面积、地上部分鲜质量均没有明显差异.通过与国标蔬菜中硝酸盐质量比的限值比较,经过污水灌溉的青菜在安全食用范围内,不会影响到人类身体健康.因此,农村污水作为农作物灌溉的另一个重要水源,具有一定技术可行性和经济合理性.     

Pond management and water quality for drip irrigation in Mediterranean intensive horticultural systems

The influence of pond management on water quality for drip-irrigated crops was studied throughout a field survey and a mesocosm experiment. Water sources were pooled into two groups: ground or surface water (GW/SW) and recycled wastewater. Pond covering, which was limited to about a quarter of them, improved water quality by reducing phytoplankton biomass. However, biocide applications and pond dredging were ineffective at improving in-pond water quality. Dredging did not reduce the concentrations of planktonic chlorophyll a or total suspended solids (TSS) in GW/SW fed ponds, whereas biocide applications increased both parameters. Field and experimental data proved that the two predominant taxa of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) found in ponds (Potamogeton pectinatus and Chara spp.) improved water quality by increasing water oxygenation and decreasing chlorophyll a and TSS concentrations. Preserving SAV (especially Chara spp.) appears to be an environment-friendly, cost-effective and recommendable alternative strategy for irrigation pond management.     

Regulated deficit irrigation improved fruit quality and water use efficiency of pear-jujube trees

Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) was applied on field-grown pear-jujube trees in 2005 and 2006 and its effects on crop water-consumption, yield and fruit quality were investigated. Treatments included severe, moderate and low water deficit treatments at bud burst to leafing, flowering to fruit set, fruit growth and fruit maturation stages. Different deficit irrigation levels at different growth stages had significant effects on the fruit yield and quality. Moderate and severe water deficits at bud burst to leafing and fruit maturation stages increased fruit yield by 13.2-31.9% and 9.7-17.5%, respectively. Fruit yield under low water deficit at fruit growth and fruit maturation stages was similar to that of full irrigation (FI) treatment. All water deficit treatments reduced water consumption by 5-18% and saved irrigation water by 13-25% when compared to the FI treatment. During the bud burst to leafing stage, moderate and severe water deficits did not have effect on the fruit quality, but significantly saved irrigation water and increased fruit yield. Low water deficit during the fruit growth stage and low, moderate and severe water deficits during the fruit maturation stage had no significant effect on the fruit weight and fruit volume but reduced fruit water content slightly, which led to much reduced rotten fruit percentage during the post-harvest storage period. Such water deficit treatments also shortened the fruit maturation period by 10-15 d and raised the market price of the fruit. Fruit quality shown as fruit firmness, soluble solid content, sugar/acid ratio and vitamin C (V_C) content were all enhanced as a result of deficit irrigation. Our results suggest that RDI should be adopted as a beneficial agricultural practice in the production of pear-jujube fruit.     

Evaluation of the influence of irrigation methods and water quality on sugar beet yield and water use efficiency

Rapid urbanization and industrialization have increased the pressure on limited existing fresh water to meet the growing needs for food production. Two immediate responses to this challenge are the efficient use of irrigation technology and the use of alternative sources of water. Drip irrigation methods may play an important role in efficient use of water but there is still limited information on their use on sugar beet crops in arid countries such as Iran. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of irrigation method and water quality on sugar beet yield, percentage of sugar content and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). The irrigation methods investigated were subsurface drip, surface drip and furrow irrigation. The two waters used were treated municipal effluent (EC = 1.52 dS m⁻¹) and fresh water (EC = 0.509 dS m⁻¹). The experiments used a split plot design and were undertaken over two consecutive growing seasons in Southern Iran. Statistical testing indicated that the irrigation method and water quality had a significant effect (at the 1% level) on sugar beet root yield, sugar yield, and IWUE. The highest root yield (79.7 Mg ha⁻¹) was obtained using surface drip irrigation and effluent and the lowest root yield (41.4 Mg ha⁻¹) was obtained using furrow irrigation and fresh water. The highest IWUE in root yield production (9 kg m⁻³) was obtained using surface drip irrigation with effluent and the lowest value (3.8 kg m⁻³) was obtained using furrow irrigation with fresh water. The highest IWUE of 1.26 kg m⁻³ for sugar was obtained using surface drip irrigation. The corresponding efficiency using effluent was 1.14 kg m⁻³. Irrigation with effluent led to an increase in the net sugar yield due to an increase in the sugar beet root yield. However, there was a slight reduction in the percentage sugar content in the plants. This study also showed that soil water and root depth monitoring can be used in irrigation scheduling to avoid water stress. Such monitoring techniques can also save considerable volumes of irrigation water and can increase yield.     

Management model for decision support when applying low quality water in irrigation

Use of low quality water for irrigation of food crops is an important option to secure crop productivity in dry regions, alleviate water scarcity and recycle nutrients, but it requires assessment of adverse effects on health and environment. In the EU-project “SAFIR¹” a model system was developed that combines irrigation management with risk evaluation, building on research findings from the different research groups in the SAFIR project. The system applies to field scale irrigation management and aims at assisting users in identifying safe modes of irrigation when applying low quality water. The cornerstone in the model system is the deterministic “Plant-Soil-Atmosphere” model DAISY, which simulates crop growth, water and nitrogen dynamics and if required heavy metals and pathogen fate in the soil. The irrigation and fertigation module calculates irrigation and fertigation requirements based on DAISY's water and nitrogen demands. A Water Source Administration module keeps track of water sources available and their water quality, as well as water treatments, storage, and criteria for selection between different sources. At harvest, the soil concentrations of heavy metals and pathogens are evaluated and the risk to consumers and farmers assessed. Crop profits are calculated, considering fixed and variable costs of input and output. The user can run multiple “what-if” scenarios that include access to different water sources (including wastewater), water treatments, irrigation methods and irrigation and fertilization strategies and evaluate model results in terms of crop yield, water use, fertilizer use, heavy metal accumulation, pathogen exposure and expected profit. The management model system can be used for analysis prior to investments or when preparing a strategy for the season.     

Optimization of furrow irrigation system design parameters considering drainage and runoff water quality constraints

The design problem of furrow irrigation systems considering runoff and drainage water quality was formulated as an optimization problem, with maximization of net benefits as the objective. A power advance function with an empirically derived relationship between the furrow irrigation design variables and relative crop yield were used in the formulation. The generalized geometric programming technique was used to solve for the optimal values for the design variables that maximized the net benefits from a furrow irrigation system. The optimal efficiency for which the system must be designed under a given set of soil, crop, and economic conditions is not known in advance. In the design, the application efficiency was not specified a priori. It was an output from the optimal design. The analysis suggested that it might not be economical to design surface irrigation systems to achieve a high application efficiency that is specified a priori. In the absence of environmental degradation problems from irrigation, it may sometimes be profitable to design surface irrigation systems to operate at less than the standard application efficiency (55%–90%) that is routinely used in the design. Formulation of the design problem as an optimization problem would yield the optimal application efficiency that would maximize the net benefits to the farmer under any given set of conditions.     

System approach to drainage,irrigation and soil conservation related to water quality problems

The system approach and combination of simulation and optimization models to the problems of water quality in public water supply basins influenced by agricultural activities, drainage, irrigation and soil conservation are presented. The methodological aspects of the problem are analysed.     

Water reuse for irrigation in Jordan: Perceptions of water quality among farmers

The reuse of treated wastewater (reclaimed water) for irrigation is a valuable strategy to maximise available water resources, but the often marginal quality of the water can present agricultural challenges. Semi-structured interviews were held with Jordanian farmers to explore how they perceive the quality of reclaimed water. Of the 11 farmers interviewed who irrigate with reclaimed water directly near treatment plants, 10 described reclaimed water either positively or neutrally. In contrast, 27 of the 39 farmers who use reclaimed water indirectly, after it is blended with fresh water, viewed the resource negatively, although 23 of the indirect reuse farmers also recognised the nutrient benefits. Farmer perception of reclaimed water may be a function of its quality, but consideration should also be given to farmers’ capacity to manage the agricultural challenges associated with reclaimed water (salinity, irrigation system damage, marketing of produce), their actual and perceived capacity to control where and when reclaimed water is used, and their capacity to influence the quality of the water delivered to the farm.     

一种新型的节水灌溉技术——渗灌

渗灌技术具有显著的节水、节能、省工、增产和提高品品质的特点，是发展我国节水型农业的重要技术措施之一，本文较详细地介绍了渗灌系统的田间规划，设计参数选择及生物堵塞的预防和处理办法，建议引进利用废旧轮胎回收的橡胶生产渗灌管的专利技术和关键生产设备，实现渗灌管的国产化。     

地下水灌溉水质评价的对数型幂函数指数方法

为了科学合理、简便有效地评价灌溉水质,提出了一个灌溉水质评价的指数公式,并采用粒子群算法优化公式中的参数,得出优化后适用于多指标的灌溉水质评价公式.以新疆阿拉尔垦区、尉犁县和宁夏平罗县的水质资料为例进行验证.结果表明,该公式与综合危害系数法、模糊综合评价、突变理论的评价结果基本一致.新疆阿拉尔垦区和宁夏平罗的地下水适合农业灌溉,而尉犁县平原灌区浅层地下水不宜长期直接灌溉.灌溉水质评价公式具有简单便捷的优点,可以快速地得出灌溉水质评价结果,为灌溉水质评价提供了新的有效途径.