The role of paddy rice in recharging urban groundwater in the Shira River Basin

Agricultural fields in the middle Shira River basin play an important role as a source of groundwater recharge; however, the water balance between the agricultural water and river water is unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the water balance in the fields by measuring the stream flow of agricultural water channels, which draw water from the Shira River. The flow rate of water channels was found to increase in the beginning of May, which corresponded to the cultivation of paddy rice fields. During summer, the total agricultural intake was comparable to the river flow observed in the middle Shira River Basin. Determination of the water budget for the targeted area revealed that most of the recharged water was dependent on agricultural irrigation from the river. The annual recharge of the overall target area was estimated to be as high as 15,300 mm. In addition, the infiltration rate was as high as 170 mm/day in the paddy fields during summer, and as high as 30 mm/day in the upland fields during winter. In order to recover the groundwater recharge in this region, it is necessary to extend the submerged period to include periods in which the stream water in the Shira River is not subject to heavy rainfall as well.     

A refined hydro-environmental watershed model with field-plot-scale resolution

A distributed hydro-environmental model is developed that achieves detailed analysis of the movement of water at a field-plot-scale resolution in a mesoscale watershed including lowland areas where, especially for agricultures, it is an essential need to get rid of redundant groundwater by drainage facilities such as rivers, canals and/or underdrains. For this, the problem geometry is meshed with unstructured cells of triangular shape. Profile of a column cell is zoned into two: surface zone and groundwater zone in which water movement is represented by combined tank and soil moisture sub-models, and well-defined two-dimensional unconfined shallow groundwater flow sub-model, respectively. The top-two sub-models serve to evaluate evapotranspiration, infiltration, soil water content, lateral surface water flow, and vertical percolation. The vertical percolation so evaluated is given as longitudinal recharge to the bottom sub-model for computing groundwater flow. Surface water–groundwater interactions through beds and stream-banks of perennial and ephemeral canals are considered by treating the canal courses as internal boundaries in the groundwater flow model. The finite volume method (FVM) that allows of unstructured mesh and produces conservative solutions is employed for groundwater flow computation. The model developed is applied to an actual watershed which includes a low-lying paddy area to quantify the hydrological impact of land-use management practices over a period of 29 years in which the farmland consolidation project was implemented and part of the paddy fields were converted to upland crop fields and housing lands. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the model presently developed lends itself to water—as well as land-use management practices.     

The influence of seepage from canals and paddy fields on the groundwater level of neighboring rotation cropping fields: a case study from the lower Ili River Basin,Kazakhstan

In the large-scale irrigation schemes of the lower Ili River Basin of Kazakhstan, crop rotation combines paddy rice and non-rice crops. Continuous irrigation is practiced in paddy fields, whereas other crops are sustained from groundwater after only limited early irrigation. The water table in non-rice crops is raised by seepage from canals and the flooded paddy fields. We investigated the areal extent to which the groundwater level of non-irrigated fields is influenced by seepage from canals and paddy fields by examining the relationship between distance (from canal and paddy field) and groundwater level in upland fields. The groundwater level was influenced for up to 300 and 400 m from the canals and paddy fields, respectively. Geographic information system analysis of crop and canal patterns in the 11 selected years showed that if the zone of influence is 300 and 400 m from the canals and paddy fields, respectively, the groundwater level of most of the area of upland fields was raised by seepage. We conclude that the water supply to cropping fields by seepage from irrigation canals and paddy fields is adequate, but the spatial distribution of the paddy fields may be an important factor that needs more attention to help improve water use efficiency in this irrigation district.     

Fate of phosphate and nitrate in waters of an intensive agricultural area in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

The chemistry of surface waters and groundwater draining agricultural catchments in the north-central and northwestern areas of Sri Lanka is described. Hydrochemical data from 296 water samples are used to evaluate water quality and to identify the processes that control nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the water. The results indicate that nutrient concentrations in the groundwaters are greater than those in the surface waters. Increased nutrient levels were observed in groundwater in a selected area in the fortnight following fertilizer application. Detailed geochemical investigations of selected groundwater samples reveal a gradual rise of nitrate–N and other solutes along the horizontal flow direction. Compared to the application rates of fertilizer in the area, the average nutrient concentrations in all waters are relatively low (1.5 mg/l nitrate and 0.5 mg/l phosphate) and stable. The results suggest that prevailing reducing conditions, iron-rich overburden soil cover and manmade canal networks control nutrient accumulation in the groundwater.     

Numerical assessments of the impacts of climate change on regional groundwater systems in a paddy-dominated alluvial fan

Quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on groundwater levels is important for sustainable groundwater use. This study examined the Tedori River alluvial fan in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, where paddy fields occupy 45 % of the total area. A regional groundwater flow model simulated future groundwater levels in response to 38 climate change projections generated for each of three GCMs, using three GHG emission scenarios with the ELPIS-JP datasets. The numerical groundwater flow model consisted of a 1-D unsaturated water flow model (HYDRUS-1D) for estimating groundwater recharge and a 3-D groundwater flow model (MODFLOW). Variable parameters consisted of daily air temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed, which influence groundwater through infiltration, evapotranspiration, snowfall, and snowmelt. Groundwater levels had both decreasing and increasing trends, depending on climate change. There were more decreasing than increasing trends, and the maximum groundwater drawdown during 2010–2090 was ~1 m. Groundwater level was most sensitive to change in rate of precipitation during the non-irrigation period. Variations of relatively low-intensity precipitation days, when daily precipitation was <10 mm, had an effect on groundwater level. These results contribute to development of adaptive and sustainable groundwater managements (e.g. land use management and pumping strategies) in the future.     

Characteristics of water balance in a rainfed paddy field in Northeast Thailand

Rice productivity in rainfed paddy fields varies with seasonal changes of water availability in which the conditions of flooding are affected by the water balance. Hydrometeorological measurements were performed in a rainfed paddy field in Northeast Thailand from July 2004 to December 2006 to analyze the water balance. As a result of our measurements, climatologically conditions were classified as semi-humid with an annual precipitation of 1,100 mm/year and annual potential evaporation of 1,660 mm/year in both the year. The surface layer of the paddy soil was clayey and the hydraulic conductivity was very low, so groundwater levels remained below the soil surface even under flooded conditions during the rainy season. Seasonal changes in the amount of soil water were very small, comprising only less than 16% of the total precipitation during the rainy season. Consequently, an effective precipitation of less than 180 mm was enough to establish standing water in the rainfed paddy field. Shinkichi Goto, Tsuneo Kuwagata and Pisarn Konghakote contributed equally to the paper.     

Assessment of nitrogen contamination of groundwater in paddy and upland fields

This study aims to assess the nitrogen contamination of groundwater in paddy and upland fields. A reactive chemical transport model PHREEQC and a variable saturated groundwater flow and transport model FEMWATER were used to evaluate the vertical transport of nitrogen compound in various soil types of paddy and upland. The shallow groundwater quality monitoring data of 2003, 2006, 2009 in the Choushui river alluvial fan, the major agriculture production area in Taiwan, were applied to support the validity of the numerical simulation findings. Results from PHREEQC and FEMWATER simulations showed that the organic-rich impermeable plow sole layer underneath the muddy layer of rice paddy can effectively reduce NO₃ ⁻ and N₂ to NH₄ ⁺ and retard the movement of NH₄ ⁺. However, in the upland field which has no plow sole layer, the NH₄ ⁺ can move easily to the shallow aquifer and contaminate the groundwater. The spatiotemporal distribution of NO₃ ⁻–N and NH₄ ⁺–N in the Choushui river alluvial fan revealed that high nitrate–N contamination areas were located mainly in the upland field of the proximal fan, where the granular unconfined aquifer was vulnerable to surface contaminants. Moreover, the unconfined nature of the aquifer allows the oxidization of NH₄ ⁺ to NO₃ ⁻ and accelerates the plume movement. High ammonium–N concentration areas were mostly dispersed in the distal-fan area where upland planting and aquacultural farming were prevailed. The high NH₄ ⁺–N found in the northern Choushui river alluvial fan was attributed to the alternative planting of rice and upland crops, and the plow sole layer was broken to maintain the quick drainage upland crop needs.     

Quantitative risk assessment for reclaimed wastewater irrigation on paddy rice field in Korea

Water shortage has become an important issue for Korean agriculture. Korea suffers from a limited agricultural water supply, and wastewater reuse has been recommended as an alternative solution. This study examined the concentrations of toxic heavy metals and Escherichia coli in a paddy rice field irrigated with reclaimed wastewater to evaluate the risk to farmers. Most epidemiological studies have been based on upland fields, and therefore may not be directly applicable to paddy fields. In this study, a Beta-Poisson model was used to estimate the microbial risk of pathogen ingestion. The risk value increased significantly after irrigation and precipitation. The results of the microbial risk assessment showed that risk values of groundwater and reclaimed wastewater irrigation were lower than the values of effluent directly from wastewater treatment plants. The monitoring results of heavy metals for each irrigated paddy fields did not show specific tendency. A risk assessment for toxic heavy metals was performed according to various exposure pathways; however, the results of the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risk estimation showed that the risk from reclaimed wastewater-irrigated paddy fields was the lowest.     

Preliminary study of flow regimes and stream water residence times in multi-scale forested watersheds of central Cambodia

To elucidate the water cycle in lowland forests of the Mekong River basin, our research group established four experimental watersheds in the Stung Chinit River basin in Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia. The drainage areas of these experimental watersheds ranged from small (4 km²) to mesoscale (3,659 km²). Here, we present the first preliminary results of our rainfall-discharge observations and analyses of temporal variations of stable isotope ratios in rainfall, stream water, and groundwater. This paper focuses on the following three main topics: annual rainfall, discharge, and water balance; stormflow generation and dominant flow pathways; and flow regimes and stream water residence times. All stream water residence times (τ = 1.7–7.5 months) for the four experimental watersheds were shorter than the residence time of the groundwater (τ = 9.4 months) through the soil and regolith layers, implying that the stream waters consisted of not only the groundwater-flow component, but also younger-aged flow components such as saturation-excess overland flow. The smallest (4 km²; O Toek Loork) watershed had longer residence time (τ = 7.5 months) than the three larger watersheds (126–3,659 km²; τ = 1.7–3.9 months). This may suggest differing contributions of the groundwater and younger-aged flow components in the stream water in each watershed. Our approach of multi-scale watershed observation might better contribute to the needs of physically based models and aid in predictions for ungauged basins.     

Relation of Root Growth of Rice Seedling with Nutrition and Water Use Efficiency Under Different Water Supply Conditions

The arid/semiarid regions contribute the forty- three percent of crop planted each year. In these regions, rice is mostly grown under rainfed conditions, where the chances plants to face drought are during the growing season. The primary determinant of cr…     

A distributed hydro-environmental watershed model with three-zoned cell profiling

A cell-based distributed watershed model is developed which enables us to simulate the hydrological and hydraulic aspects of the watershed in a refined fashion. With three-zoned cell profiling, the model is composed of three sub-models; tank model for a surface water zone, soil moisture model for a surface soil zone, and unconfined shallow groundwater flow model for a subsurface zone. Inclusion of the soil moisture sub-model modified to reroute the infiltration, routed from the tank sub-model, into the return flow and the groundwater recharge features the model. The groundwater flow sub-model, numerically approximated by use of the finite volume method and the implicit time-marching scheme, considers a network of on-farm drainage canals as internal boundaries, which is an essential need for modeling the watershed including farmlands. Cascade-linking of the three sub-models in a cell and assembling of all the cells over the entire watershed domain provides the global equations system to be solved. Applicability of the model is demonstrated with its practical application to a real watershed in that paddy and upland crop fields take great part of the land-use practice. It is then indicated in a quantified manner that rice farming significantly contribute as a major groundwater recharger in an irrigation period to fostering and conservation of regional water resources. Along with appropriately profiling a cell, the model is so versatile and tough that it can be applied without difficulty to a watershed of diverse terrains and land-uses and the computations can stably be carried out. It is thus concluded that the model presently developed could be a powerful “watershed simulator” to investigate and assess the time-varying hydro-environmental properties of a watershed while separating and integrating the hydrological and hydraulic components of particular importance.     

Potential rainwater storage capacity of irrigation ponds

From antiquity to the present, Japan has irrigated many paddy fields from irrigation ponds. There are some 64,000 such irrigation ponds with a benefit area of over 2 ha each. These irrigation ponds not only function as a water-source for the stable production of food, but also are thought to reduce flooding in lower regions through temporary storage of rainwater and catchment runoff because they are located upstream of paddy fields, upland fields and residential land. Centering our research on Kagawa and Osaka Prefectures, we assessed the potential of rainwater storage capacity created by free space in irrigation ponds resulting from irrigation at a macro level as an indicator of flood mitigation. In these prefectures, potential rainwater storage capacity of irrigation ponds in early September was 2.1 and 1.4 times that of the potential storage capacity of associated paddy fields in an ordinary year.     

Effects of topography on the construction and efficiency of earthen weirs for rice irrigation in Northeast Thailand

Farmers in some parts of the Indochina Peninsula have been using earthen weirs to supply water to their rice fields, and the use of such weirs is especially prevalent in Northeast Thailand. Although now a typical rain-fed rice cultivation area, a significant percentage of rice fields in Northeast Thailand used earthen weirs before the extensive expansion of rain-fed rice fields that occurred in the early 20th century. In this study, we clarified some of the historical changes associated with the construction and use of earthen weirs and their effects on rice production. In particular, we investigated some of the topographic effects, such as terrain, catchment size, and slope grade, on water delivery. In addition, water delivery methods, construction periods, and the discontinued use of earthen weirs were examined with respect to regional influences and topography. Earthen weirs were found to be most suitable in areas that exhibited complementarity between the riverbed slope and the water catchment. The type of earthen weir was dependent on the magnitude of the riverbed slope. Earthen weirs have been constructed continuously on steeper upstream slopes of rivers for more than a century, while weir construction on lower riverbeds with larger catchments appears to be more recent.

Seasonal fluctuation of groundwater in an evergreen forest, central Cambodia: experiments and two-dimensional numerical analysis

This study of a water cycle was conducted in an evergreen forest located in the Mekong River Basin in central Cambodia. At the observation site, we measured the dynamics of the spatial distribution of groundwater levels. The groundwater movement was analyzed two-dimensionally using boundary conditions and parameters that had been observed in the field. The climate in the research area is dominated by two seasons, which occur annually: a rainy and a dry season. The groundwater levels are generally high during the rainy season and low during the dry season. Groundwater levels were measured along a stream, which flowed through the study site. The streambed was visible at the head of the stream in January. At the next downriver well point, the streambed appeared in March. Finally, it became visible at all well points in April, meaning that surface runoff had disappeared temporarily and instead flowed underground during the ensuing dry period. Groundwater levels of the studied lateral flow perpendicular to the stream that seeped and infiltrated into the stream were 1.2–2.5 m deep (in April), which was the lowest level recorded for the year. During that period, the depth of the groundwater of the studied lateral flow fell by as much as 56 mm per month. In addition, the lateral flow groundwater infiltrated into groundwater of the stream during that period. The groundwater level fluctuation was estimated based on a two-dimensional analysis of lateral flow perpendicular to the stream using a numerical simulation model with soil physical parameters and observed boundary conditions. The observations of ground water fluctuations were well reproduced. Deep seepage of groundwater was estimated using a uniform boundary condition that allowed efflux through the bottom, estimated as being approximately 30 mm per year. The simulated deep seepage rate was considered plausible considering other hydrological components such as soil water storage fluctuation.     

百色干热河谷地区降雨氢氧稳定同位素特征及芒果树水分来源研究

百色市右江河谷是我国著名的干热河谷之一，干旱是该地区最严重的气象灾害。芒果是该地区地理标志农产品，但其水分利用策略尚不清楚。本文基于氢氧稳定同位素示踪技术研究该地区降雨同位素特征及影响因素，利用多元线性混合模型方法量化不同来源水分对芒果树根系吸水的贡献比例，揭示芒果树生育期内水分利用策略。结果表明：（1）研究区氢氧稳定同位素具有明显的季节变化，δ值和氘盈余（d）具有旱季富集、雨季贫化的规律，建立了研究区的大气降水线方程：δD=8.2587δ18O+12.308,δD和δ18O值有极显著相关性（r=0.9968, n=35, P<0.001）;(2)季风气候影响下大气降水稳定同位素值具有显著的降雨量效应和反温度效应（P<0.05）;(3)在芒果花期、幼果期、果实膨大期和成熟期，土壤水氢氧稳定同位素总体上随土壤深度的增加而变贫；在花期和幼果期，芒果树对各层次土壤水分及地下水利用比例较为均匀，果树膨大期和成熟期则主要利用深层次土壤水及地下水，表明该地区芒果树主要以深层次土壤水及地下水为水源，说明芒果树更接近于保守型水分利用策略。降雨氢氧稳定同位素特征反映了该地区干热的气候特征，芒...     

Relationship between increment of groundwater level at the beginning of irrigation period and paddy filed area in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan Area, Japan

There are many paddy fields and large amounts of groundwater in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Water infiltration from paddy fields during irrigation may significantly contribute to groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is known to be one outcome of paddy farming, and in general is usually related to land use. However, a decreased area of paddy fields because of socioeconomic factors such as urbanization and increasing area of fallow fields has possibly affected the groundwater environment. Evaluation of the quantitative effect of paddy fields on groundwater is necessary for groundwater conservation. This study examined the relationship between differences in the depth of groundwater from just before the irrigation period to just after the first irrigation of paddy fields (increments of groundwater levels) in observation wells and the area of paddy fields around each well. The paddy areas within circular buffer zones, which were delineated at 0.2 km intervals between 0.2 and 2.0 km centered on each observation well, were calculated. A positive relationship was found between the rise in groundwater and the area of paddy field within different buffer zones at most wells. In addition, in the middle or upper part of the fan, the effect of changes in the area of paddy fields surrounding the well on the groundwater level rise was greater than that on the lower part of the fan.     

Fluctuation of NO3-N in groundwater of the reservoir of the Sunagawa Subsurface Dam, Miyako Island, Japan

The Japanese government started to construct two subsurface dams on Miyako Island in 1988, and the project was completed in 2001. Before the construction of the dams, the NO₃-N concentration of groundwater on the island was about 10 mg/l, the upper limit for drinking water in Japan, owing to the application of fertilizer to sugarcane fields. Predicting the effect of these subsurface dams on the groundwater environment was difficult because they were probably the first mega-subsurface dams in the world. We measured the NO₃-N concentration in the groundwater at observation wells before and after construction of the Sunagawa Dam and after the groundwater began to be used. We also measured the NO₃-N concentration monthly at a typical observation well in the catchment over a period 14 years to evaluate the environmental impact of construction of the dam. The highest NO₃-N concentrations were downstream before completion of the subsurface dam, and a high NO₃-N concentration zone remained around the cut-off wall after its completion, but this high-concentration zone disappeared and the distribution of NO₃-N became uniform after pumping of the groundwater began. Overall, the NO₃-N concentration decreased gradually. These results show that the groundwater quality did not deteriorate as a result of the construction of the Sunagawa Subsurface Dam.     

降水对陇东玉米叶面积和干物质积累及产量的影响

分析降水差异对陇东黄土高原玉米叶面积和单株干物质积累及产量的影响。结果表明,在玉米生长发育期间,降水不同,叶面积增长速度不同、干物质积累速度不同、产量不同。尤其是拔节至抽雄期降水,对玉米叶面积生长、干物质积累和产量形成具有较大影响。     

铵态氮和硝态氮营养对水、旱稻根系形态及水分吸收的影响

为研究不同形态氮素营养对水稻和旱稻根系生长及水分吸收的影响,采用水培供应不同形态氮素(铵态氮、硝态氮、铵态氮和硝态氮混合)的方法培养水稻和旱稻,并对水稻和旱稻的根系形态进行了扫描分析;同时,通过测定根系伤流液和采用HgCl2抑制水通道蛋白活性的方法,比较了水稻和旱稻根系对不同氮素形态响应的差异。 铵态氮营养水稻（或旱稻）的根干质量明显低于硝态氮营养水稻（或旱稻）,但单位根表面积的水分吸收与根系伤流液量比硝态氮营养高;3种形态氮素营养水稻（或旱稻）运输水分的主要方式均是水通道蛋白的跨膜运输途径,但铵态氮营养水稻（或旱稻）的根系通过水通道蛋白跨膜运输途径运输水分的能力明显高于硝态氮营养水稻（或旱稻）;与水稻相比,旱稻对硝态氮营养具有较强的适应性。     

Effect of N-fertilizer application on return flow water quality from a terraced paddy field in Northern Taiwan

Intensive use of chemical fertilizer for crops may be responsible for nitrogen and phosphate accumulation in both groundwater and surface waters. The return flow polluted by nutrients not only results in the limitation of water reuse goals but also creates many environmental problems, including algal blooms and eutrophication in neighboring water bodies, posing potential hazards to human health. This study is to evaluate the N-fertilizer application of terraced paddy fields impacting return flow water quality. Water quality monitoring continued for two crop-periods around subject to different water bodies, including the irrigation water, drainage water at the outlet of experimental terraced paddy field, and shallow groundwater were conducted in an experimental paddy field located at Hsin-chu County, Northern Taiwan. The analyzed results indicate that obviously increasing of ammonium-N (NH₄ ⁺-N) and nitrate-N (NO₃ ^?-N) concentrations in the surface drainage water and ground water just occurred during the stage of basal fertilizer application, and then reduced to relatively low concentrations (<0.1 mg/l and <3 mg/l, respectively) in the remaining period of cultivation. The experimental results demonstrate the potential pollution load of nitrogen can be reduced by proper drainage water control and fertilizer application practices.