Modelling of water and nitrogen balances in the ponded water and soil profile of rice fields in Northern Greece

This paper presents a water and nitrogen balance model for the surface ponded water and soil profile system of rice (Oryza sativa L.) fields. The model estimates the daily water balance components, as well as, the daily losses and transformations of nitrogen. Data from two neighbouring rice fields during the growing season of 2005 in the Thessaloniki plain of Northern Greece were used for the application of the model. The data set of field A was used for the calibration of the model, while the data set from the field B for validation of model. Simulation results of total inorganic nitrogen in the soil and runoff water exhibited reasonable agreement with the measured data during calibration and verification of the model. Significant amounts of applied irrigation water were lost through surface runoff and deep percolation into the groundwater. The sum of nitrogen inputs from fertilization, mineralization and irrigation water were 292.7 and 280.4 kg ha⁻¹ for field A and B, respectively. Nitrogen uptake by algae in ponding water and plants was one of the main processes of nitrogen reduction in the rice field systems with an amount of 125.7 and 131.8 kg ha⁻¹ for field A and B, respectively. Leaching through percolated water was the other significant process with 118.3 and 120.8 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Gaseous losses of nitrogen (via volatilization and denitrification) were also substantial processes of nitrogen reduction in the flooded compartment. The study showed that the simple model presents important results for the water and nitrogen management in rice fields. This information can be used for irrigation water saving and prevention of water resources contamination in rice-based agroecosystems.     

Opportunities for yield increases and environmental benefits through site-specific nutrient management in rice systems of Zhejiang province,China

Environmental pollution by nitrogen (N) leaching or runoff from rice fields and high pesticide use has become a serious concern in China. Average N application is high and fertilizer-N use efficiency is low compared with other major rice growing countries. In Zhejiang, rice farmers apply 150–250 kg ha⁻¹ fertilizer N and 7–10 sprays of pesticides per season to maintain yield levels of 5.5–8.0 t ha⁻¹. Fertilizer and pest management strategies of farmers are not based on plant nutrient demand and pest control requirements. To provide farmers with options for high yielding, yet more resourceful management options, site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) was developed at Zhejiang University in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The approach comprises guidelines that allow farmers to adjust domain- and season-specific fertilizer recommendations to actual growing conditions in their fields taking into account plant nutrient demand, indigenous nutrient supply, nutrient use efficiency, as well as socio-economic factors. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the agronomic performance of SSNM in farmers’ fields in the past seven years (1998–2004). With SSNM, average grain yield increased by about 0.5 t ha⁻¹ over the farmers’ practice, while N use efficiency increased significantly. About 30% of both fertilizer N could be reduced through adoption of SSNM, which would effectively eliminate an unnecessary source of pollution in the rice ecosystem. Larger scale dissemination of SSNM for rice is under way in Zhejiang province, but stronger institutional support is urgently required.     

Yield, water and nitrogen-use response of rice to zeolite and nitrogen fertilization in a semi-arid environment

Water scarcity and soil nitrogen (N) loss are important limitations for agricultural production in semi-arid region especially for rice production. Zeolite (Z) as a soil conditioner can be used to retrain water and nitrogen in near-surface soil layer in lowland rice production system. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of different application rates of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) and nitrogen on rice yield, yield components, soil nitrogen, water use, water productivity in a silty clay soil in 2004 and 2005. Zeolite was only applied in the first year. In order to study the long-term and continuous effect of zeolite on the objectives of the study, no zeolite was applied in the second year and the study was conducted on the same land as the first year. Zeolite and N were applied at rates of 0, 2, 4, and 8 t ha⁻¹ and 0, 20, 40, and 80 kg ha⁻¹, respectively in 2004. In 2005, each plot received the same amount of N as received in 2004. It is concluded that by decreasing N application rates, higher Z application rate is needed to improve grain yield. Highest grain yield was obtained at N application rate of 80 kg ha⁻¹ and Z application rate of 4 t ha⁻¹. Higher grain yield was mostly attributed to lower unfilled grain percentage and higher 1000-grain weight that were a result of higher N application rate and N retention in soil due to Z application. Nitrogen and Z applications resulted in higher grain protein contents and nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE). Based on these results and due to higher N retention in soil under Z application, improved grain yield quality, nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), and nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE) could be obtained at Z application rate of 8 t ha⁻¹ and N application rate of 80 kg ha⁻¹ or more. However, this was not satisfied for NUE. Moreover, it is found that at higher N application rates lower Z application rates are needed to effectively retain soil residual mineral nitrogen. Furthermore, at N application rates of 80 kg ha⁻¹ or more, Z application increased soil water retention and resulted in lower seasonal water use and higher water productivity. In general, it was concluded that the effect of Z application in retaining soil N was also effective in the second year.     

辽宁省水稻田甲烷排放时空变化及影响因素

水稻田是甲烷（CH4）主要排放源，本研究应用涡动相关观测验证DNDC模型准确性，进而模拟辽宁省2016—2020年CH4排放。结果表明DNDC模拟CH4排放量与涡动相关观测结果有较好一致性（P<0.001）；辽宁省2016—2020年水稻田CH4年平均排放量7.1万t，主要分布在沈阳市和盘锦市。CH4排放速率（F_(〖CH〗_4 )）随着温度、土壤有机碳和土壤容重增加而增加，而降水对F_(〖CH〗_4 )的影响存在阈值。当6—7月降水累积量为157?317mm时，F_(〖CH〗_4 )随降水增加而增加；当小于157mm或大于317mm时，F_(〖CH〗_4 )随着降水减小而增加。在阈值之内降水通过影响土壤环境直接影响F_(〖CH〗_4 )，但当降水过多或过少时，其通过温度间接影响F_(〖CH〗_4 )。最大限度延长晒田时间是减少CH4排放的有效措施。本研究为辽宁省水稻田甲烷排放评估、预测和制定减排调控措施提供理论支持。     

Soil management: The key factors for higher productivity in the fields utilizing the system of rice intensification (SRI) in the central highland of Madagascar

The system of rice intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar in the 1980s has been promoted as an integrated crop and resource management approach to rice-cultivation, especially for resource-limited smallholder farms. While advocates have claimed that SRI could boost rice yields with less external input, many criticisms have challenged its effectiveness regarding yields and applicability to larger-scale rice farming systems. In this study, we conducted a field survey and on-farm experiments to assess rice yield performance and key management practices on a few of the early SRI-practicing smallholder farms in the central highland of Madagascar.Rice grain yields at the survey fields were 9.9 t ha⁻¹ maximum without using mineral fertilizer. Deep plowing to the depth of 25–30 cm as well as SRI practices have been conducted continuously since the early 1990s. In addition, an effective drainage system facilitated intensive water management at these high-yielding fields. On-farm experiments demonstrated some yield increases with no interaction for the examined SRI practices, though the effects were not great enough to explain the high yields at these fields. The soils of these high-yielding fields contained relatively large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) from the surface to the deep soil layers, and the soil mineralizable nitrogen was closely correlated with rice grain yields.The results indicated that the high yields at the fields of those who were early to adopt SRI were mainly due to the soil fertility associated with great nitrogen-supplying ability, rather than ‘synergetic effects’ of the SRI components. This high N-supplying ability of the soil and accumulated SOC from surface to deep soil layers were attributable to the long-term combined practices of extensive organic applications and deep plowing. Soil hydrology could be another key factor stimulating high rates of soil N-mineralization.These management practices were, however, only applied to the limited numbers of fields within less than 1.0 ha of total landholdings of these farmers due to the great demand in labor and organic resources and the difficulty in controlling irrigation water. Intensive weeding and widely spaced transplanting of young seedlings were also performed in the fields with irrigation and drainage systems sufficient to avoid yield losses from flooding and drought. Although extensive and long-term systematic research is further required to fully assess the benefits of this sort of intensive management as opposed to conventional methods, the preferential allocation of intensive management by the successful SRI-adopters might be the implication of its location-specificity and difficulty in scaling up even within the resource-limited smallholder farms.     

Extending results from agricultural fields with intensively monitored data to surrounding areas for water quality management

A 45% reduction in riverine total nitrogen flux from the 1980-1996 time period is needed to meet water quality goals in the Mississippi Basin and Gulf of Mexico. This paper addresses the goal of reducing nitrogen in the Mississippi River through three objectives. First, the paper outlines an approach to the site-specific quantification of management effects on nitrogen loading from tile drained agriculture using a simulation model and expert review. Second, information about the net returns to farmers is integrated with the nitrogen loading information to assess the incentives to adopt alternative management systems. Third, the results are presented in a decision support framework that compares the rankings of management systems based on observed and simulated values for net returns and nitrogen loading. The specific question addressed is how information about the physical and biological processes at Iowa State University’s Northeast Research Farm near Nashua, Iowa, could be applied over a large area to help farmers select management systems to reduce nitrogen loading in tile drained areas. Previous research has documented the parameterization and calibration of the RZWQM model at Nashua to simulate 35 management system effects on corn and soybean yields and N loading in tileflow from 1990 to 2003. As most management systems were studied for a 6 year period and in some cases weather had substantial impacts, a set of 30 alternative management systems were also simulated using a common 1974-2003 input climate dataset. To integrate an understanding of the economics of N management, we calculated net returns for all management systems using the DevTreks social budgeting tool. We ranked the 35 observed systems in the Facilitator decision support tool using N loading and net returns and found that rankings from simulated results were very similar to those from the observed results from both an onsite and offsite perspective. We analyzed the effects of tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, and N application method, timing, and amount for the 30 long term simulations on net returns and N loading. The primary contribution of this paper is an approach to creating a quality assured database of management effects on nitrogen loading and net returns for tile drained agriculture in the Mississippi Basin. Such a database would systematically extend data from intensively monitored agricultural fields to the larger area those fields represent.     

基于纹理特征与植被指数融合的水稻含水量无人机遥感监测

含水量是表征水稻生理和健康状况的关键参数，精确预测水稻含水量对于水稻育种和大田精准管理具有重要意义。目前，利用无人机搭载光谱图像传感器监测作物生长的研究主要集中在利用植被指数评估作物在单一或者几个生育期的生长参数，针对作物含水量监测的研究非常有限。本研究主要利用多旋翼无人机低空遥感平台获取不同生育期水稻冠层的RGB图像和多光谱图像，通过提取植被指数和纹理特征，分析水稻的动态生长变化，并构建了基于随机森林回归方法的含水量预测模型。试验结果表明：（1）从无人机图像提取的植被指数、纹理特征以及地面测量的含水量都能用于监测水稻生长，并且这些参数随水稻生长呈现出了相似的动态变化趋势；（2）与RGB图像相比，多光谱图像评估水稻含水量具有更高的潜力，其中归一化光谱指数NDSI_771,611实现了更好的预测精度（R²=0.68，RMSEP=0.039，rRMSE =5.24%）；（3）融合植被指数和纹理特征能够进一步改善含水量的预测结果（R²=0.86，RMSEP=0.026，rRMSE=3.51%），预测误差RMSEP分别减小了16.13%和18.75%。上述结果表明，基于无人机遥感技术监测水稻含水量是可行的，可为农田精准灌溉和田间管理决策提供新思路。     

Distributed agro-hydrological modeling with SWAP to improve water and salt management of the Voshmgir Irrigation and Drainage Network in Northern Iran

The agro-hydrological model SWAP was used in a distributed manner to quantify irrigation water management effects on the water and salt balances of the Voshmgir Network of North Iran during the agricultural year 2006-2007. Field experiments, satellite images and geographical data were processed into input data for 10 uniform simulation areas. As simulated mean annual drainage water (312 mm) of the entire area was only 14% smaller than measured (356 mm), its distribution over the drainage units was well reproduced, and simulated and measured groundwater levels agreed well. Currently, water management leads to excessive irrigation (621-1436 mm year⁻¹), and leaching as well as high salinity of shallow groundwater are responsible for large amounts of drainage water (25-59%) and salts (44-752 mg cm⁻²). Focused water management can decrease mean drainage water (22-48%) and salts (30-49%), compared with current water management without adverse effects on relative transpiration and root zone salinity.     

Effect of irrigation amounts applied with subsurface drip irrigation on corn evapotranspiration, yield, water use efficiency, and dry matter production in a semiarid climate

Quantifying the local crop response to irrigation is important for establishing adequate irrigation management strategies. This study evaluated the effect of irrigation applied with subsurface drip irrigation on field corn (Zea mays L.) evapotranspiration (ETc), yield, water use efficiencies (WUE = yield/ETc, and IWUE = yield/irrigation), and dry matter production in the semiarid climate of west central Nebraska. Eight treatments were imposed with irrigation amounts ranging from 53 to 356 mm in 2005 and from 22 to 226 mm in 2006. A soil water balance approach (based on FAO-56) was used to estimate daily soil water and ETc. Treatments resulted in seasonal ETc of 580–663 mm and 466–656 mm in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Yields among treatments differed by as much as 22% in 2005 and 52% in 2006. In both seasons, irrigation significantly affected yields, which increased with irrigation up to a point where irrigation became excessive. Distinct relationships were obtained each season. Yields increased linearly with seasonal ETc (R² = 0.89) and ETc/ETp (R² = 0.87) (ETp = ETc with no water stress). The yield response factor (ky), which indicates the relative reduction in yield to relative reduction in ETc, averaged 1.58 over the two seasons. WUE increased non-linearly with seasonal ETc and with yield. WUE was more sensitive to irrigation during the drier 2006 season, compared with 2005. Both seasons, IWUE decreased sharply with irrigation. Irrigation significantly affected dry matter production and partitioning into the different plant components (grain, cob, and stover). On average, the grain accounted for the majority of the above-ground plant dry mass (≈59%), followed by the stover (≈33%) and the cob (≈8%). The dry mass of the plant and that of each plant component tended to increase with seasonal ETc. The good relationships obtained in the study between crop performance indicators and seasonal ETc demonstrate that accurate estimates of ETc on a daily and seasonal basis can be valuable for making tactical in-season irrigation management decisions and for strategic irrigation planning and management.