Evaluation of surface water drainage systems for cropping in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia

In Ethiopia vertisols cover about 10% of the total land area and is the fourth most important soil used for crop production, accounting for nearly 23% of the total arable land used for crop production. More than half of the vertisols are found in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia, with an altitude of more than 1500 m above mean sea level. The unique physical and chemical properties of these soils and the high rainfall during the main cropping season create severe surface waterlogging problems which hinder crop production activities. Severe surface waterlogging affects the growth of plants by impeding nutrient uptake and creating oxygen deficiency around the root zone. To address this crop production problem, three surface water drainage methods, namely broad bed and furrow (BBF), ditch, and flat (traditional) methods were evaluated using the water balance of the plant root zone and wheat as a test crop. The experiment was conducted at the Ginchi Research Station in the central highlands of Ethiopia over two consecutive seasons (2000 and 2001). The results showed that both the BBF and the ditch drainage methods gave about 33% and 22% more grain yield than the flat treatment, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between BBF and ditch for both grain and biomass yield during both experimental seasons. During both seasons the total water balance (ΔW_r) at the root zone especially, in the months of June, July and August on all the treatments was higher than the crop water requirement (ETc) and showed no significant difference between the treatments. Thus, the results of this study indicated that the soil water in the root zone was not significantly altered by surface drainage systems and therefore implies the need of further improvement of the different surface drainage methods regarding improving the waterlogging condition and hence the productivity of the vertisols in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia.     

稻田垄作免耕对土壤团聚体和有机质的影响

该文以1990年建立的耕作制定位试验田紫色水稻土为研究对象,分析了冬水田（FPF）、水旱轮作（CR）和垄作免耕（RNT）3种耕作方式对土壤团聚体组成和有机质的影响。结果表明,垄作免耕减少了对土壤大团聚体的破坏,在0～10 cm土层,垄作免耕大团聚体含量分别是冬水田和水旱轮作的1.48和1.32倍,微团聚体含量则显著降低;在 ＞10～20 cm土层有相同的趋势。3种耕作条件下,有机碳和氮在团聚体中的分布模式类似,均有向大团聚体富集的趋势,但垄作免耕条件下土壤有机碳和氮质量分数显著高于冬水田和水旱轮作。对土壤颗粒有机质（POM）的分析结果表明,垄作免耕0～10 cm土层轻质组分（LF）的质量分数（1.92 g/kg）与水旱轮作（1.70 g/kg）差异不显著,但显著高于冬水田（1.42 g/kg）。冬水田、水旱轮作和垄作免耕的0～10 cm土层,团聚体内总颗粒有机质（total iPOM）质量分数分别为0.96,1.12,2.14 g/kg;垄作免耕土壤团聚体内细颗粒有机质（fine iPOM）分别为冬水田和水旱轮作土壤的3.02和2.46倍,占总POM差异的57%和66%。垄作免耕土壤团聚体内粗颗粒有机质（coarse iPOM）分别为冬水田和水旱轮作土壤的1.56和1.40倍,占总POM差异的18%和19%。在＞10～20 cm土层有相似的趋势,但在＞10～20 cm层土壤粗iPOM的差异对总POM差异的贡献较0～10 cm层大。垄作免耕减少了对大团聚体的破坏并促进微团聚体向大团聚体团聚;降低了团聚体的周转速率,促进了细iPOM的固定,利于紫色水稻土对碳的固定和积累。     

Effect of irrigation and nitrogen application methods on input use efficiency of wheat under limited water supply in a Vertisol of Central India

Field experiments were conducted in a deep Vertisol at the Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal during the years 2001–2005 to assess the effect of five different irrigation strategies through combinations of sprinkler and flood irrigation and two N application methods on yield and water use efficiency of wheat (cv WH 147). The amount of irrigation applied each year differed according to the availability of water in the water harvesting pond to simulate the actual water crisis faced by the farmers in this region during these years due to monsoon failure. Results indicated that when wheat was grown only with 8-cm irrigation at sowing or 14 cm up to the crown root initiation stage, dry sowing of wheat immediately followed by sprinkler and subsequent irrigation through flooding produced the highest yield and water and nitrogen use efficiencies. However, when 20-cm irrigation was supplied up to the flowering stage or 14-cm irrigation was supplied up to tillering stage through sprinkler in 4 and 3 splits, respectively, at critical growth stages, maximized the grain yield and water and nitrogen use efficiencies. Across the years, the crop yield and water and nitrogen use efficiencies increased with increase in water supply.     

Adapting PILOTE model for water and yield management under direct seeding system: The case of corn and durum wheat in a Mediterranean context

Crop models are useful tools for integrating knowledge of biophysical processes governing the plant-soil-atmosphere system. But few of them are easily usable for water and yield management especially under specific cropping systems such as direct seeding. Direct seeding into mulch (DSM) is an alternative for conventional tillage (CT). DSM modifies soil properties and creates a different microclimate from CT. So that, we should consequently consider these new conditions to develop or to adapt models. The aim of this study was to calibrate and validate the PILOTE [Mailhol, J.C., Olufayo, A.A., Ruelle, P., 1997. Sorghum and sunflower evapotranspiration and yield from simulated leaf area index. Agric. Water Manag. 35, 167-182; Mailhol, J.C., Zaïri A., Slatni A., Ben Nouma, B., El Amami, H., 2004. Analysis of irrigation systems and irrigation strategies for durum wheat in Tunisia. Agric. Water Manag. 70, 19-37], an operative crop model based on the leaf area index (LAI) simulation, for corn and durum wheat in both DSM and CT systems in Mediterranean climate. In DSM case, simple model modifications were proposed. This modified PILOTE version accounts for mulch and its impact on soil evaporation. In addition root progression was modified to account for lower soil temperatures in DSM for winter crops. PILOTE was calibrated and validated against field data collected from a 7-year trial at the experimental station of Lavalette (SE of France). Results indicated that PILOTE satisfactorily simulates LAI, soil water reserve (SWR), grain yield, and dry matter yield in both systems. The minimum coefficient of efficiency for SWR was 0.90. This new version of PILOTE can thus be used to manage water and yield under CT and DSM systems in Mediterranean climate.     

Yield and seasonal water productivity of sunflower as affected by tillage and cropping systems under dryland conditions in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Sustainable food production in semi-arid tropical countries can be achieved through efficient utilization of rainwater. A field experiment to assess the grain yield, seasonal water use (WU), water use efficiency (WUE) and precipitation use efficiency (PUE) of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) intercropped with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) on two tillage systems was conducted during the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 cropping seasons at the University of Venda (22°58′ S, 30°26′ E at 596 m above sea level). The experiment was configured as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design with three replications. The tillage treatments were conventional tillage (CT) (control) and in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) system. The IRWH is a special crop production technique that promotes runoff on 2.0-m wide no-till strip between crop rows and collects the runoff water in basins where it infiltrates into the soil profile. The treatments in the cropping system (CS) consisted of a sole crop (sunflower or cowpea) and an intercrop (sunflower × cowpea). Results of the experiment revealed that IRWH led to a significant (P < 0.05) increase in sunflower grain yield in the second season but cowpea grain yield was not influenced by tillage systems. IRWH resulted in significantly higher WU, WUE and PUE of both crops compared to CT system in the second season. The CS had significant effects on sunflower grain yield in both seasons but none on the cowpea grain yield. WU was significantly higher in intercrops than in sole cowpea and sole sunflower in the first and second season, respectively. WUE and PUE were significantly greater in sole sunflower than in the intercrops but less in the sole cowpea than in the intercrops.     

干旱区垄膜沟灌条件下土壤水盐空间分布特征研究

研究了垄膜沟灌条件下,不同灌溉定额下土壤水盐空间分布特征。结果表明,土壤含水率的时空分布受灌水次数和灌水定额的影响。灌溉期,在垂直方向上沟底土壤含水率较垄顶明显增加。在非灌溉期,由于强烈的蒸发蒸腾作用,垄顶土壤含水率持续降低,含水率阶段性变化明显。土壤盐分空间分布随土壤含水率的变化而变化,在灌溉期,沟底土壤脱盐深度随灌溉定额的增加呈增加的趋势。在非灌溉期,垄顶在作物生育期均发生积盐现象,且垄顶表层土壤盐分累积量高于沟底表层土壤。     

Integration of legume trees in maize-based cropping systems improves rain use efficiency and yield stability under rain-fed agriculture

Water availability is a major constraint to crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where agriculture is predominantly rain-fed. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the nitrogen-fixing legume tree Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) and inorganic fertilizer on rain use efficiency (RUE), a robust measure of productivity and land degradation, in three long-term (11-12 years) experiments conducted in Zambia and Nigeria. On the two Zambian sites, sole maize (Zea mays) grown continuously (for 11-12 years) with the recommended fertilizer achieved the highest RUE (3.9-4.6 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) followed by maize intercropped with Leucaena (2.5-3.4 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹). This translated to 192-383% increase in RUE over the control (maize grown without nutrient inputs), which is the de facto resource-poor farmers’ practice. RUE was more stable in fully fertilized sole maize on the first Zambian site and not statistically different from the maize-Leucaena associations on the second site. On the Nigerian site, RUE was higher in maize planted between Leucaena hedgerows supplemented with 50% of the recommended fertilizer (3.9 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹), maize grown between Leucaena hedgerows without fertilizer (3.0 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) and sole maize receiving the recommended fertilizer (2.8 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹), which translated to increases in RUE of 202%, 139% and 85%, respectively, over the control. RUE was more stable in the maize grown between Leucaena hedgerows than in the fully fertilized maize. On all sites RUE was least stable in the control. Yield stability in the maize-Leucaena association was not significantly different from the fully fertilized maize on the Zambian sites. On the Nigerian site, maize yields were more stable in maize grown in Leucaena hedgerows than in fully fertilized sole maize. Supplementation of maize grown in Leucaena hedgerows with 50% of the recommended fertilizers resulted in greater yield stability. It is concluded that intercropping cereals with legume trees and supplementation with inorganic fertilizer can increase rain use efficiency and yield stability in rain-fed agriculture in SSA.     

Controlled water table management as a strategy for reducing salt loads from subsurface drainage under perennial agriculture in semi-arid Australia

Recent community based actions to ensure the sustainability of irrigation and protection of associated ecosystems in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) of Australia has seen the implementation of a regional Land and Water Management Plan. This aims to improve land and water management within the irrigation area and minimise downstream impacts associated with irrigation. One of the plan objectives is to decrease current salt loads generated from subsurface drainage in perennial horticulture within the area from 20 000 tonnes/year to 17 000 tonnes/year. In order to meet such objectives Controlled Water table Management (CWM) is being investigated as a possible ‘Best Management Practice’, to reduce drainage volumes and salt loads.During 2000–2002 a trial was conducted on a 15 ha subsurface drained vineyard. This compared a traditional unmanaged subsurface drainage system with a controlled drainage system utilizing weirs to maintain water tables and changes in irrigation scheduling to maximize the potential crop use of a shallow water table. Drainage volumes, salt loads and water table elevations throughout the field were monitored to investigate the effects of controlled drainage on drain flows and salt loads.Results from the experiment showed that controlled drainage significantly reduced drainage volumes and salt loads compared to unmanaged systems. However, there were marked increases in soil salinity which will need to be carefully monitored and managed.     

Soil water dynamics under various agricultural land covers on a subsurface drained field in north-central Iowa, USA

Modification of land cover systems is being studied in subsurface drained Iowa croplands due to their potential benefits in increasing soil water and nitrogen depletion thus reducing drainage and NO₃-N loss in the spring period. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of modified land covers on soil water dynamics. In each individual year, modified land covers including winter rye-corn (rC), winter rye-soybean (rS), kura clover as a living mulch for corn (kC), and perennial forage (PF), as well as conventional corn (C) and soybean (S), were grown in subsurface drained plots in north-central Iowa. Results showed that subsurface drainage was not reduced under modified land covers in comparison to conventional corn and soybean. Soil water storage (SWS) was significantly reduced by PF treatments during the whole growing seasons and by kC during May through July when compared to the cropping system with corn or soybean only (p < 0.05). Treatments of rC and rS typically maintained higher SWS than C and S, respectively, during the 3 years of this study. In the spring during a 10-15-day period when the rainfall was minimal, SWS in plots with rye, kura clover, and forage decreased at a significantly higher rate than the C and S plots which were bare. Estimated evapotranspiration (ET) during this period was significantly higher in rS, kC, and PF treatments than C and S. The results of this study suggested that significantly higher ET and similar drainage for modified land covers may increase water infiltration, which would be expected to reduce surface runoff thus to decrease stream flow. Because subsurface drainage reduction was not seen in this study, impact of modified land covers on NO₃-N loss needs further investigation.     

Soil water in relation to irrigation, water uptake and potato yield in a humid climate

Efficiently controlling soil water content with irrigation is essential for water conservation and often improves potato yield. Volumetric soil water content (θ_v) in relation to irrigation, plant uptake, and yield in potato hills and replicated plots was studied to evaluate four water management options. Measurements of θ_v using a hammer driven probe were used to derive a θ_v index representing the relative θ_v status of replicated plots positioned along a hill slope. Time series for θ_v were determined using time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes at 5 and 15 cm depths at the center, shoulder, and furrow locations in potato hills. Sap flow was determined using flow collars in replicated field plots for four treatments: un-irrigated, sprinkler, surface drip, and sub-surface drip irrigation (40 cm depth). Irrigated yields were high/low as the θ_v index was low/high suggesting θ_v excess was a production problem in the wetter portions of the study area. The diurnal pattern of sap flow was reflected in the θ_v fluctuation it induces at hill locations with appreciable uptake. Hill locations with higher plant uptake were drier as was the case for the 5 cm (dry) depth relative to the 15 cm (wet) depth and for locations in the hill (dry) relative to the furrow (wet). The surface drip system had the lowest water use requirement because it delivers water directly to the hill locations where uptake is greatest. The sub-surface drip system wetted the hill gradually (1-2 days). Measurement of the θ_v index prior to experimental establishment could improve future experimental design for treatment comparisons.     

TechnoGIN,a tool for exploring and evaluating resource use efficiency of cropping systems in East and Southeast Asia

Agricultural research in East and Southeast Asia is increasingly challenged by the search for land-use options that best match multiple development objectives of rural societies (e.g., increased income, food security, and reduced environmental pollution). In order to support the identification of sustainable land-use options and to support decision making with respect to land use, a tool was developed for quantifying inputs and outputs of cropping systems at the field level. TechnoGIN, the tool described in this paper, integrates systems analytical and expert knowledge and different types of agronomic data enabling the assessment of inputs and outputs of a broad range of cropping systems and the evaluation of their resource use efficiencies. By using methods of spatial aggregation in combination with linear programming, results can also be used to explore trade-offs in resource-use efficiencies at higher levels such as the farm household, municipality and province. New features in TechnoGIN compared with similar tools include the annual rotation of up to three crops, the distinction between aerobic and anaerobic growing conditions of crops, and the procedure for estimating crop nutrient uptake. TechnoGIN is illustrated with results from the Tam Duong district in North Vietnam. The design of TechnoGIN enables easy access to its data, parameters and assumptions, and rapid generation and evaluation of input–output relationships of cropping systems in order to add new information and to improve data. TechnoGIN raises awareness about the assumptions incorporated and thus supports data collection and setting of the research agenda with respect to agro-ecological processes for which knowledge is incomplete, and is relevant for showing trade-offs between production, economic and environmental impacts of different land-use systems.     

温室番茄循环曝气地下滴灌土壤水分动态及耗水特性

为探求循环曝气地下滴灌对温室番茄土壤水分及耗水特性的影响规律,采用正交试验,研究了不同滴灌带埋深、曝气水平及灌水量对温室番茄土壤含水率、耗水量、产量及水分利用效率的影响.整个生育期内番茄耗水量呈先增大后减小的趋势,曝气处理番茄耗水量显著高于不曝气处理.相比于不曝气处理,曝气滴灌处理番茄产量提高10%.15 cm滴灌带埋深、溶氧值30 mg/L以及K_P为0.75灌水量处理的番茄产量和水分利用效率达到最大值,分别为64 951.3 kg/hm²和23.26 kg/(hm²·mm).结果表明,曝气处理对番茄产量、水分利用效率的影响具有统计学意义(P<0.05).曝气对于土壤含水率有一定影响,且曝气处理有助于番茄对水分的吸收.滴灌带埋深和灌水量交互作用对番茄产量的影响具有统计学意义(P<0.05),滴灌带埋深和曝气量交互作用对番茄产量的影响具有统计学意义(P<0.01),灌水量与滴灌带埋深、灌水量与曝气水平交互作用分别对番茄水分利用效率的影响具有统计学意义(P<0.01).     

Soil water dynamics and deep soil recharge in a record wet year in the southern Loess Plateau of China

Terrestrial water cycles are influenced by hydrologic and textural properties of the deep loess layer in the Loess Plateau. Analyses of soil water profile distributions are needed to understand the regional water cycle processes and to guide agricultural production and sustainability. The objective of this study was to quantify the extent of deep soil water recharge and soil water profile dynamics during 1987-2003, especially in a record wet year of 2003, in common cropping systems in a semiarid-subhumid region of the southern Loess Plateau. The Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN) site and a long-term rotation experiment site in a flat tableland were selected for this study. Soil moisture profiles were measured by a neutron probe to a depth of 6 m in 2003. The precipitation of 954 mm at the Changwu County Meteorological Station in 2003 was 63.4% higher than the long-term average (584 mm), and was a record high since 1957. Although cropping systems affected deep soil water recharge, the persistent dry soil layer formed between 2- and 3-m depths in croplands, resulting from many years of intensive cropping, was fully replenished in all cropping systems in 2003. Further frequency analysis indicated that the desiccated layer between 2- and 3-m depths would be fully recharged at least once in about 10 years for all existing cropping systems excluding continuous alfalfa. This finding should alleviate concerns about the formation of a permanent deep-soil desiccation layer as well as its potential impact on the long-term sustainability of the existing intensive cropping systems in the region.     

Comparison of soil water content and corn yield in furrow and conventional ridge sown systems in a semiarid region of China

Water deficits and unusually warm soil temperatures can adversely affect conventional ridge sown systems. Increasingly serious water and temperature issues associated with global climate change may be problematic in the future, particularly in semiarid regions. This study explored the soil water and crop yield benefits of switching the sowing location of corn from ridges to furrows. Experiments were conducted over three years. Corn was grown in shallow furrow (SF) and deep furrow (DF) sown treatments until the V8 stage (eight visible leaf collars). New ridges were then built over the existing furrows. Grain yield was found to be higher in the SF and DF sown treatments than in a conventional ridge sown treatment (CR), especially in drought years. Switching sowing position from ridge to furrow could increase corn yield, directly, by improving soil moisture early in the growing season and, indirectly, by stimulating the growth of resource-capturing organs (e.g., leaves and roots). This simple and efficient approach to crop production in semiarid climates may be practical for the management of numerous agricultural systems, particularly those that are resource-limited, with greater vulnerability to the effects of global climate change.     

Numerical simulations of water movement in a subsurface drip irrigation system under field and laboratory conditions using HYDRUS-2D

Due to the decreasing availability of water resources and the increasing competition for water between residential, industrial, and agricultural users, increasing irrigation efficiency, by methods like subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems, is a pressing concern for agricultural authorities. To properly manage SDI systems, and increase the efficiency of the water/fertilizer use while reducing water losses due to evaporation, the precise distribution of water around the emitters must be known. In this paper, the Windows-based computer software package HYDRUS-2D, which numerically simulates water, heat, and/or solute movement in two-dimensional, variably-saturated porous media, was used to evaluate the distribution of water around the emitter in a clay loam soil. The simulation results were compared with two sets of laboratory and field experiments involving SDI with emitters installed at different depths, and were evaluated using the root-mean-square-error (RMSE). The RMSE at different locations varied between 0.011 and 0.045 for volumetric water contents, and between 0.98 and 4.36 cm for wetting dimensions. Based on these values, it can be concluded that the correspondence between simulations and observations was very good.     

Comparison of dynamic and static APRI-models to simulate soil water dynamics in a vineyard over the growing season under alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation

In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) dynamic model of root water uptake was proposed based on soil water dynamic and root dynamic distribution of grapevine, and a function of soil evaporation related to soil water content was defined under alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation (APDI). Then the soil water dynamic model of APDI (dynamic APRI-model) was developed on the basis of the 2D dynamic model of root water uptake and soil evaporation function over the growing season. Soil water dynamic in APDI was respectively simulated by dynamic and static APRI-models. The simulated soil water contents by two models were compared with the measured value. Results showed that values of root-mean-square-error (RMSE) for dynamic APRI-model were less than that of the static APRI-model either in the east side or the west side of grapevine. The average relative error between the simulated and measured value was less than 5% for dynamic APRI-model, indicating that the dynamic APRI-model is better than the static APRI-model in simulating the soil moisture dynamic throughout the growing season under the APDI.