Future directions for advanced evapotranspiration modeling: Assimilation of remote sensing data into crop simulation models and SVAT models

Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer Models (SVAT) and Crop Simulation Models describe physical and physiological processes occurring in crop canopies. Remote sensing data may be used through assimilation procedures for constraining or driving SVAT and crop models. These models provide continuous simulation of processes such as evapotranspiration and, thus, direct means for interpolating evapotranspiration between remote sensing data acquisitions (which is not the case for classical evapotranspiration mapping methods). They also give access to variables other than evapotranspiration, such as soil moisture and crop production. We developed the coupling between crop, SVAT and radiative transfer models in order to implement assimilation procedures in various wavelength domains (solar, thermal and microwave). Such coupling makes it possible to transfer information from one model to another and then to use remote sensing information for retrieving model parameters which are not directly related to remote sensing data (such as soil initial water content, plant growth parameters, physical properties of soil and so on). Simple assimilation tests are presented to illustrate the main techniques that may be used for monitoring crop processes and evapotranspiration. An application to a small agricultural area is also performed showing the potential of such techniques for retrieving evapotranspiration and information on irrigation practices over wheat fields.     

Stability of crop coefficients under different climate and irrigation management practices

Summary The effects to climate and management practices on crop water requirement coefficients were studied for a soybean crop growing on a sandy soil using a mechanistic model that computes evaporation and transpiration in response to soil, crop, and climatic factors. It was found that seasonal errors could the as high as 190 mm when crop coefficients developed under one set of conditions were used under different climate and management conditions. The largest error in ET occurred when vapor pressure was reduced from 26 mb to 14 mb; next in importance were site differences in wind speed, radiation, irrigation interval, temperature and planting date. Correction factors needed to adjust crop coefficients to those site specific conditions ranged from 0.73 to 1.30 depending on the time of season and climate or management variable that was changed. When the overall crop coefficient was divided into a plant specific and a soil specific coefficients, the plant coefficient was relatively stable compared to soil coefficients. The results of this study can help establish a practical range of conditions over which crop coefficients developed at one site can be used to compute the appropriate values for sites where measurements have not been made.Approved for publication as Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 9514. This research was partially supported by the US AID project, International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer, No. DAN-4054-c-00-2071-00     

Using a crop growth simulation model for evaluating irrigation practices

Water management decisions are dependent on crop variety, soil and climatic conditions. A properly structured plant growth simulation model which takes these factors into account can be successfully used to quantify the effects of irrigation practices on crop yields. The use of such a simulation model will be considerably less expensive and time consuming than conducting field experiments.This paper reports the results of using such a model for making important water management decisions, such as determining: (a) optimum soil moisture depletion and replenishment levels; and (b) timing and amount of irrigation during different crop growth stages.     

Increasing crop yield in water scarce environments using locally available materials: An experience from semi-arid areas in Mpwapwa District, central Tanzania

This paper presents experience on working with farmers in water scarce environments in improving crop yield through the application of locally available materials in semi-arid areas of Mpwapwa District, central Tanzania. Findings are presented from the interdisciplinary study that involved documenting farmers perceptions and on-farm field experimentation. In the farmers’ perceptions study, three different traditional tillage practices applied by smallholder farmers in the area were identified. These are traditional no-till (TNT), shallow tillage (ST) and ridging tillage (RT). The impacts of various tillage practices on soil fertility improvement, reduced weed infestation, soil moisture retention and crop yield were the main factors considered by farmers when selecting a particular tillage practice to apply. In two cropping seasons (i.e. 2006/7 and 2007/8) on-farm field experimentations were carried to test the effects of the three traditional tillage practices, manure and mulching practices on soil moisture retention and crop yield. Results from this experiment showed traditional no-till fields to have the lowest soil moisture retention capacity and the lowest infiltration flow rate as well as lowest crop yield compared to other studied practices. It was observed that improving the current tillage practices by the application of manure to both ST and RT, and mulching to ST at rates affordable to smallholder farmers as identified during perception study (i.e. 5 tons/ha for manure and 3 tons/ha for mulching materials) results in increased crop yield. When the grain yield is compared between traditional no-till and shallow tillage with manure and mulching practices, the yield increase is between 50 and 100%. It was concluded that crop yield in water scarce environments such as the semi-arid areas of Mpwapwa District can be increased by applying locally available materials such as cow manure and mulching at rates affordable to smallholder farmers.     

A pasture production model for use in a whole farm simulator

Modular simulation models of crop and animal enterprises can be used in concert to simulate a particular whole farm operation and thus provide management information for individual farmers and farm advisers. This paper reports the development of a pasture module for such a whole farm simulator designed to study irrigation management in New Zealand. The model (CANPAS) describes the production of perennial ryegrass/white clover pastures under either dryland or irrigated conditions. Seasonal growth studies and the principles of ecological physiology form the theoretical base of CANPAS. Whenever possible, parts of other models were also used. With time steps of one day, CANPAS predicts the net above-ground yield of live and dead herbage, herbage digestibility, leaf area index and soil water supply. Harvested yields are also predicted for simulated grazing or cutting managements, assuming part of the above-ground yield of live and dead herbage is left as stubble. Field measurements of harvested pasture yields from the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand were used to validate the model. Validation procedure included the use of a simple set of statistical tests. The final version (CANPAS III) gave an overall r² of 0·83, but poorer performance was found under some test managements. Discussion covers the general aspects of this kind of modelling as well as the specific details of the pasture module.     

内侧充种垂直圆盘排种器精播分蘖作物的探讨

介绍了复式型孔的结构、基本原理和控制排种量的方式。通过定性试验和性能试验,论证了复式型孔能够用于分蘖作物（小麦）的精量播种。还在排种量稳定性和播量的精确、可控、定量方面,将内侧充种垂直圆盘排种器与外槽轮式排种器作了比较。     

作物根区局部控水无压灌溉的土壤水动力学机理

土壤吸力是土壤中水分运动的驱动力。依据土壤水动力学原理提出的根区局部控水无压地下灌溉技术是利用土壤毛管吸力或基质吸力作用,使水分通过输水毛管上的出水孔口进入作物根系层,以满足作物需水,灌溉时不需外加压力。试验表明这种灌水方法是可行的,无压灌溉系统不需任何动力设备为其提供压力,节约了能源。     

Influence of likelihood function choice for estimating crop model parameters using the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation method

Proper estimation of model parameters is required for ensuring accurate model predictions and good model-based decisions. The generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method is a Bayesian Monte Carlo parameter estimation technique that makes use of a likelihood function to measure the closeness-of-fit of modeled and observed data. Various likelihood functions and methods of combining likelihood values have been used in previous studies. This research was conducted to determine the effects of using previously reported likelihood functions in a GLUE procedure for estimating parameters in a widely-used crop simulation model. A factorial computer experiment was conducted with synthetic measurement data to compare four likelihood functions and three methods of combining likelihood values using the CERES-Maize model of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT). The procedure used an arbitrarily-selected parameter set as the known “true parameter set” and the CERES-Maize model to generate true output values. Then synthetic observations of crop variables were randomly generated (four replicates) by using the simulated true output values (dry yield, anthesis date, maturity date, leaf nitrogen concentration, soil nitrate concentration, and soil moisture) and adding a random observation error based on the variances of corresponding field measurements. The environmental conditions were obtained from a sweet corn (Zea mays L.) experiment conducted in 2005 in northern Florida. Results showed that the method of combining likelihood values had a strong influence on parameter estimates. The combination method based on the product of the likelihoods associated with each set of observations reduced the uncertainties in posterior distributions of parameter estimates most significantly. It was also found that the likelihood function based on Gaussian probability density function was the best among those tested. This combination accurately estimated the true parameter values, suggesting that it can be used when estimating CERES-Maize model parameters for real experiments.     

Postharvest residual soil nutrients and yield of spring wheat under water deficit in arid northwest China

In areas where two crops are grown per year or three crops every 2 years, the status of residual soil nutrients after the harvest of the first crop is critical to the crop to be grown immediately after, while the postharvest soil nutrient status can be influenced by irrigation applied to the test crop. This study determined the effect of various soil water treatments applied to the test crop on the status of postharvest residual soil nutrient pools in an arid environment. Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was grown as test crop under conditions of full- (as control), high-, moderate-, and low-water conditions during jointing, booting-heading, and grain filling stages, in 2003 and 2004. Compared to the control, grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) were significantly increased by subjecting the wheat crop to moderate-water conditions during various growth stages, and low-water conditions at jointing stage in both years. Soil C at harvest decreased linearly with increased grain yield of the test crop. Moderate- to high-water conditions during jointing stage resulted in 12-24% greater soil C in the top 40 cm depth in 2003, with a marginal difference in 2004. Water treatments impacted the status of residual soil nutrients in 2003; soil total N and available soil P in the top 40 cm depth were significantly higher in low- to moderate-water treatments compared to the control, while in 2004 significantly higher total N and P, available N, P and K were found only in the top 20 cm depth. Increased yield of wheat test crop with moderate-water resulted in increased postharvest residual soil nutrients, whereas the ratios of C/N, C/P, and C/K were largely influenced by years and were less related to water treatments. We conclude that the determination of postharvest soil C and nutrient elements may provide useful information in monitoring potential changes of soil nutrient status over time in the intensified cropping systems, and that the recommendation of fertilization for the crop to be grown immediately following the first crop can be established by simply analyzing the productivity of the first crop without intensive measurements of soil nutrients.     

Assessing whole-field uniformity of stationary sprinkler irrigation systems

The procedure established in the literature for the evaluation of stationary sprinkler irrigation systems is limited in space and time since it is based on a sample of precipitation taken around one sprinkler during a given period of the whole irrigation event. This procedure also ignores what happens in the soil after water infiltrates. A model of the drop trajectory and of the water distribution pattern is formulated here for simulating precipitation from single sprinklers. The operating pressure determines sprinkler flow and maximum throw. Wind and evaporation distort the distribution patterns. The water distribution of individual sprinklers is overlapped to generate precipitation over the whole field and to calculate a coefficient of uniformity. Field effective uniformity is then calculated by averaging precipitation over the extension of plant roots or water redistribution within the soil profile. Application of the model has shown the impact of system management and design, field topography and wind on irrigation uniformity. Management factors such as lateral operation time or riser inclination may account for a large part of the field precipitation variations. A rough topography may also reduce uniformity significantly. Wind speed is important when it exceeds 1.8–2 m s^–1. The allowable maximum pressure loss of 20% fixed as a design criterion seems an overly strict limit when other factors may overcome pressure loss as sources of non-uniformity. The sources of non-uniformity have different scales of variation. Large-scale sources, such as lateral operation time or pressure loss, are not dampened by the crop or soil. Sources of smaller-scale variation, such as wind or inclination of the sprinkler riser, are better compensated by the crop and soil. The application of this kind of model to the design and management of sprinkler irrigation systems is discussed. Received: 9 May 1997     

不同覆盖方式对土壤水肥热状况以及玉米产量影响

【目的】阐明不同覆盖方式对调节土壤水肥热状况以及增加玉米产量的影响。【方法】设置地膜覆盖、玉米秸秆覆盖和不覆盖3种方式,研究了不同覆盖方式对土壤含水率、土壤养分、土壤温度与玉米产量的影响。【结果】在玉米的生长前、中期,秸秆覆盖与地膜覆盖处理的保墒效果均优于不覆盖处理,其中0~60 cm土层土壤含水率差异明显;玉米进入成熟期后,秸秆覆盖处理0~60 cm土层含水率显著高于地膜覆盖和不覆盖处理,平均高8.23%和22.41%。秸秆覆盖能够促进浅层土壤养分量的提高,相较于不覆盖,秸秆覆盖的速效钾与有效磷量分别增加了15.11%、85.13%;相比地膜覆盖和不覆盖,生长前期秸秆覆盖温度更高,生长期和成熟期秸秆覆盖温度更低。地膜覆盖、秸秆覆盖的玉米产量分别比不覆盖高24.02%、24.90%,差异显著(P<0.05)。【结论】玉米秸秆覆盖能够提高土壤养分与水分,调节土壤温度,增加玉米产量。     

A rigorous approach of determining FAO56 dual crop coefficient using soil sensor measurements and inverse modeling techniques

Accurate estimation of crop coefficients for evaporation and transpiration is of great importance in optimizing irrigation and modeling water and solute transfers in the soil-crop system. In this study we used inverse modeling techniques on soil sensor measurements at depths from the soil-crop system to estimate crop coefficients. An inverse model was rigorously formulated to infer the crop coefficients and the lengths of growth stages using the measured soil water potential at depths during crop growth. By applying a micro-genetic algorithm to the formulated inverse model, the optimum values of the crop coefficient and the corresponding length of growth stage were successfully deduced. It has been found that the lengths of both the initial and development growth stages of cabbage were 5 d shorter than those from the FAO56 (Irrigation and Drainage Paper by the FAO). The deduced crop coefficient for transpiration at the initial growth stage was 0.11; slightly smaller than 0.15 recommended by the FAO56, while at the mid-season growth stage, the deduced value of 0.95 was identical with the recommended value. Results show that the predictions of soil water potential using the obtained values of crop coefficients agreed well with the measurements throughout the entire growing period, indicating that the deduced crop coefficients were credible and appropriate for cabbage grown under the specific conditions of location and climate. It follows that the strategy presented in the study can enable accurate estimates of crop coefficients to be obtained from soil sensor measurements and inverse modeling techniques.     

Evaluation of fertigation scheduling for sugarcane using a vadose zone flow and transport model

Micro-irrigation has become an optimal means for providing water and nutrients to crops. There is an ample space for improving fertilizer use efficiency with micro-irrigation, if the movement and reactions of fertilizers in the soil are well understood. However, the rhizosphere dynamics of nutrients is very complex, depending on many factors such as soil temperature, pH, water content, and soil and plant characteristics. Many factors cannot be easily accurately quantified. However, using state-of-the-art modelling techniques, useful and reliable information can be derived.An attempt was made to evaluate the reactive transport of urea in the root zone of a sugarcane crop under drip irrigation, and to quantify the fluxes of urea, ammonium, and nitrate into the crop roots, volatilization fluxes, and deep drainage using a numerical model. This quantification helped in designing an optimal fertigation schedule. Various parameters used in the model were taken from either the literature or the field study. A typical scenario, based on the recommended total quantity of urea for sugar cane crop under drip irrigation in India, was tested using HYDRUS-2D. The total amount of urea was divided into fortnightly doses, depending on the stage of crop growth. For this scenario, the modelled crop uptake was found to be 30% higher than the crop demand. Consequently, an optimal fertigation schedule was developed that reduced the use of urea by 30% while at the same time providing enough N for its assimilation at all stages of crop growth. This type of modelling study should be used before planning field experiments for designing optimal fertigation schedules.     

灌溉农区机械化保护性耕作试验分析

在浇灌农区为期一年的机械化保护性耕作与常规机械耕作对比试验结果表明，机械化保护性耕作技术相对常规耕作技术，可以提高灌溉农区农田土壤含水率和土壤有机质含量，提高农作物单位面积产量，减少农业生产工序和用工投入。     

夏玉米田秸杆覆盖效果的试验研究

利用田测法对夏玉米在生长过程中的一系列生物量指标的对比试验结果进行了客观地统计和分析,所得数据直观地表明了秸秆覆盖较不覆盖,在相同的叶面蒸腾情况下,可减少土壤蒸发,改善表层土壤结构,抑制杂草生长,消除杂草蒸腾所产生的无效消耗,加快农作物植株生长,增加了作物的蒸腾系数,将非生产性的水分消耗转化为生产性水分消耗,从而生产更多的干物质,提高了作物产量。覆盖还可降低能耗,节水省工,降低生产成本。从一系列生物量的统计数据中,可以看到,覆盖量的多少与杂草多寡、株高、叶面积、平均总粒数、平均百粒重等指标,都有一个同步发展的趋势和必然的内在联系,即早期生长过程中,各种生物量指标大小与产量高低有直接关系。     

生态温室雨水综合利用自动化控制系统研究

将温室雨水利用的理念与自动化控制技术相结合,引入土壤温湿度传感器来监测土壤情况,根据作物土壤含水量数值的变化,以组态王为平台,设计了温室雨水自动化灌溉系统,根据作物的土壤含水量值变化范围,决定是否需要灌溉。同时,利用计算机C++语言设计了作物土壤相对含水量查询系统,可准确查询作物所需的生长适宜温度范围、适宜空气湿度、不同生长期的土壤相对含水量值等,同时也为温室雨水利用自动化控制系统提供参数依据。最后。针对系统进行了灌溉试验,试验验证了其可靠性。     

Crop coefficients and water use for cowpea in the San Joaquin Valley of California

To improve irrigation planning and management, a modified soil water balance method was used to determine the crop coefficients and water use for cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in an area with a semi-arid climate. A sandy 0.8-ha field was irrigated with a subsurface drip irrigation system, and the soil moisture was closely monitored for two full seasons. The procedure used was one developed for cotton by DeTar [DeTar, W.R., 2004. Using a subsurface drip irrigation system to measure crop water use. Irrig. Sci. 23, 111-122]. Using a test and validate procedure, we first developed a double sigmoidal model to fit the data from the first season, and then we determined how well the data from the second season fit this model. One of the results of this procedure was that during the early part of the season, the crop coefficients were more closely related to days-after-planting (DAP) than to growing-degree-days (GDDs). For the full season, there was little difference in correlations for the various models using DAP and GDD. When the data from the two seasons were merged, the average value for the crop coefficient during the mid-season plateau was 0.986 for the coefficient used with pan evaporation, and it was 1.211 for the coefficient used with a modified Penman equation for ET₀ from the California Irrigation Management and Information System (CIMIS). For the Penman-Monteith (P-M) equation, the coefficient was 1.223. These coefficients are about 11% higher than for cotton in the same field with the same irrigation system. A model was developed for the merged data, and when it was combined with the normal weather data for this area, it was possible to predict normal water use on a weekly, monthly and seasonal basis. The normal seasonal water use for cowpea in this area was 669 mm. One of the main findings was that the water use by the cowpea was more closely correlated with pan evaporation than it was with the reference ET from CIMIS or P-M.     

Relationship between salinity and efficient water use

The relationship between salinity and water use efficiency is highly dependent upon which definition of water use efficiency is used. The two common definitions, yield per unit evapotranspiration and yield per unit applied water, both have significant deficiencies and can lead to erroneous conclusions. Thus, the analysis of efficient use of saline waters invokes a broader analysis than merely computing water use efficiency. An array of models is available to simulate the effects of various irrigation management strategies with saline waters. Based on results computed from these models, which consider the osmotic and matric potential effects on plant growth, strategies can be developed to effectively use saline waters in crop production. The cyclic strategy of using waters of different salinities can effectively be used in maintaining crop rotations which include both salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant crops. The major deficiency of the models is that they do not account for the effects of water quality on soil physical conditions with consequent effects on crop production. Indeed, the most limiting factor in use of saline waters on soils may be deterioration of soil physical conditions. The deterioration of soil physical conditions does not result from using the high-salinity waters per se but from subsequent rainfall or low salinity waters. Thus far the emphasis on using saline waters on crop production has centered on yields and less attention has been given to the long-term consequences on soil physical conditions. This factor requires further research and should be a focus of attention in future experiments. Relatively high saline water tables can be maintained without drainage if a non-saline source of water is available, and irrigation amounts can be controlled. This strategy might invoke the necessity for shifting irrigation systems from surface to pressurized systems. Eventually, some salt must be removed from the system. It is probably more efficient to allow it to become very concentrated and remove small volumes to be disposed of in some manner rather than apply it to productive land.     

Using the dual approach of FAO-56 for partitioning ET into soil and plant components for olive orchards in a semi-arid region

The main goal of this research was to evaluate the potential of the dual approach of FAO-56 for estimating actual crop evapotranspiration (AET) and its components (crop transpiration and soil evaporation) of an olive (Olea europaea L.) orchard in the semi-arid region of Tensift-basin (central of Morocco). Two years (2003 and 2004) of continuous measurements of AET with the eddy-covariance technique were used to test the performance of the model. The results showed that, by using the local values of basal crop coefficients, the approach simulates reasonably well AET over two growing seasons. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between measured and simulated AET values during 2003 and 2004 were respectively about 0.54 and 0.71 mm per day. The basal crop coefficient (K_cb) value obtained for the olive orchard was similar in both seasons with an average of 0.54. This value was lower than that suggested by the FAO-56 (0.62). Similarly, the single approach of FAO-56 has been tested in the previous work (Er-Raki et al., 2008) over the same study site and it has been shown that this approach also simulates correctly AET when using the local crop coefficient and under no stress conditions.Since the dual approach predicts separately soil evaporation and plant transpiration, an attempt was made to compare the simulated components of AET with measurements obtained through a combination of eddy covariance and scaled-up sap flow measurements. The results showed that the model gives an acceptable estimate of plant transpiration and soil evaporation. The associated RMSE of plant transpiration and soil evaporation were 0.59 and 0.73 mm per day, respectively.Additionally, the irrigation efficiency was investigated by comparing the irrigation scheduling design used by the farmer to those recommended by the FAO model. It was found that although the amount of irrigation applied by the farmer (800 mm) during the growing season of olives was twice that recommended one by the FAO model (411 mm), the vegetation suffered from water stress during the summer. Such behaviour can be explained by inadequate distribution of irrigation. Consequently, the FAO model can be considered as a potentially useful tool for planning irrigation schedules on an operational basis.     

冬小麦冠气温差及其相关影响因素关系研究

在冬小麦主要生育期(2002年的4月初到5月底),对3个不同水分处理测定了冠层温度、气温以及土壤含水率和叶面积指数,并进一步计算了冠气温差并分析了冠气温差与土壤含水率和叶面积指数间的关系。结果表明:不同的灌溉措施对冠气温差的影响是有差异的;中午14:00左右在H2高度处(冠层之上)的冠气温差能反映作物的水分特征,可以用此时刻的实验结果来检验遥感数据反演冠气温差的精度;在60～80cm土层的土壤体积含水率能较好地反映中午14:00冠层之上冬小麦冠气温差的变化情况,不同水分处理二者的相关系数(R2)分别为0.60361(节水灌溉),0.95668(充分灌溉),0.84597(不灌溉);不同水分处理下的冬小麦主要生育期的叶面积指数与冠气温差也有一定的相关性,冠层之上二者的相关系数分别为:0.76082(节水灌溉),0.40548(充分灌溉),0.99499(不灌溉),这为区域上遥感反演作物冠气温差来监测土壤含水率及作物估产提供了依据。