Distribution and dynamics of soil water and salt under different drip irrigation regimes in northwest China

A 2-year experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different drip irrigation regimes on distribution and dynamics of soil water and salt in north Xinjiang, China. Five treatments—F7 (0.24 dS m^?1 + Once every 7 days), B7 (4.68 dS m^?1 + Once every 7 days), S7 (7.42 dS m^?1 + Once every 7 days), F10 (0.24 dS m^?1 + Once every 10 days) and F3 (0.24 dS m^?1 + Once every 3 days)—were designed. For all treatments, additional 150-mm fresh water was applied on 10th November in 2009 (winter irrigation) to leach the accumulated salt. The results revealed that irrigation frequency and water quality had significant effects on the spatial distribution and change of soil water content, soil salt and the crop water consumption rate, but had a limited impact on the seasonal accumulative water consumption, and the cotton yield decreased with the decrease in irrigation frequency and water quality on the whole. During the cotton growing season, results showed that the salt mainly accumulated in the 0- to 60-cm soil layer, while the soil salt in 60- to 100-cm layer changed slightly, indicating that the drip irrigation could not leach the soil salt out of the root zone under the irrigation regimes. Therefore, salt leaching was necessary to maintain the soil water–salt balance and to prevent excessive salt accumulation in the root zone. After the 150-mm winter irrigation and subsequent thawing, soil salts were leached into the deeper layers (below 60 cm), and the soil salt content (SSC) (EC_1:5) in root zone in the next year was about 0.2 dS m^?1. Moreover, compared to 2009 season, the SSC within the root zone did not increase even the EC of the irrigation water was up to 7.42 dS m^?1. Additionally, it is important to note that the results were concluded based on the data of the 2-year experiment; further studies are need to optimize winter irrigation amount and assess the sustainability of saline water irrigation since long-term utilization of saline water may lead to soil degradation.     

Reliability of drip irrigation systems under different operation conditions in Poland

Present crop production in Poland depends on climatic, hydrologic, pedologic, social and economic conditions. Drip irrigation systems will play a significant role in the future by fulfilling the requirements of intensive, energy-saving agricultural production. The total area under micro-irrigation in Poland is estimated to be approximately 3000 ha. Drip irrigation is currently applied mainly in orchards, vegetable farms and greenhouses. The investigations of drip irrigation have shown a high influence of the operating conditions on the reliability and productivity effects of the irrigation system. This paper contains the results of the investigations on the reliability of drip irrigation systems under different operation conditions such as system components, crops, water quality, fertigation and irrigation technology.     

Observations of soil water and salt movement under drip and flood irrigation in an apple orchard

Part of a mature apple orchard, previously flood irrigated, was converted to drip irrigation in August 1971 and maintained until May 1975. The remainder of the orchard was irrigated as before.Annual estimates were made of moisture, total soluble salts and chloride content of soil samples and of growth, leaf chloride and yield of trees from the two irrigation treatments. Soil moisture was also monitored with a neutron moisture meter.Very high salt concentrations were observed in the various soil layers in the drip irrigation treatment. The flood irrigation treatment had lower and less variable concentrations of salts.Yields and chloride content of leaves sampled each January did not differ significantly between treatments. Tree girths were smaller under drip irrigation.The drip system, using a low pressure head, filtered water and outlets wrapped in fibreglass, operated satisfactorily for the period of the trial.     

Distribution of water and salt in soil under trickle and pot irrigation regimes

An ellipitical clay pot was buried vertically in the centre of a lysimeter as a means of supplying water to the soil. The distribution of water and salt in the soil emerging from the pot source was compared with that under trickle irrigation. Five hundred milliequivalents of calcium chloride was applied to the soil by both methods. Calcium chloride was subsequently leached by applying 50 l of tap water. The soil solution was sampled periodically using suction cups. Soil samples were also taken for measurements of water content and chloride ion concentration. Water applied at the rate of 130 ml/h by the pot moved the salt to a radial distance of 41.5 cm in 390 h, but applying water by trickle at the rate of one l/h moved the salt 42 cm in 52.5 h. For an equal amount of water applied, salt moved deeper in the profile at the lower application rate. More salt spreading was observed from the trickle source with higher application rate. After 72 h of redistribution, the wetted volumes were approximately equal for trickle and pot irrigation regimes.     

Distribution and storage characterization of soil solution for drip irrigation

The increased use of marginal quality water with drip irrigation requires sound fertigation practices that reconcile environmental concerns with viable crop production objectives. We conducted experiments to characterize dynamics and patterns of soil solution within wet bulb formed by drip irrigation. Time-domain reflectometry probes were used to monitor the distribution of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and water distribution from drippers discharging at constant flow rates of 2, 4 and 8 L h⁻¹ in soil-filled containers. Considering results from different profiles, we observed greater solute storage near the dripper decreasing gradually towards the wetting front. About half of the applied KNO₃ solution (48%) was stored in the first layer (0–0.10 m) for all experiments, 29% was stored in the next layer (0.10–0.20 m). Comparing different dripper flow rates, we observed higher solution storage for 4 L h⁻¹, with 45, 53 and 47% of applied KNO₃ solution accumulating in the first layer (0–0.10 m) for dripper flow rates of 2, 4 and 8 L h⁻¹, respectively. The results suggest that based on the volume and frequency used in this experiment, it would be advantageous to apply small amounts of solution at more frequent intervals to reduce deep percolation losses of applied water and solutes.     

Cotton yield and applied water relationships under drip irrigation

Different irrigation scheduling methods and amounts of water ranging from deficit to excessive amounts were used in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) irrigation studies from 1988 to 1999, at Lubbock, TX. Irrigation scheduling treatments based on canopy temperature (T_c) were emphasized in each year. Surface drip irrigation and recommended production practices for the area were used. The objective was to use the 12-year database to estimate the effect of irrigation and growing season temperature on cotton yield. Yields in the irrigation studies were then compared with those for the northwest Texas production region. An irrigation input of 58 cm or total water application of 74 cm was estimated to produce maximum lint yield. Sources of the total water supply for the maximum yielding treatments for each year averaged 74% from irrigation and 26% from rain. Lint yield response to irrigation up to the point of maximum yield was approximated as 11.4 kg ha⁻¹ cm⁻¹ of irrigation between the limits of 5 and 54 cm with lint yields ranging from 855 to 1630 kg ha⁻¹. The intra-year maximum lint yield treatments were not limited by water input, and their inter-year range of 300 kg ha⁻¹ was not correlated with the quantity of irrigation. The maximum lint yields were linearly related to monthly and seasonal heat units (HU) with significant regressions for July (P=0.15), August (P=0.07), and from May to September (P=0.01). The fluctuation of maximum yearly lint yields and the response to HU in the irrigation studies were similar to the average yields in the surrounding production region. The rate of lint yield increase with HU was slightly higher in the irrigation studies than in the surrounding production area and was attributed to minimal water stress. Managing irrigation based on real-time measurements of T_c produced maximum cotton yields without applying excessive irrigation.     

Potato evapotranspiration and yield under different drip irrigation regimes

A field experiment comparing different irrigation frequencies and soil matric potential thresholds on potato evapotranspiration (ET), yield (Y) and water-use efficiency (WUE) was carried out in a loam soil. The experiment included five treatments for soil matric potential: F1 (-15 kPa), F2 (-25 kPa), F3 (-35 kPa), F4 (-45 kPa) and F5 (-55 kPa) and six treatments for irrigation frequency: N1 (once every day), N2 (once every 2 days), N3 (once every 3 days), N4 (once every 4 days), N6 (once every 6 days) and N8 (once every 8 days). Results indicate that both soil matric potential and drip irrigation frequency influenced potato ET, Y and WUE. Potato ET increased as irrigation frequency and soil matric potential increased. Comparing soil water potential, the highest ET was 63.4 mm (32.1%) more than the lowest value. Based on irrigation frequency treatments, the highest ET was 36.7 mm (19.2%) more than the lowest value. Potato Y and WUE were also found to increase as irrigation frequency increased. Potato Y increased with an increase in soil water potential then started to decrease. The highest Y and WUE values were achieved with a soil matric potential threshold of -25 kPa and an irrigation frequency of once a day.Communicated by J. Ayars     

Soil water variability under subsurface drip and furrow irrigation

Non-uniformities in soil hydraulic properties and infiltration rates are considered to be major reasons for the inefficiencies of some surface irrigation systems. These non-uniformities may cause non-uniformities in soil water contents and could potentially affect plant growth. To investigate whether the non-uniformities in soil water contents can be overcome by well-managed irrigation systems, fields with clay loam soils and planted to cotton were irrigated with a continuous-flow, a surge flow, and a subsurface drip system. Measurements of water contents in each field were taken throughout the growing season at several depths. The water contents measured within the top 0–0.9 m in the three irrigations systems were evaluated in terms of their spatial and temporal variabilities. The analyses indicated that on this soil, use of the surge flow system did not lead to increased spatial uniformities of soil water contents compared with the continuous-flow system. Use of the subsurface drip system resulted in very non-uniform soil water contents above the depth of the emitters. Variability in water contents below the emitter depth was comparable to the surface irrigation systems. Received: 26 March 1996     

Modelling soil water and salt dynamics under pulsed and continuous surface drip irrigation of almond and implications of system design

The HYDRUS-2D model was experimentally verified for water and salinity distribution during the profile establishment stage (33?days) of almond under pulsed and continuous drip irrigation. The model simulated values of water content obtained at different lateral distances (0, 20, 40, 60, 100?cm) from a dripper at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140 and 160?cm soil depths at different times (5, 12, 19, 26 and 33?days of profile establishment) were compared with neutron probe measured values under both irrigation scenarios. The model closely predicted water content distribution at all distances, times and soil depths as RMSE values ranged between 0.017 and 0.049. The measured mean soil water salinity (ECsw) at 25?cm from the dripper at 30, 60, 90 and 150?cm soil depth also matched well with the predicted values. A correlation of 0.97 in pulsed and 0.98 in continuous drip systems with measured values indicated the model closely predicted total salts in the root zone. Thus, HYDRUS-2D successfully simulated the change in soil water content and soil water salinity in both the wetting pattern and in the flow domain. The initial mean ECsw below the dripper in pulsed (5.25?dSm^?1) and continuous (6.07?dSm^?1) irrigations decreased to 1.31 and 1.36?dSm^?1, respectively, showing a respective 75.1 and 77.6% decrease in the initial salinity. The power function [y?=?ax ^?b ] best described the mathematical relationship between salt removal from the soil profile as a function of irrigation time under both irrigation scenarios. Contrary to other studies, higher leaching fraction (6.4–43.1%) was recorded in pulsed than continuous (1.1–35.1%) irrigation with the same amount of applied water which was brought about by the variation in initial soil water content and time of irrigation application. It was pertinent to note that a small (0.012) increase in mean antecedent water content (θ _i ) brought about 8.25–9.06% increase in the leaching fraction during the profile establishment irrespective of the emitter geometry, discharge rate, and irrigation scenario. Under similar θ _i , water applied at a higher discharge rate (3.876?Lh^?1) has resulted in slightly higher leaching fraction than at a low discharge rate (1.91?Lh^?1) under pulsing only owing to the variation in time of irrigation application. The influence of pulsing on soil water content, salinity distribution, and drainage flux vanished completely when irrigation was applied daily on the basis of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) with a suitable leaching fraction. Therefore, antecedent soil water content and scheduling or duration of water application play a significant role in the design of drip irrigation systems for light textured soils. These factors are the major driving force to move water and solutes within the soil profile and may influence the off-site impacts such as drainage flux and pollution of the groundwater.     

水氮盐调控对膜下滴灌棉花产量的影响及耦合模型

为探讨水、盐、氮三因素对棉花生长的耦合效应及最优水肥制度,分别设置了4种灌溉定额(1 575,2 100,2 625,3 150 m³/hm²)、4种施氮量(0,150,300,450 kg/hm²)和4种土壤盐分(非盐化土、轻度、中度和重度盐化土),通过盆栽试验,研究了水、氮、盐对膜下滴灌棉花产量的影响.结果表明：灌溉定额、施氮量和土壤盐分与棉花产量之间符合回归模型,模型对水氮盐的耦合效果较好;单因素对棉花产量影响按因素排序由大到小为灌水量,土壤含盐量,施氮量;耦合作用的影响按因素排序由大到小为盐氮,水氮,水盐;水氮施加量对棉花产量的影响均存在阈值,低于此阈值,棉花增产效果较为明显;中、重度土壤盐分含量明显抑制棉花生长;通过回归模型进行耦合分析,最适合研究区的水肥盐耦合方式为轻盐土壤、灌溉定额2 677 m³/hm²和施氮量202 kg/hm².本研究可为盐碱区棉田水肥高效利用提供科学依据.     

Transport of a degradable substance and its metabolites under drip irrigation

A two-dimensional model of water flow and transport of noninteractive solute in soils under drip irrigation, is extended to incorporate degradation pathway of a degradable parent substance and its metabolites. Adsorption of the parent material and its products to soil is also considered. The model yields two-dimensional distributions of water content and of the substance and each of its metabolites, and has a potential to be used for selected degradable substances, soil properties and management alternatives of practical interest to farmers and environmentalists. A sample calculation was accomplished for a single infiltration-redistribution cycle, with a parent substance applied in water as a line source during infiltration into a particular soil with a given set of hydraulic properties and coefficient of adsorption and degradation.     

Biological and chemical fouling in drip irrigation systems utilizing treated wastewater

A major constraint on the use of treated wastewater (TWW) in microirrigation systems is the potential for fouling. This research aimed to assess the occurrence of fouling in drip irrigation systems applying TWW and determine the quantity and chemical characteristics of the fouling. A field survey was performed to determine the incidence of chemical and biological fouling in irrigation systems and its influence on system performance. Dripper flow rate, total and volatile solids, chemical composition, and diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra of the fouling material were determined. Fouling was found in all of the drip irrigation systems sampled under a variety of conditions. The fouling contained a high percentage of organic matter (OM), except for two instances where the material was mainly inorganic. Identification of the functional groups using DRIFT showed that the OM found is essentially of aliphatic and amide origin. Comparing the spectra obtained from the various sites revealed considerable similarity in the material properties. This suggests a common mechanism in all irrigation systems tested, but a different accumulation rate. A high correlation was found between total phosphorus concentration, the sum of Ca and Mg concentrations and the TWW pH, and the content of total and organic carbon in the fouling. In addition, the correlation between equipment age and the amount of accumulated total solids was high for systems containing high quantities of fouling. The concentration of volatile solids was highly correlated with the age of the irrigation system.     

Tape depth and germination method influence patterns of salt accumulation with subsurface drip irrigation

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) can result in accumulation of soluble salts at or near the soil surface. In the southwestern USA, rainfall is usually inadequate for stand establishment, thus supplemental irrigation is necessary. Use of sprinklers to minimize salt concentrations near the soil surface is an alternative to using SDI for stand establishment. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of germination method (irrigation with SDI or sprinklers), depth of SDI tape (0.18 and 0.25 m), and irrigation water salinity (1.5 and 2.6 dS m⁻¹) on salt and Br distribution after each of two consecutive growing seasons. Treatments consisted of factorial combinations of these three factors. Bromide was used to trace salt accumulation from the drip tape. After season 1, the highest salt concentrations (ECe up to 11 dS m⁻¹) were in the top 3 cm of soil. Below 3 cm, soil EC dropped significantly and remained constant to 1.05 m. Similarly, Br concentrations were highest in the top 3 cm of soil. The mass of salt and Br recovered in the top 3 cm were significantly affected by tape depth, and water EC significantly affected salt mass. Salt present in the soil after season 1 adversely affected crop emergence in season 2, where SDI was used for stand establishment. After season 2, the highest salt and Br concentrations were at about 25 cm depth, probably due to 210 mm of rainfall that occurred near the end of the growing season. There were no significant differences among treatments in the mass of either salt or Br in the top 3 cm or 16 cm of the soil profile after season 2. Timely rainfall, transplanting rather than direct seeding, and changing bed geometry can reduce dependence on sprinklers for stand establishment.     

Monitoring and modelling the three-dimensional flow of water under drip irrigation

The interpretation of soil water dynamics under drip irrigation systems is relevant for crop production as well as on water use and management. In this study a three-dimensional representation of the flow of water under drip irrigation is presented. The work includes analysis of the water balance at point scale as well as area-average, exploring uncertainties in water balance estimations depending on the number of locations sampled. The water flow was monitored by detailed profile water content measurements before irrigation, after irrigation and 24 h later with a dense array of soil moisture access tubes radially distributed around selected drippers. The objective was to develop a methodology that could be used on selected occasions to obtain ‘snap shots’ of the detailed three-dimensional patterns of soil moisture. Such patterns are likely to be very complex, as spatial variability will be induced for a number of reasons, such as strong horizontal gradients in soil moisture, variations between individual sources in the amount of water applied and spatial variability is soil hydraulic properties. Results are compared with a widely used numerical model, Hydrus-2D. The observed dynamic of the water content distribution is in good agreement with model simulations, although some discrepancies concerning the horizontal distribution of the irrigation bulb are noted due to soil heterogeneity.     

灌溉时段及水温对膜下滴灌棉花生长及产量的影响

为探究不同灌溉时段及水温对膜下滴灌棉花生理特性及产量的影响,设置4个灌溉水温梯度分别为15.00(正常灌溉水温),20.00,25.00,30.00℃,2个灌溉时段分别为日间、夜间(分别记为DW,NW)进行完全组合设计,共计8个处理.结果表明,增温灌溉提前了棉花生育进程,促进了棉花株高、茎粗、叶面积增长,有利于棉花光合作用的进行,且在夜间进行增温灌溉效果更显著.增温灌溉使棉花产量显著提高2.95%～14.13%,夜间灌溉较日间灌溉棉花产量平均提高3.34%.基于回归分析确定提高棉花产量的最佳灌溉时段为夜间,最佳灌溉水温为26.38℃,对应的产量为7 482.96 kg/hm².该研究可为北疆膜下滴灌棉花实施增温灌溉技术提供理论依据和技术参考.     

Distribution of herbicides in soil in a simulated drip irrigation system

Summary The behavior of two herbicides (bromacil and napropamide) applied to a Mediterranean red loam soil (hamra) from a point source is presented. Neither herbicide was degraded during the period of the study. Bromacil was only slightly adsorbed by the soil (K _d – 0.1 ml/g; Fig. 1) and was evenly distributed in the soil volume when applied at a constant concentration (Fig. 3). The distribution of napropamide, which was adsorbed by the soil (K _d – 1.2 ml/g; Fig. 1), was restricted to the zone immediately around the emitter (Fig. 3). Application of the herbicides to previously wetted soils increased the vertical and lateral movement of both herbicides (Fig. 4). Leaching of the chemicals was more pronounced for bromacil than for napropamide (Fig. 5). Cycles of irrigation and evaporation at two irrigation frequencies demonstrated that bromacil can be leached quickly from the emitter zone whereas naproparnide will move only slowly into the soil volume (Fig. 8).Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. No. 289-E, 1980 Series     

玉米地下滴灌适宜出苗灌水定额试验研究

为探索解决地下滴灌玉米出苗难的问题,通过土箱试验,对内蒙古自治区具有典型代表性的3种土壤,开展了毛管铺设参数(滴头流量、埋深)和灌水定额对地下滴灌湿润半径的影响规律试验,结合玉米播种深度、水分向上及向下运移的距离及种子周围土壤含水量,研究了玉米适宜出苗灌水定额,以提高出苗率,指导实际生产.结果表明:按显著性水平0.05检验,土壤类型和灌水定额均对土壤湿润半径影响具有统计学意义,而滴头流量和埋深对湿润半径影响不具有统计学意义.在黏壤土中,玉米出苗灌水定额37.5~52.5 mm基本可满足毛管埋深25~35 cm的出苗要求;在壤土中,玉米出苗灌水定额37.5 mm左右基本可满足毛管埋深25~30 cm的出苗要求,灌水定额52.5 mm左右基本可满足埋深30~35 cm的出苗要求;在砂壤土中,灌水定额22.5~37.5 mm基本可满足毛管埋深约25 cm的玉米出苗要求,灌水定额52.5 mm基本可满足毛管埋深25~35 cm的玉米出苗要求.     

加工番茄膜下滴灌的综合效益分析与评价

文中对比分析了加工番茄膜下滴灌与常规灌溉的经济效益和社会效益,以提高种植户对膜下滴灌技术的认识,对大面积推广膜下滴灌技术具有一定的指导意义。     

Soil moisture distribution patterns under surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems in sandy soil using neutron scattering technique

This study was carried out at the experimental field station of the Atomic Energy Authority in Anshas, Egypt, by the aim of assessing the soil moisture status under surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems, as a function of the variation in the distance between drippers along and between laterals. Moisture measurements were carried out using neutron moisture meter technique, and water distribution uniformity was assessed by applying Surfer Model. The presented data indicated that the soil moisture distribution and its uniformity within the soil profile under surface drip was to great extent affected by the distance between drippers rather than that between laterals. Generally, the soil moisture distribution under using 30-cm dripper spacing was better than of that under 50 cm. Under subsurface drip irrigation, the allocation of the irrigation system was the factor that dominantly affected the moisture trend under the studied variables. Installing the system at 30 cm from the soil surface is the one to be recommended as it represents the active root zone for most vegetable crops, beside it leads to a better water saving in sandy soils than that allocated at 15 cm depth.     

Fouling formation and chemical control in drip irrigation systems using treated wastewater

Drip irrigation systems are prone to changes in flow rate (FR) and increasing coefficients of variation (CV) when fed with treated wastewater, due to fouling inside the drippers. A model system was designed to measure the FR and fouling accumulation in laterals and drippers under different treatment conditions. A novel approach was taken to compare the different maintenance treatments. A comparison of chlorination and acidification strategies showed that daily chlorination and periodic acidification may prolong proper functioning of the drippers by maintaining a normal FR [(up to ±7 %) of nominal FR] and CV (<7 %) index in correlation with low fouling accumulation in the pipeline (<0.01 mg deposit/cm _pipe ² ). Current recommendations for the frequency of conventional treatments were found to be insufficient. Chemical analyses of the fouling inside the dripper and accumulated on the pipe wall showed that biofilm can survive inside the dripper under harsh environmental conditions, even when the pipeline stays clean. These results shed light on biofilm growth and survival mechanisms inside the dripper and may pave the way to developing new treatments or improving dripper design.