Evaluating a multi-level subsurface drainage system for improved drainage water quality

This paper describes a multi-level drainage system, designed to improve drainage water quality. Results are presented from a field scale land reclamation experiment implemented in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area of New South Wales, Australia. A traditional single level drainage system and a multi-level drainage system were compared in the experiment in an irrigated field setting. The single level drainage system consisted of 1.8 m deep drains at 20 m spacing. This configuration is typical of subsurface drainage system design used in the area. The multi-level drainage system consisted of shallow closely spaced drains (3.3 m spacing at 0.75 m depth) underlain by deeper widely spaced drains (20 m spacing at 1.8 m depth). Data on drainage flows and salinity, water table regime and soil salinity were collected over a 2-year period.     

Application of the relevance vector machine to canal flow prediction in the Sevier River Basin

This work addresses management of water for irrigation in arid regions where significant delays between the time of order and the time of delivery present major difficulties. Motivated by improvements to water management that will be facilitated by an ability to predict water demand, it employs a data-driven approach to developing canal flow prediction models using the relevance vector machine (RVM), a probabilistic kernel-based learning machine. A search is performed across model attributes including input set, kernel scale parameter and model update scheme for models providing superior prediction capability using the RVM. Models are developed for two canals in the Sevier River Basin of southern Utah for prediction horizons of up to 5 days.     

Greenhouse gas implications of water reuse in the Upper Pumpanga River Integrated Irrigation System, Philippines

Enhancing water productivity is often recommended as a “soft option” in addressing the problem of increasing water scarcity. However, improving water productivity, particularly through water reuse, incurs additional investment and may result in increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we analysed the water productivity and GHG implications of water reuse through pumping groundwater and creek water, and compare this with gravity-fed canal irrigation in the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) in the Philippines.Water productivity indicators show that water reuse contributes significantly to water productivity. For example, water productivity with respect to gross inflow (WP_gross) with water reuse (0.19 kg grain/m³) is 21% higher than without water reuse (0.15 kg grain/m³). However, there is a tradeoff between increasing water productivity and water reuse as water reuse increases GHG emissions. The estimated GHG emission from water reuse (pumping irrigation) is 1.47 times higher than without water reuse (gravity-fed canal irrigation). Given increasing concerns about climate change and the need to reduce carbon emissions, we recommend that a higher priority be given to water reuse only in areas where water scarcity is a serious issue.     

Optimal on-farm irrigation scheduling with a seasonal water limit using simulated annealing

As water resources are limited and the demand for agricultural products increases, it becomes increasingly important to use irrigation water optimally. At a farm scale, farmer's have a particularly strong incentive to optimize their irrigation water use when the volume of water available over a season is production limiting. In this situation, a farmer's goal is to maximize farm profit, by adjusting when and where irrigation water is used. However, making the very best decisions about when and where to irrigate is not easy, since these daily decisions require consideration of the entire remaining irrigation season. Future rainfall uncertainty further complicates decisions on when and which crops should be subjected to water stress. This paper presents an innovative on-farm irrigation scheduling decision support method called the Canterbury irrigation scheduler (CIS) that is suitable when seasonal water availability is limited. Previous optimal scheduling methods generally use stochastic dynamic programming, which requires over-simplistic plant models, limiting their practical usefulness. The CIS method improves on previous methods because it accommodates realistic plant models. Future farm profit (the objective function) is calculated using a time-series simulation model of the farm. Different irrigation management strategies are tested using the farm simulation model. The irrigation strategies are defined by a set of decision variables, and the decision variables are optimized using simulated annealing. The result of this optimization is an irrigation strategy that maximizes the expected future farm profit. This process is repeated several times during the irrigation season using the CIS method, and the optimal irrigation strategy is modified and improved using updated climate and soil moisture information. The ability of the CIS method to produce near optimal decisions was demonstrated by a comparison to previous stochastic dynamic programming schedulers. A second case study shows the CIS method can incorporate more realistic farm models than is possible when using stochastic dynamic programming. This case study used the FarmWi$e/APSIM model developed by CSIRO, Australia. Results show that when seasonal water limit is the primary constraint on water availability, the CIS could increase pasture yield revenue in Canterbury (New Zealand) in the order of 10%, compared with scheduling irrigation using current state of the art scheduling practice.     

Empirical assessment of water management institutions in northern China

We examine the development of irrigation management in northern China using data from village and household panels. During the past decade, reform-oriented institutions, such as water user associations and contracting, have largely replaced the traditional institution of collective management in village-level irrigation systems. A feature unique to China is that water user associations and contractors are provided with monetary incentives to save water. Water user associations have not yet achieved the broad-based participation of farmers that some advocates consider as a primary goal for forming the associations. Many village leaders serve also as the leaders of water user associations, thus possibly reducing opportunities for receiving operational input and policy direction from farmers. However, we observe improved performance of irrigation systems managed by water user associations, relative to collective management, in terms of maintenance expenditures, the timeliness of water deliveries, and the rates of fee collection. Performance has improved also in systems managed by contractors, although not as substantially as in the case of water user associations.     

1Qy-0.9型悬挂式灌渠清淤机的研制

为实现有护坡林木沟渠的机械化清淤,研制出了1QY—0.9型悬挂式灌渠清淤机。该机通过起土铲将淤土铲起,沿轴向喂入到抛土部件中,由抛土部件中的抛土叶轮沿径向抛向沟渠坡顶。试验结果表明：该机平均清淤深度的变异系数为12.20%～13.80%;抛土距离的变异系数为21.50%～32.70%;生产率在抛土距离为11.75～4.90 m时为123.75～210.88 m³·h^-1。该机各项技术指标达到设计要求,并且较为稳定,工作可靠性较好。与传统清淤机械相比,具有可进沟作业,不受沟渠护坡林木的影响,机动性好的优点,作业质量完全满足黄灌区排灌渠道清淤作业的质量要求。     

Automated measurement of canopy stomatal conductance based on infrared temperature

Decreased water uptake closes stomates, which reduces transpiration and increases leaf temperature. The leaf or canopy temperature has long been used to make an empirical estimate of plant water stress. However, with a few supplemental measurements and application of biophysical principles, infrared measurement of canopy temperature can be used to calculate canopy stomatal conductance (g_C), a physiological variable derived from the energy balance for a plant canopy. Calculation of g_C requires an accurate measurement of canopy temperature and an estimate of plant height, but all of the other measurements are available on automated weather stations. Canopy stomatal conductance provides a field-scale measurement of daily and seasonal stomatal response to prevailing soil water and atmospheric conditions, and facilitates a comparison of models that scale conductance from single leaves (measured with porometers) to canopies. A sensitivity analysis of the input measurements/estimates showed g_C is highly sensitive to small changes in canopy and air temperature, and less sensitive to the other required measurements (relative humidity, net radiation, wind speed, and plant canopy height). The measurement of g_C becomes increasingly sensitive to all of the component factors as the conditions become cloudier, cooler, and more humid. We determined g_C for alfalfa and turfgrass by making the necessary environmental measurements and coupling them with a two-source (plant canopy layer and soil layer) energy balance model. We then compared these g_C values to maximum single leaf values scaled-up to the canopy level (g_CP, defined as potential canopy stomatal conductance herein) for the two crops. For both crops, g_C matched g_CP within approximately 10% after irrigation. The turfgrass g_C measurements were also compared to mean single leaf values measured with a porometer. At mid-day, g_C values were typically about double the single leaf values. Because this approach for determining g_C allows continuous, non-contact measurement, it has considerable potential for coupling with measurements of soil moisture to better understand plant–soil water relations. It also has potential for use in precision drought stress and irrigation scheduling.     

Exogenous glycinebetaine application improves yield under water-limited conditions in hybrid sunflower

Limited water availability is a severe threat to the sustainability of crop production. Exogenous application of glycinebetaine (GB) has been found very effective in reducing the adverse affects of water scarcity. This study was conducted to examine the role of exogenous GB application in improving the yield of hybrid sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under different irrigation regimes. There were three levels of irrigation: Control (four irrigations), three irrigations (irrigation missing at budding stage) and two irrigations (irrigation missing at budding and grain formation stage) in the experiment. While GB was applied exogenously at 100 mM GB each at budding and grain formation stages, the Control treatment did not receive any GB application. Data regarding yield, yield components and quality parameters showed that water stress reduced the head diameter, number of achene per head, 1000-achene weight and yield. Nonetheless, it was significantly improved by the exogenous GB application. Among the qualitative characteristics, protein contents were significantly increased by water stress at different growth stages but were reduced by exogenous GB application. Whilst oil contents were reduced by drought at different stages, GB application, however, did not ameliorate the negative effect of drought stress on achene oil contents. The effects of water stress and foliar application of GB were more pronounced when applied at vegetative stage than at the reproductive stage. Moreover, exogenous GB application was only advantageous under stress conditions.     

Water Use and Seed Yield of Horsegram Under Different Moisture Regimes and Mulches in Semi-Arid Region of Eastern India

In a two years field study on effect of irrigation at vegetative and flowering stages occurring at 40 and 60 days after sowing, respectively alongwith straw mulch ca. 5 t/ha were found to have beneficial effect on growth, yield attributes and seed yield of horsegram ( Dolichos biflorus Roxb.). Application of mulches significantly increased pods/plants, seeds/pod, test weight and seed yield and maintained better soil moisture during crop growth in semi-arid lateritic region of Indian sub-tropics. Mulches proved useful to conserve more moisture in soil profile and thereby increased the water use efficiency of the crop; straw mulch was found superior to leaf mulch.     

保水剂和灌水对小粒咖啡苗木的节水调控效应

为探讨热带特色作物小粒咖啡的高效节水模式,研究3个保水剂水平(高保、低保和无保)和3个灌水水平(高水、中水和低水)对小粒咖啡苗木生理、生长、干物质及水分利用的影响。结果表明:与无保相比,低保分别提高叶绿素、类胡萝卜素和根系活力11.8%、13.4%和52.2%,而分别降低可溶性糖、丙二醛和脯氨酸24.9%、24.3%和55.8%,同时提高总干物质和水分利用效率31.0%和35.9%;而高保分别降低叶绿素、类胡萝卜素、丙二醛和根系活力3.1%、2.4%、13.5%和6.3%,提高叶片可溶性糖和脯氨酸3.7%和75.1%,降低总干物质21.3%,提高水分利用效率8.6%。与低水相比,中水分别提高总干物质、耗水量和水分利用效率89.8%、44.5%和33.2%,高水分别提高总干物质、耗水量和水分利用效率172.8%、104.8%和34.0%。和无保低水相比,低保中水的水分利用效率增幅最大为112.7%,同时提高总干物质158.9%,分别提高叶片相对含水率、叶绿素、类胡萝卜素和根系活力24.4%、19.5%、25.8%和149.9%,分别降低可溶性糖、丙二醛和脯氨酸38.3%、36.4%和68.7%。从高效节水的角度考虑,低保中水为最适宜的搭配方式。