Optimizing supplemental irrigation: Tradeoffs between profitability and sustainability

Water production functions are used to model yield response to various levels of supplemental irrigation (SI), to assess water productivity coefficients, and to identify optimum irrigation under various input-output price scenarios. The SI production function is taken as the difference between the total water production function (irrigation + rain) and that of rainwater. Theoretical analysis of the unconstrained objective function shows that the seasonal depth of SI to maximize profit occurs when the marginal product of water equals the ratio of unit water cost to unit product sale price. Applying this analysis to wheat in northern Syria, the production functions of SI under different rainfall conditions are developed. Coupled with current and projected water costs and wheat sale prices, the functions are used to develop an easy-to-use chart for determining seasonal irrigation rates to maximize profit under a range of seasonal rainfall amounts.Results show that, for a given seasonal rainfall, there is a critical value for the ratio of irrigation cost to production price beyond which SI becomes less profitable than rainfed production. Higher product prices and lower irrigation costs encourage the use of more water. Policies supporting high wheat prices and low irrigation costs encourage maximizing yields but with low water productivity. The resulting farmer practice threatens the sustainability of water resources. Balancing profitability versus sustainability is a challenge for policy makers. Our analysis can help national and local water authorities and policy makers determine appropriate policies for water valuation and allocation; and assist extension services and farmers in planning irrigation infrastructure and farm water management.     

Irrigation scheduling strategies for cotton to cope with water scarcity in the Fergana Valley, Central Asia

The Central Asian countries face high water scarcity due to aridity and desertification but excess water is often applied to the main irrigated crops. This over-irrigation contributes to aggravate water scarcity problems. Improved water saving irrigation is therefore required, mainly through appropriate irrigation scheduling. To provide for it, after being previously calibrated and validated for cotton in the Fergana region, the irrigation scheduling simulation model ISAREG was explored to simulate improved irrigation scheduling alternatives. Results show that using the present irrigation scheduling a large part of the applied water, averaging 20%, percolates out of the root zone. Several irrigation strategies were analyzed, including full irrigation and various levels of deficit irrigation. The analysis focused a three-year period when experiments for calibration and validation of the model were carried out, and a longer period of 33 years that provided for an analysis considering the probabilities of the demand for irrigation water. The first concerned a wet period while the second includes a variety of climatic demand conditions that provided for analyzing alternative schedules for average, high and very high climatic demand. Results have shown the importance of the groundwater contribution, mainly when deficit irrigation is applied. Analyzing several deficit irrigation strategies through the respective potential water saving, relative yield losses, water productivity and economic water productivity, it could be concluded that relative mild deficits may be adopted. Contrarily, the adoption of high water deficit that produce high water savings would lead to yield losses that may be economically not acceptable.     

易涝易渍农田地下水动态特征

地下水动态是评价易涝易渍农田生产稳定性的重要指标,基于湖北四湖流域大量调查观测资料对此进行了研究。结果表明,易涝易渍农田地下水位存在明显的年、季差异,呈现出一定的波动性,在不同季节以及不同水平年间波动幅度不大,绝对偏差一般只有1 0~2 0 cm左右,最大不超过4 0 cm,地下水位呈现出在高水位上波动的特点;从微地形地貌看,沿江地势较高的农田其地下水平均埋深和地下水位波动与地势低洼的滨湖农田明显不同,前者明显大于后者。在较大尺度上当降水很接近时,农田地下水埋深随微地貌分异并不显著;对于水网密织的南方平原湖区,农田地下水位变化与周边水体相联系并受其影响,在农田涝渍防治中必须处理好农田与周边水体的关系。     

农村互联网发展对中国玉米全要素生产率的影响

采用DEA-mamlquist指数测算2004—2019年中国17个玉米主产省(区)的全要素生产率,运用联立方程组模型实证检验农村互联网发展对玉米全要素生产率的影响及其作用机理,并分区域探讨其差异性。结果显示:2004—2019年中国玉米全要素生产率年均增长0.2%,主要依靠技术进步的单轨模式驱动。农村互联网的发展显著(P<0.01)提升玉米全要素生产率,主要依靠技术进步和技术效率的协同作用驱动。分区域来看,农村互联网发展对玉米全要素生产率均具有显著(P<0.01)的促进作用,其影响程度由高到低依次为北方春播玉米区>黄淮海平原夏播玉米区>西北灌溉玉米区>西南山地玉米区。建议进一步提高农村互联网的配套设施建设,发挥互联网“连接经济”的优势,应用多元化互联网技术,促进不同生态类型区玉米生产效率的提升。     

基于模糊数学理论的陵水黎族自治县耕地地力评价

对区域耕地质量进行评价,是农业发展所必须的基础性工作,对区域种植业合理布局及耕地土壤可持续利用具有重要意义。本研究在构建包含立地条件、土壤理化性状和土壤养分状况在内的3个子目标、10个指标的耕地地力评价指标体系基础上,采用模糊数学理论确定指标隶属度,结合层次分析法进行加权求和,对陵水黎族自治县各乡镇进行耕地地力综合评价。研究表明,陵水县耕地地力为中等水平,且各乡镇耕地地力分布不均,其中以椰林镇和英州镇最高,黎安镇和群英乡最低;降雨特征和地形因素是耕地地力在研究区内空间分布不均的主要成因。     

麦田土壤微生物三大种群数量的研究

为了了解山西晋中地区麦田土壤微生物的种群分布，为当地作物生产和土壤改良提供理论依据，分析了不同质地、不同肥力以及不同种植结构土壤中微生物的分布情况。结果表明，麦田土壤中细菌、放线菌、真菌垂直分布随深度增加而呈指数递减模型，其中细菌数量最多，垂直递减陡度大，呈三级递减；而真菌、放线菌分布密集于土壤根层0～20cm处,20cm以下急剧减少，且有中途数量回升的现象。三大菌群垂直递减与小麦根系干重递减的相关系数是0．957^**，0．990^**，0．996^**。麦田土壤肥力与三大微生物数量呈正相关。壤土地微生物数量较多，塿土地微生物数量较少，沙土地微生物数量最少；小麦不同品种根区微生物差异亦较显著。小麦与苜蓿、豌豆、油菜混播可极大地提高土壤微生物种群数量。     

长期绿肥还田对江南稻田系统生产力及抗逆性的影响

 依据江南丘陵地区双季稻田28年（1981-2008年）长期绿肥还田的田间定位试验和4年的养分耗竭盆栽试验,分析比较了长期不同量绿肥还田对稻田系统生产力和抗逆性的综合影响。结果表明,常量绿肥还田和高量绿肥还田处理下,早稻、晚稻和历年的全年平均籽粒产量和生物学产量及其变异系数与长期单施化肥处理差异不显著,但由于绿肥还田处理施用绿肥替代部分化肥,平均每年的化肥N、P和K投入量比单施化肥处理分别减少90.0、9.9和72.0 kg/hm2。绿肥处理的双季稻全年产量呈上升趋势,而长期化肥处理则呈下降趋势,且前者的全年产量可持续性产量指数均略高于后者,常量绿肥还田下稻田系统的耐瘠能力也显著高于长期单施化肥处理。不同量绿肥还田下稻田系统生产力差异不显著,但耐瘠能力常量还田处理较高。     

超级稻宁粳1号与常规粳稻CH4排放特征的比较分析

以超级稻宁粳1号和常规稻镇稻11为材料,采用盆栽试验,系统比较了两个品种的生产力及CH4排放的差异,并分析了其主要原因。结果表明,虽然两个品种的CH4排放通量的动态特征和生物学产量均基本相似,但宁粳1号的CH4排放总量比镇稻11低35.22%(P<0.05),土壤水溶液中CH4平均浓度也低41.31%(P<0.01)。两个品种的CH4排放差异主要出现在水稻生长中期,前期和后期的差异不明显。比较两个品种的生物学产量、株高、叶面积、根系等生长特性,发现宁粳1号强大的根系是降低CH4排放的最关键因素。综合比较植株生产力和CH4排放强度,发现宁粳1号不仅具有更高产量,而且单位干物质和籽粒产量的CH4排放量均分别比镇稻11低42.42%和81.38%(P<0.05)。上述结果显示,水稻产量的提高不一定伴随CH4排放的增加,选育高产低排放的水稻品种是可能的。大面积推广应用超级稻,可能不仅利于粮食安全,也有利于温室气体减排。     

氮密互作对夏玉米物质生产及氮素利用的影响

以夏玉米杂交种郑单958为材料,对不同种植密度和不同施氮水平下夏玉米的物质生产和氮素利用状况进行了研究。结果表明,在中(67 500株/hm2)、高(82 500株/hm2)密度下,氮肥对玉米单株物质生产能力的调控作用更为明显,并主要是通过影响穗粒数来实现的。适量施氮,可促进顶部子粒发育,减少败育,使秃尖缩短、瘪粒数减少,增加穗粒数,增加产量;促进植物体吸收的氮素高效地向籽粒中分配,提高氮肥的利用效率;使玉米叶片维持较高的光合性能,为籽粒形成提供充足的光合碳量,并促进营养体碳氮向子粒运转。     

浅析江西省农田生态系统生产力的稳定性

围绕江西省农田生态系统生产力的主导影响因子,分析和评价了复种指数、耕地资源、气候资源、水资源和施肥等因子对农田生态系统生产力(粮食产量)的影响及其应对的技术措施.