Modeling the water budget in a deep caldera lake and its hydrologic assessment: Lake Ikeda, Japan

The hydrologic assessment of a lake water budget can be helpful in achieving proper water management and sustainable water use. A model to analyze a lake water budget was developed and verified for Lake Ikeda, Japan. Lake evaporation was estimated by numerical analyses of lake water temperature and the lake energy budget. Inflow from the lake catchment area and leakage from the lake bottom were estimated based on the tank model and Darcy's law, and the model parameters were optimized by the shuffled complex evolution method. The estimated monthly lake evaporation rate is consistent with the evaporation rate estimated by the energy budget Bowen ratio method based on in situ data from 2004 to 2005. Moreover, the calculated time series of daily lake levels agrees well with those of measured lake levels during 1983 to 1999. Thus, the model is useful for evaluating the lake water budget. Numerical analysis reveals seasonal and annual variation characteristics in the water budget components. Precipitation, inflow from the catchment area, and river water supply are generally high during the rainy season from June to July with substantial annual variation. Lake evaporation is greatest in October and least in April, but the annual variation is relatively small. Agricultural water use is relatively high from April to September. There are no marked seasonal changes in leakage and drinking water use. The lake level is generally highest in September and lowest in March, which is characterized by seasonal changes in water budget components. The model was also applied to 17-year simulations under hypothetical hydrologic conditions to examine the effect of water use and agricultural water management on the lake level. Results indicate that river water supply, provided under the agricultural water management system, effectively compensates for the decrease in lake water resulting from agricultural water use.     

Integrated effect of transplanting date, cultivar and irrigation on yield, water saving and water productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Indian Punjab: Field and simulation study

Individual effect of different field scale management interventions for water saving in rice viz. changing date of transplanting, cultivar and irrigation schedule on yield, water saving and water productivity is well documented in the literature. However, little is known about their integrated effect. To study that, field experimentation and modeling approach was used. Field experiments were conducted for 2 years (2006 and 2007) at Punjab Agricultural University Farm, Ludhiana on a deep alluvial loamy sand Typic Ustipsamment soils developed under hyper-thermic regime. Treatments included three dates of transplanting (25 May, 10 June and 25 June), two cultivars (PR 118 inbred and RH 257 hybrid) and two irrigation schedules (2-days drainage period and at soil water suction of 16 kPa). The model used was CropSyst, which has already been calibrated for growth (periodic biomass and LAI) of rice and soil water content in two independent experiments. The main findings of the field and simulation studies conducted are compared to any individual, integrated management of transplanting date, cultivar and irrigation, sustained yield (6.3-7.5 t ha⁻¹) and saved substantial amount of water in rice. For example, with two management interventions, i.e. shifting of transplanting date to lower evaporative demand (from 5 May to 25 June) concomitant with growing of short duration hybrid variety (90 days from transplanting to harvest), the total real water saving (wet saving) through reduction in evapotranspiration (ET) was 140 mm, which was almost double than managing the single, i.e. 66 mm by shifting transplanting or 71 mm by growing short duration hybrid variety. Shifting the transplanting date saved water through reduction in soil water evaporation component while growing of short duration variety through reduction in both evaporation and transpiration components of water balance. Managing irrigation water schedule based on soil water suction of 16 kPa at 15-20 cm soil depth, compared to 2-day drainage, did not save water in real (wet saving), however, it resulted into apparent water saving (dry saving). The real crop water productivity (marketable yield/ET) was more by 17% in 25th June transplanted rice than 25th May, 23% in short duration variety than long and 2% in irrigation treatment of 16 kPa soil water suction than 2-days drainage. The corresponding values for the apparent crop water productivity (marketable yield/irrigation water applied) were 16, 20 and 50%, respectively. Pooled experimental data of 2 years showed that with managing irrigation scheduling based on soil water suction of 16 kPa at 15-20 cm soil depth, though 700 mm irrigation water was saved but the associated yield was reduced by 277 kg ha⁻¹.     

Effects of water stress at different development stages on yield and water productivity of winter and summer safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

A field study was carried out to determine the effects of water stress imposed at different development stages on grain yield, seasonal evapotranspiration, crop-water relationships, yield response to water and water use efficiency of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for winter and summer sowing. The field trials were conducted on a loam Entisol soil in Thrace Region in Turkey, using Dincer, the most popular safflower variety in the research area. A randomised complete block design with three replications was used. Three known growth stages of the plant were considered and a total of 8 (including rainfed) irrigation treatments were applied. The effect of irrigation or water stress at any stage of development on grain yield per hectare and 1000 kernel weight, was evaluated. Results of this study showed that safflower was significantly affected by water shortage in the soil profile due to omitted irrigation during the sensitive vegetative stage. The highest yield was observed in the fully irrigated control and was higher for winter sowing than for summer sowing. Evapotranspiration calculated for non-stressed production was 728 and 673 mm for winter and summer sowing, respectively. Safflower grain yield of the fully irrigated treatments was 4.05 and 3.74 t ha⁻¹ for winter and summer season, respectively. The seasonal yield response factor was 0.97 and 0.81 for winter and summer sowing, respectively. The highest total water use efficiency was obtained in the treatment irrigated only at vegetative stage while the lowest value was observed when the crop was irrigated only at yield stage. As conclusions: (i) winter sowing is suggested; (ii) if deficit irrigation is to apply at only one or two stages, Y stage or Y and F stages should be omitted, respectively.     

Response of Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Tempranillo’ to partial rootzone drying in the field: Water relations, growth, yield and fruit and wine quality

This paper reports the effects of irrigation amount and partial rootzone drying (PRD) on water relations, growth, yield and wine quality of Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Tempranillo’ during two consecutive years in a commercial vineyard with a deep, light-clay soil located in Requena, Valencia, Spain. Partial rootzone drying applied at two amounts (100% and 50% of the estimated crop evapotranspiration), was compared to conventional drip irrigation, and also to rainfed vines. Results showed that the effects of irrigation amount on yield and wine quality were different between years. In 2003 with low yield values (around 6.3 t ha⁻¹) irrigation did neither affect grape production nor wine quality. However, in the following year, with much higher general yield (17 t ha⁻¹), the high irrigation dose increased yield by 30% compared to rainfed vines and it also increased must total soluble solids and wine alcohol content. In both seasons, PRD did not significantly affect physiological parameters, nor growth, yield or fruit and wine quality, when compared to the same amount of water applied by conventional drip irrigation. Overall these results suggest that, under our experimental conditions, it was the irrigation amount rather than the system of application what affected vine performance, indicating the difficulties of successfully employing the PRD type of irrigation with a drip system in heavy and deep soils.     

Nitrate leaching in a silage maize field under different irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer rates

Quantification of the interactive effects of nitrogen (N) and water on nitrate (NO₃) loss provides an important insight for more effective N and water management. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer levels on nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) leaching in a silage maize field. The experiment included four irrigation levels (0.7, 0.85, 1.0, and 1.13 of soil moisture depletion, SMD) and three N fertilization levels (0, 142, and 189 kg N ha⁻¹), with three replications. Ceramic suction cups were used to extract soil solution at 30 and 60 cm soil depths for all 36 experimental plots. Soil NO₃-N content of 0-30 and 30-60-cm layers were evaluated at planting and harvest maturity. Total N uptake (NU) by the crop was also determined. Maximum NO₃-N leaching out of the 60-cm soil layer was 8.43 kg N ha⁻¹, for the 142 kg N ha⁻¹ and over irrigation (1.13 SMD) treatment. The minimum and maximum seasonal average NO₃ concentration at the 60 cm depth was 46 and 138 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Based on our findings, it is possible to control NO₃ leaching out of the root zone during the growing season with a proper combination of irrigation and fertilizer management.     

Water production functions of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) irrigated with saline and alkali waters using double-line source sprinkler system

Expected yield losses as a function of quality and quantity of water applied for irrigation are required to formulate guidelines for the effective utilisation of marginal quality waters. In an experiment conducted during 2004-2006, double-line source sprinklers were used to determine the separate and interactive effects of saline and alkali irrigation waters on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The study included three water qualities: groundwater (GW; electrical conductivity of water, ECw 3.5 dS m⁻¹; sodium adsorption ratio, SAR 9.8 mmol L⁻¹; residual sodium carbonate, RSC, nil) available at the site, and two synthesized waters, saline (SW; ECw 9.4 dS m⁻¹, SAR 10.3 mmol L⁻¹; RSC nil) and alkali (AW; ECw 3.7 dS m⁻¹, SAR 15.1 mmol L⁻¹; RSC 9.6 meq. L⁻¹). The depths of applied SW, AW, and GW per irrigation ranged from 0.7 to 3.5 cm; the depths of applied mixtures of GW with either SW (MSW) or AW (MAW) ranged from 3.2 to 5 cm. Thereby, the water applied for post-plant irrigations using either of GW, SW or AW ranged between 15.2 and 34.6 cm and 17.1 and 48.1 cm during 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, respectively and the range was 32.1-37.0 and 53.1-60.0 cm for MSW or MAW. Grain yields, when averaged for two years, ranged between 3.08 and 4.36 Mg ha⁻¹, 2.57 and 3.70 Mg ha⁻¹ and 2.73 and 3.74 Mg ha⁻¹ with various quantities of water applied using GW, SW and AW, respectively, and between 3.47 and 3.75 Mg ha⁻¹ and 3.63 and 3.77 Mg ha⁻¹ for MSW and MAW, respectively. The water production functions developed for the two sets of water quality treatments could be represented as: RY = 0.528 + 0.843(WA/OPE) − 0.359(WA/OPE)² − 0.027ECw + 0.44 × 10⁻²(WA/OPE) × ECw for SW (R² = 0.63); RY = 0.446 + 0.816(OPE/WA) − 0.326(WA/OPE)² − 0.0124RSC − 0.55 × 10⁻⁴(WA/OPE) × RSC for AW (R² = 0.56). Here, RY, WA and OPE are the relative yields in reference to the maximum yield obtained with GW, water applied for pre- and post-plant irrigations (cm), and open pan evaporation, respectively. Crop yield increased with increasing amount of applied water for all of the irrigation waters but the maximum yields as obtained with GW, could not be attained even with increased quantities of SW and AW. Increased frequency of irrigation with sprinklers reduced the rate of yield decline with increasing salinity in irrigation water. The sodium contents of plants increased with salinity/alkalinity of sprinkled waters as also with their quantities. Simultaneous decrease in potassium contents resulted in remarkable increase in Na:K ratio.     

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.     

Determining reference values for stem water potential and maximum daily trunk shrinkage in young apple trees based on plant responses to water deficit

The use of plant water status indicators such as midday stem water potential (Ψ_stem) and maximum daily trunk shrinkage (MDS) in irrigation scheduling requires the definition of a reference or threshold value, beyond which irrigation is necessary. These reference values are generally obtained by comparing the seasonal variation of plant water status with the environmental conditions under non-limiting soil water availability. In the present study an alternative approach is presented based on the plant’s response to water deficit. A drought experiment was carried out on two apple cultivars (Malus domestica Borkh. ‘Mutsu’ and ‘Cox Orange’) in which both indicators (Ψ_stem and MDS) were related to several plant physiological responses. Sap flow rates, maximum net photosynthesis rates and daily radial stem growth (DRSG) (derived from continuous stem diameter variation measurements) were considered in the assessment of the approach. Depending on the chosen plant response in relationship with Ψ_stem or MDS, the obtained reference values varied between −1.04 and −1.46 MPa for Ψ_stem and between 0.17 and 0.28 mm for MDS. In both cultivars, the approach based on maximum photosynthesis rates resulted in less negative Ψ_stem values and smaller MDS values, compared to the approaches with sap flow and daily radial stem growth. In the well-irrigated apple trees, day-to-day variations in midday Ψ_stem and MDS were related to the evaporative demand. These variations were more substantial for MDS than for midday Ψ_stem.     

农机服务专业户投资收益分析

农机服务专业户已经成为我国农机社会化服务的主力军,研究农机服务专业户投资收益对我国农机化发展具有重要意义.通过构造C-D生产函数,分析不同规模农机服务专业户各生产要素的投资报酬,并在此基础上针对农机购置成本这一农机户投资金额最大的生产要素进行投资收益分析,得出结论并给出相应建议.     

农业装备物流体系的数学建模

在分析了农业装备物流体系特点的基础上,指出了目前存在的数学模型不能完全体现和描述农业装备物流体系的特点;建立了基于面向环境时延着色Petri网(EOCTPN)的农业装备物流体系数学模型;研究了不同类型农业装备物流体系对库存总成本和长鞭效应的影响程度;解决了目前存在的无法将正向物流和逆向物流有机结合在一起的问题;有效克服了基础Petri网描述此类问题出现的"节点爆炸"现象.在仿真实验的基础上,提出了应如何构建农业装备物流体系的方法.