scholarly journals Inhibiting Water Infiltration into Soils with Cross-linked Polyacrylamide: Seepage Reduction for Irrigated Agriculture

2007 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 1352-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrick D. Lentz
Soil Research ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle P. Oliver ◽  
Rai S. Kookana

Off-site movement of nutrients and sediment from furrow-irrigated agriculture has been a concern in the Ord River Irrigation Area, Western Australia. After consultation with growers, a range of management strategies were tested to assess the effectiveness of various practices to minimise off-site movement of nutrients during irrigation. This paper reports on the effectiveness of the additions of high molecular weight, anionic, polyacrylamide (PAM) to irrigation water to minimise off-site movement of phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, and sediment. Surface runoff water quantity and quality from 4 separate irrigation bays, which contained 25 furrows per irrigation bay, was monitored over time for a single irrigation 35 days after sowing. Addition of PAM as a puck (cylindrical disc 55 mm diameter by 23 mm height) to the head of each irrigation furrow significantly (P < 0.001) decreased the average volume of surface runoff water leaving the irrigation bays by 54%, from 599 kL for the control irrigation bays to 277 kL for the PAM-treated irrigation bays. The addition of PAM also significantly (P < 0.001) decreased the average total suspended sediment load for the duration of the irrigation from 94.9 kg/ha for the control bays to 13.4 kg/ha for the PAM-treated irrigation bays. The concentrations of the different forms of N, P, and C measured in the runoff water were not significantly different between the 2 treatments. The amounts (g) of particulate (>0.45 µm) P and dissolved organic C were significantly (P < 0.01) less from the PAM-treated bays than from the control bays. There was a consistent trend for the addition of PAM to decrease the cumulative mass loss of all nutrients (N, P, and C) measured. However, significant decreases were only seen for particulate (>0.45 µm) P (by 94%), unfiltered (or total) N (by 56%), and unfiltered (or total) C (by 60%). This experiment demonstrated that the addition of PAM to irrigation waters has the potential to decrease the off-site movement of nutrients bound to colloidal material. However, in this study off-site movement of contaminants present in the ‘soluble’ (<0.45 µm) fraction is unlikely to be mitigated by the addition of PAM to irrigation water. The mode of application of PAM, however, may affect water infiltration and hence vertical movement of ‘soluble’ contaminants and requires further investigation to ensure that while off-site surface transport is being minimised, contamination of groundwater is not being increased. Other strategies to minimise off-site movement for contaminants in the dissolved phase also need investigation.


Soil Research ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle P. Oliver ◽  
Rai S. Kookana

Off-site movement of pesticides from furrow-irrigated agriculture has been a concern in the Ord River Irrigation Area, Western Australia. After consultation with growers a range of management strategies were tested to assess the effectiveness of various practices to minimise off-site movement of pesticides during irrigation. This paper reports on the effectiveness of the additions of high molecular weight, anionic, polyacrylamide (PAM) to irrigation water to minimise off-site movement of endosulfan, chlorothalonil, bupirimate, and atrazine. Water leaving from 4 separate irrigation bays, which consisted of 25 furrows per irrigation bay (Expt 1) or 39 furrows per irrigation bay (Expt 2), was monitored over time. The average concentration of endosulfan α and β and bupirimate leaving the irrigation bays for the duration of the single irrigation event was generally always less for the PAM-treated irrigation bays than the control (control treatment). The addition of PAM to the irrigation water significantly decreased the cumulative runoff losses (g) of total endosulfan by 54% from 11.41 to 5.19 g/ha (P < 0.05), and of chlorothalonil by 49% from 53.65 to 27.32 g/ha (P < 0.001). There was no statistical difference in the load of atrazine or bupirimate leaving either treatment. Although the addition of PAM to irrigation water effectively decreased the off-site movement of 2 fairly strongly sorbed pesticides, endosulfan and chlorothalonil, it did not decrease the total load moving off-site of the more weakly sorbed pesticides, bupirimate and atrazine. The addition of PAM as a liquid to irrigation water was not found to increase the infiltration of a soluble pesticide, atrazine, into the soil profile. The mode of application of PAM, however, may affect water infiltration and hence vertical movement of soluble pesticides and requires further investigation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
S. Chehaibi ◽  
K. Abrougui ◽  
F. Haouala

The effects of mechanical perforation densities by extracting soil cores through an aerator Vertidrain with a working width of 1.6 m and equipped with hollow tines spaced of 65 mm, were studied on a sandy soil of a grassy sward in the Golf Course El Kantaoui in Sousse (Tunisia). The mechanical aeration was performed at two densities: 250 and 350 holes/m2. The cone penetration resistance and soil water infiltration were measured. These parameters were performed at initial state before aeration (E0) and then on the 10th, 20th and 30th day after aeration. These results showed that perforation density of 350 holes/m2 had a positive effect on the soil by reducing its cone resistance to penetration compared to the initial state (Rp = 14.8 daN/cm2). At 5 cm depth the decrease in resistance to penetration was 34% and 43% on the 10th and 20th day after aeration, respectively. However, on the 30th day after aeration the soil resistance to penetration tended to grow and its value compared to the initial state decreased only by 21 and 26%, respectively, at 5 and 15 cm of depth only by 10% and 9% with 250 holes/m2 density. The soil water infiltration made a good improvement after aeration compared to the initial state. This parameter increased from 4.8 cm/h to 8.3, 10.9 and 13.1 cm/h with 250 holes/m2 density and to 10, 12.9 and 14.8 cm/h with 350 holes/m2 density on the 10th, 20th and 30th day following the aeration.


Author(s):  
Alexandra Ugryumova ◽  
Mikhail Zamakhovski ◽  
Lyudmila Pautova ◽  
Denis Olgarenko

Scientifically substantiated personnel industry policy contributes to the implementation of an innovative development scenario, provides better results with reduced production costs, which determines the relevance of the studying. The main goal of the work was identified factors and indicators which have regulatory influence on the state and development of the personnel potential of the industry. Diagnostics of the labor potential of land reclamation by federal districts revealed leaders and outsiders of sectoral development. The studying made it possible to justify the steady trend of the shortage of reclamation personnel in comparison with the calculated indicators. Objective and subjective reasons and factors that hinder the effective using of the industry’s personnel potential are distinguished. The concept of industry’s labor potential is clarified. The studying of changes in labor productivity in agriculture has confirmed a twofold increasing in this indicator for the period from 2014 to 2018. Methodological approaches to the indicators of assessing the labor potential of the reclamation industry are substantiated. The groups of socio-economic indicators of the reclamation industry’s effectiveness are identified. The methodology for determining the quantitative characteristics of labor potential on irrigated lands is specified, which is depended on the area of irrigated lands. The labor potential of the reclamation industry in terms of staffing the industry is studied. The main positive and negative trends of the personnel policy and the labor potential’s formation of the agro-industrial complex’s reclamation sector of the Russian Federation are specified, the industry personnel policy is assessed as passive, which does not allow predicting the needs for industry personnel, evaluate staff activities and analyze personnel problems. Highlighted characteristic trends in personnel potential in the federal district and regions of the Russian Federation allow: to develop unified approaches to manage this industry development factor; to develop recommendations to improve the efficiency of advanced training and retraining of personnel in irrigated agriculture. The implementation of the recommendations will contribute to increase the efficiency of the managing the human potential’s process of irrigated agriculture at the level of federal, regional and municipal authorities of the reclamation sector of the agro-industrial complex of Russia.


1955 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 235-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. K. Barnes ◽  
D. W. Bohmont ◽  
Frank Rauzi

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