scholarly journals A Comprehensive Modelling Approach to Assess Water Use Efficiencies of Different Irrigation Management Options in Rice Irrigation Districts of Northern Italy

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Mayer ◽  
Michele Rienzner ◽  
Sandra Cesari de Maria ◽  
Marco Romani ◽  
Alberto Lasagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Channel Network ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Rice Irrigation ◽  
Winter Flooding ◽  
Irrigation Drainage

European rice production is concentrated in limited areas of a small number of countries. Italy is the largest European producer with over half of the total production grown on an area of 220,000 hectares, predominantly located in northern Italy. The traditional irrigation management (wet seeding and continuous flooding until few weeks before harvest—WFL) requires copious volumes of water. In order to propose effective ‘water-saving’ irrigation alternatives, there is the need to collect site-specific observational data and, at the same time, to develop agro-hydrological models to upscale field/farm experimental data to a spatial scale of interest to support water management decisions and policies. The semi-distributed modelling system developed in this work, composed of three sub-models (agricultural area, groundwater zone, and channel network), allows us to describe water fluxes dynamics in rice areas at the irrigation district scale. Once calibrated for a 1000 ha district located in northern Italy using meteorological, hydrological and land-use data of a recent four-year period (2013–2016), the model was used to provide indications on the effects of different irrigation management options on district irrigation requirements, groundwater levels and irrigation/drainage network efficiency. Four scenarios considering a complete conversion of rice irrigation management over the district were implemented: WFL; DFL—dry seeding and delayed flooding; WDA—alternate wetting and drying; WFL-W—WFL followed by post-harvest winter flooding from 15 November to 15 January. Average results for the period 2013–2016 showed that DFL and WDA would lead to a reduction in summer irrigation needs compared to WFL, but also to a postponement of the peak irrigation month to June, already characterized by a strong water demand from other crops. Finally, summer irrigation consumption for WFL-W would correspond to WFL, suggesting that the considered winter flooding period ended too early to influence summer crop water needs.

scholarly journals Correction: Mayer, A., et al. A Comprehensive Modelling Approach to Assess Water Use Efficiencies of Different Irrigation Management Options in Rice Irrigation Districts of Northern Italy. Water 2019, 11, 1833

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1047
Author(s):  
Alice Mayer ◽  
Michele Rienzner ◽  
Sandra Cesari de Maria ◽  
Marco Romani ◽  
Alberto Lasagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Capillary Rise ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Actual Evapotranspiration ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Irrigation Districts ◽  
Rice Irrigation ◽  
Water Use Efficiencies ◽  
Modelling Approach

In the published article [1] the authors noticed an error in the ‘Percolation or Capillary Rise’ values reported in Table 4, column 4, and wish to make the following correction to their paper [1]: Table 4 should be replaced with the following: Actual Evapotranspiration (mm) Irrigation (mm) Percolation (−) or Capillary Rise (+) (mm) WUE (%) Maize 449 620 (438, 705) −589 (−243, −732) 50 (61, 44) Irrigated poplar 348 300 (300, 300) −247 (−215, −252) 57 (50, 58) Rainfed poplar 487 0 −18 (+232, −57) 159 (149, 159) WDA rice 537 1394 (964, 1620) −1002 (−491, −1206) 34 (43, 29) WFL rice 592 1852 (1508, 2210) −1266 (−860, −1693) 28 (32, 23) [...]

scholarly journals Sustainable water use for rice agro-ecosystems in northern Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Facchi ◽  
Alice Mayer ◽  
Enrico Chiaradia ◽  
Andrea Ricciardelli ◽  
Michele Rienzner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Soil Survey ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Water Inflow ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Water Balance Components ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Continuous Flooding

<p>In the Mediterranean basin, rice is cultivated over an area of 1,300,000 hectares. The most important rice-producing countries are Italy and Spain in Europe (72% of the EU production; 345,000 ha), and Egypt and Turkey among the extra-EU countries (almost totality of the production; 789,000 ha). Traditionally, rice is grown under continuous flooding; thus, it requires much more irrigation than non-ponded crops. The MEDWATERICE project (PRIMA-Section 2-2018; https://www.medwaterice.org/) aims at exploring sustainability of innovative rice irrigation management solutions, in order to reduce rice water consumption and environmental impacts, and to extend rice cultivation outside of traditional paddy areas to meet the escalating demand. Within the MEDWATERICE project, irrigation management options to address the main site-specific problems are being tested for each rice areas involved in the project (IT, ES, PT, EG, TR). Case studies are being conducted in pilot farms, with the involvement of Stake-Holder Panels (SHPs) in each country. Data collected at the farm level will be extrapolated to the irrigation district level, to support water management decisions and policies. Moreover, indicators for quantitative assessment of environmental, economic and social sustainability of the irrigation options will be defined.</p><p>This work illustrates the first year of results for the Italian Case Study (Lomellina area, Pavia) at the pilot farm scale. This area is characterized by a growing water scarcity in drought years in many districts. Within the farm managed by the National Rice Research Center (CRR), in the agricultural season 2019 the experimentation was conducted in six plots of about 20 m x 80 m each, with two replicates for each of the following water regimes: i) water-seeded rice with continuous flooding (WFL), ii) dry-seeded rice with continuous flooding from the 3-4 leaf stage (DFL), and iii) water seeded-rice with alternate wetting and drying from fertilization at the tillering stage (AWD). One out of the two replicates of each treatment was instrumented with: water inflow and outflow meters, set of piezometers, set of tensiometers and water tubes for the irrigation management in the AWD plots. A soil survey was conducted before the agricultural season (EMI sensor and physico-chemical analysis of soil samples). Periodic measurements of crop biometric parameters (LAI, crop height, crop rooting depth) were performed. Moreover, nutrients (TN, NO<sub>3</sub>, PO<sub>4</sub>, K) and two widely used pesticides (Sirtaki – a.i. Clomazone; Tripion E – a.i. MCPA) were measured in irrigation water (inflow and outflow), groundwater, and porous cups installed at two soil depths (20 and 70 cm, above and below the plough pan). Finally, rice grain yields and quality (As and Cd in the grain) were determined. First results in terms of cumulative water balance components (rainfall, irrigation inflow and outflow, difference in soil and ponding water storage, evapotranspiration, net percolation), water application efficiency (evapotranspiration over net water input), and water productivity (grain production over net water input), will be presented and discussed. Results of a 1D Richard-equation-based numerical simulation model applied to generalize results obtained under the different irrigation regimes will be moreover illustrated.</p>

Alternate wetting and drying irrigation for rice: first experimental activities in northern Italy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olfa Gharsallah ◽  
Marco Romani ◽  
Andrea Ricciardelli ◽  
Michele Rienzner ◽  
Alice Mayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Soil Survey ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Water Inflow ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Wetting And Drying ◽  
Set Up

<p>Italy is Europe’s leading rice producer, with over half of the total production, almost totally concentrated in a large paddy rice area in the north-western part of the country, stretching across the border between the Lombardy and Piedmont regions in the Po river valley. In this area, rice irrigation has been traditionally carried out by wet seeding and continuous flooding. The introduction of alternative water-saving irrigation strategies could reduce water needs and environmental impacts; however, before extensively adopting them, their effects at both the field and irrigation district scales must be quantified.</p><p>In the context of the MEDWATERICE project (PRIMA-Section2-2018), in the agricultural season 2019 an experimental platform was set-up in a location within the paddy area (Pavia province), to compare different irrigation strategies: wet seeding and traditional flooding (WFL), dry seeding and delayed flooding (DFL), and a ‘safe' wet seeding and alternated wetting and drying (AWD). Six plots of about 20 m x 80 m each were set-up, with two replicates for each irrigation option. One out of the two replicates was instrumented with: water inflow and outflow meters, piezometers, tensiometers, and water tubes for the irrigation management in the AWD plots. A soil survey was conducted before the agricultural season (EMI sensor and physico-chemical analysis of soil samples). Periodic measurements of crop biometric parameters were conducted. Nutrients (N, P, K) and two widely used pesticides (Clomazone, MCPA) were measured in irrigation water (inflow and outflow), groundwater, and porous cups installed at two soil depths (20 and 70 cm, above and below the plough pan). Finally, rice grain yields and quality (As and Cd in the grain) were determined. The experimental activity in the platform was carried out for two years (2019 and 2020), and an upscaling of the results at the irrigation district scale is foreseen in the project.</p><p>Soil water balances at the field scale were computed through an approach integrating field measurements of irrigation flows and storages with hydrological modelling, to compare the three irrigation management strategies under similar soil conditions. Results for 2019 showed that DFL allowed a water saving of 10% compared to WFL, while a higher water saving (19%) was achieved with AWD, as expected. Rice grain yield was found to be comparable for all the investigated irrigation treatments. Also, the grain N content was not significantly affected by the water management strategy adopted: the highest values were obtained in WFL and AWD (1.4 N%), while the lowest in DFL (1.2 N%). Total As in grain was not significant for any of the irrigation strategies, but rice Cd level was statistically higher in AWD, although under the legal limits set in the EU even for baby food. As far as water quality is concerned, in surface water, soil solution and groundwater, concentrations for both herbicidesdid not reach significant values, even after treatments, except in limited cases that could depend on relevant concentrations already present in the irrigation inflow. Data for 2020 are under elaboration and first results will be illustrated during the conference.</p>

scholarly journals Monitoring water fluxes in rice plots under three different cultivation methods

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Antonio Chiaradia ◽  
Daniele Ferrari ◽  
Gian Battista Bischetti ◽  
Arianna Facchi ◽  
Olfa Gharsallah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Level Gauge ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Water Fluxes ◽  
Wireless Data ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
The North

Italy is the leading producer of rice in Europe with over half of total production, almost totally concentrated in a large traditional paddy rice area between the Lombardy and Piedmont regions, in the north-western part of the country. In this area irrigation of rice has been traditionally carried out by flooding. The introduction of new combined irrigation and agronomic management practices (dry seeding followed by field flooding and in a full aerobic cultivation with intermittent irrigations), aiming to reduce the water consumption, can determine considerable effect on the landscape and the water cycle. With the aim to study in depth the water fluxes during the whole crop season, three experimental plots at the Ente Nazionale Risi-Rice Research Centre’s Experimental Station of Castello d’Agogna (PV) were instrumented. In each plot the following instruments have been installed: 1) a long throated flume and a double shaped (V-notch and rectangular) thin plate for superficial inputs and outputs, 3) a set of piezometers for groundwater levels, 4) one stage level gauge in each submerged field, 5) four tensiometers and moisture sensors clusters, 6) one eddy covariance station for vapour fluxes estimation. Most of the instruments were equipped with electrical sensors connected by cables to a wireless data logger that, in turn, send the data to a PC placed within ENR offices and web-connected by a LAN. In this way, besides the automatic download of data, it was possible to remotely control the devices, to quickly fix troubles, and to better plan the field trips. The management of the whole framework was done by a specifically developed software. In this paper the whole system, which presents some degree of innovation, is described in detail.

scholarly journals Searching for the effects of the May-June 2012 Emilia seismic sequence (northern Italy): medium-depth deformation structures at the periphery of the epicentral area

2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Borgatti ◽  
Antonio Edoardo Bracci ◽  
Stefano Cremonini ◽  
Giovanni Martinelli
Keyword(s):  
Ground Level ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Seismic Sequence ◽  
Surface Phenomena ◽  
Po River ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Ground Fissures ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Geological Surveys ◽  
Emilia Romagna Region

<p>In 2012, a seismic sequence occurred in the lowlands of the Emilia-Romagna Region (northern Italy), between the borders of the Modena, Ferrara and Bologna Provinces. It consisted of seven mainshocks (5.9 &gt; Ml &gt; 5) that were recorded between May 20 and 29, 2012 [INGV 2012a] and 2,200 minor earthquakes [INGV 2012b]. An interferometric analysis [Bignami et al. 2012, Salvi et al. 2012, this volume] highlighted three main deformation areas, each of which was 12 km wide (from S to N) and 10 km to 20 km long in an ESE-WNW to E-W direction, thus affecting an area of about 600 km2 (Figure 1). Field and aerial geological surveys recorded numerous surficial effects, such as: (i) sediment liquefaction [Crespellani et al. 2012]; (ii) localized ground fissures resembling surficial faulting [Fioravante and Giretti 2012] (Figure 2); (iii) groundwater levels rising up to 400 cm above the local ground level in phreatic wells during the mainshocks (lower values were observed in confined aquifers); and (iv) dormancy of previously known sinkholes [Borgatti et al. 2010, Cremonini 2010a, and references therein]. Some of the observed surface phenomena were previously recorded as coseismic effects during the earthquakes of Ferrara (1570) and Argenta (1624) [Boschi et al. 1995, Galli 2000], together with the early rising of the water level of the Po River in the Stellata section. […]</p>

scholarly journals Economic assessment of an integrated drainage management system for a regional irrigation-drainage network

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-807
Author(s):  
Dimitris Gotsis ◽  
Spyros Giakoumakis
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Drainage Network ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Tolerance To Salinity

Abstract The disposal of the excessive volume of degraded water coming from agricultural drainage systems is a serious environmental and economic issue, since a significant load of agrochemicals and salts contaminates water bodies downstream. An integrated on-farm drainage management (IFDM) system is an effective method of treatment by successively irrigating zones with drainage water. Each zone is cultivated with crops that have increasing tolerance to salinity, so that the drainage water effluents are minimized to an extent that the final drainage water volume is collected into an evaporation pond. The methodology of the system is proposed herein for a regional irrigation-drainage network (E1 in Agoulinitsa irrigation district in western Greece) as a method of reducing the disposal of agrochemicals in the coastal environment. Based on the design principles of an IFDM system, both the surface area of every irrigation zone and the costs of installing and operating the system are assessed. A scenario regarding the volume of drainage water that must be treated is examined as a sensitivity analysis. The results show that almost 15% of the cultivated area must be bounded for non-productive uses, resulting in a significant economic impact on the net present value of the investment.

scholarly journals Characterization of Hydraulic Heterogeneity of Alluvial Aquifer Using Natural Stimuli: A Field Experience of Northern Italy

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco D’Oria ◽  
Andrea Zanini
Keyword(s):  
Computer Code ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Alluvial Aquifer ◽  
Moderate Degree ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
Geostatistical Approach ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Lake Stage ◽  
Hydraulic Heterogeneity

This study investigates the hydraulic heterogeneity of the alluvial aquifer underneath the dam and the stilling basin of a flood protection structure in Northern Italy. The knowledge of the interactions between the water in the reservoir upstream of the dam and the groundwater levels is relevant for the stability of the structure. A Bayesian Geostatistical Approach (BGA) combined with a groundwater flow model developed in MODFLOW 2005 has been used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity (HK) field in a context of a highly parameterized inversion. The transient hydraulic heads collected in 14 monitoring points represent the calibration dataset; these observations are the results of the hydraulic stresses induced by the variations of the lake stage upstream of the dam (natural stimuli). The geostatistical inversion was performed by means of a computer code, bgaPEST, developed according to the free PEST software concept. The results of the inversion show a moderate degree of heterogeneity of the estimated HK field, consistent with the alluvial nature of the aquifer and the other information available. The calibrated groundwater model is useful for simulating the interactions between the reservoir and the studied aquifer under different flood scenarios and for forecasting the hydraulic head levels due to strong flood events. The use of natural stimuli is useful for obtaining information for aquifer heterogeneity characterization.

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