scholarly journals Agricultural Irrigation Water Use in a Closed Basin and the Impacts on Water Productivity: The Case of the Guadalquivir River Basin (Southern Spain)

Water ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Expósito ◽  
Julio Berbel
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Southern Spain ◽  
Agricultural Irrigation ◽  
Closed Basin ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Guadalquivir River

Development and Evaluation of a Variable-Rate Irrigation Management Method in the Mississippi Delta

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-298
Author(s):  
Ruixiu Sui ◽  
Jonnie Baggard
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water Productivity ◽  
Variable Rate Irrigation

HighlightsWe developed and evaluated a variable-rate irrigation (VRI) management method for five crop years in the Mississippi Delta.VRI management significantly reduced irrigation water use in comparison with uniform-rate irrigation (URI). There was no significant difference in grain yield and irrigation water productivity between VRI and URI management.Soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) was used to delineate irrigation management zones and generate VRI prescriptions.Sensor-measured soil water content was used in irrigation scheduling.Abstract. Variable-rate irrigation (VRI) allows producers to site-specifically apply irrigation water at variable rates within a field to account for the temporal and spatial variability in soil and plant characteristics. Developing practical VRI methods and documenting the benefits of VRI application are critical to accelerate the adoption of VRI technologies. Using apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and soil moisture sensors, a VRI method was developed and evaluated with corn and soybean for five crop years in the Mississippi Delta. Soil ECa of the study fields was mapped and used to delineate VRI management zones and create VRI prescriptions. Irrigation was scheduled using soil volumetric water content measured by soil moisture sensors. A center pivot VRI system was employed to deliver irrigation water according to the VRI prescription. Grain yield, irrigation water use, and irrigation water productivity in the VRI treatment were determined and compared with that in a uniform-rate irrigation (URI) treatment. Results showed that the grain yield and irrigation water productivity between the VRI and URI treatments were not statistically different with both corn and soybean crops. The VRI management significantly reduced the amount of irrigation water by 22% in corn and by 11% in soybean (p = 0.05). Adoption of VRI management could improve irrigation water use efficiency in the Mississippi Delta. Keywords: Soil electrical conductivity, Soil moisture sensor, Variable rate irrigation, Water management.

scholarly journals Potential and Actual Water Savings through Improved Irrigation Scheduling in Small-Scale Vegetable Production

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Studer ◽  
Simon Spoehel
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Appropriate irrigation scheduling for efficient water use is often a challenge for small-scale farmers using drip irrigation. In a trial with 12 farmers in Sébaco, Nicaragua, two tools to facilitate irrigation scheduling were tested: the Water Chart (a table indicating required irrigation doses) and tensiometers. The study aimed at evaluating if and to what extent simple tools can reduce irrigation water use and improve water productivity in drip-irrigated vegetable (beetroot; Beta vulgaris L.) production compared with the farmers’ usual practice. Irrigation water use was substantially reduced (around 20%) when farmers irrigated according to the tools. However, farmers did not fully adhere to the tool guidance, probably because they feared that their crop would not get sufficient water. Thus they still over-irrigated their crop: between 38% and 88% more water than recommended was used during the treatment period, resulting in 91% to 139% higher water use than required over the entire growing cycle. Water productivity of beetroot production was, therefore, much lower (around 3 kg/m3) than what can be achieved under comparable conditions, although yields were decent. Differences in crop yield and water productivity among treatments were not significant. The simplified Water Chart was not sufficiently understandable to farmers (and technicians), whereas tensiometers were better perceived, although they do not provide any indication on how much water to apply. We conclude that innovations such as drip irrigation or improved irrigation scheduling have to be appropriately introduced, e.g., by taking sufficient time to co-produce a common understanding about the technologies and their possible usefulness, and by ensuring adequate follow-up support.

scholarly journals Past, Present, and Future of Irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R. Evett ◽  
Paul D. Colaizzi ◽  
Freddie R. Lamm ◽  
Susan A. O’Shaughnessy ◽  
Derek M. Heeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Irrigation Technology ◽  
Irrigated Area ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
The U.S

Highlights Irrigation is key to the productivity of Great Plains agriculture but is threatened by water scarcity. The irrigated area grew to >9 million ha since 1870, mostly since 1950, but is likely to decline. Changes in climate, water availability, irrigated area, and policy will affect productivity. Adaptation and innovation, hallmarks of Great Plains populations, will ensure future success. Abstract. Motivated by the need for sustainable water management and technology for next-generation crop production, the future of irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains was examined through the lenses of past changes in water supply, historical changes in irrigated area, and innovations in irrigation technology, management, and agronomy. We analyzed the history of irrigated agriculture through the 1900s to the present day. We focused particularly on the efficiency and water productivity of irrigation systems (application efficiency, crop water productivity, and irrigation water use productivity) as a connection between water resource management and agricultural production. Technology innovations have greatly increased the efficiency of water application, the productivity of water use, and the agricultural productivity of the Great Plains. We also examined the changes in water stored in the High Plains aquifer, which is the region’s principle supply for irrigation water. Relative to other states, the aquifer has been less impacted in Nebraska, despite large increases in irrigated area. Greatly increased irrigation efficiency has played a role in this, but so have regulations and the recharge to the aquifer from the Nebraska Sand Hills and from rivers crossing the state. The outlook for irrigation is less positive in western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The aquifer in these regions is recharged at rates much less than current pumping, and the aquifer is declining as a result. Improvements in irrigation technology and management plus changes in crops grown have made irrigation ever more efficient and allowed irrigation to continue. There is good reason to expect that future research and development efforts by federal and state researchers, extension specialists, and industry, often in concert, will continue to improve the efficiency and productivity of irrigated agriculture. Public policy changes will also play a role in regulating consumption and motivating on-farm efficiency improvements. Water supplies, while finite, will be stretched much further than projected by some who look only at past rates of consumption. Thus, irrigation will continue to be important economically for an extended period. Sustaining irrigation is crucial to sustained productivity of the Great Plains “bread basket” because on average irrigation doubles the efficiency with which water is turned into crop yields compared with what can be attained in this region with precipitation alone. Lessons learned from the Great Plains are relevant to irrigation in semi-arid and subhumid areas worldwide. Keywords: Center pivot, Crop water productivity, History, Sprinkler irrigation, Subsurface drip irrigation, Water use efficiency.

scholarly journals Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Yield and Quality of Onion Crop

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Rop ◽  
Emmanuel C. Kipkorir ◽  
John K. Taragon
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Irrigation Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

<p>The broad objective of this study was to test Deficit Irrigation (DI) as an appropriate irrigation management strategy to improve crop water productivity and give optimum onion crop yield. A field trial was conducted with drip irrigation system of six irrigation treatments replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. The crop was subjected to six water stress levels 100% ETc (T100), 90% ETc (T90), 80% ETc (T80), 70% ETc (T70), 60% ETc (T60) and 50% ETc (T50) at vegetative and late season growth stages. The onion yield and quality based on physical characteristics and irrigation water use efficiency were determined. The results indicated that the variation in yield ranged from 34.4 ton/ha to 18.9 ton/ha and the bulb size ranged from 64 mm to 35 mm in diameter for T100 and T50 respectively. Irrigation water use efficiency values decreased with increasing water application level with the highest of 16.2 kg/ha/mm at T50, and the lowest being13.1 kg/ha/mm at T100. It was concluded that DI at vegetative and late growth stages influence yields in a positive linear trend with increasing quantity of irrigation water and decreasing water stress reaching optimum yield of 32.0 ton/ha at 20% water stress (T80) thereby saving 10.7% irrigation water. Onion bulb production at this level optimizes water productivity without significantly affecting yields. DI influenced the size and size distribution of fresh onion bulbs, with low size variation of the fresh bulbs at T80.</p>

scholarly journals Water-Yield Relations of Drip Irrigated Watermelon in Temperate Climatic Conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-59
Author(s):  
Borivoj Pejić ◽  
Ksenija Mačkić ◽  
Srdjan Pavković ◽  
Branka Ljevnaić-Mašić ◽  
Miroljub Aksić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

Summary The objective of the study, conducted in Vojvodina a northern part of the Serbia Republic, was to analyse the effect of drip irrigation on yield, evapotranspiration and water productivity of watermelon (Cirullus lanatus Thunb.) grown with plasticulture. Irrigation was scheduled on the basis of water balance method. Daily evapotranspiration was computed using the reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficient. The yield of watermelon in irrigation conditions (37,28 t/ha) was significantly higher compared to non irrigated (9,98 t/ha). Water used on evapotranspiration in irrigation conditions was 398 mm and 117 mm on non irrigated variant. The crop yield response factor of 1,04 for the whole growing season reveals that relative yield decrease was nearly equal to the rate of evapotranspiration deficit. The values of irrigation water use efficiency and evapotranspiration water use efficiency were 9,93 kg/m3 and 10,29 kg/m3 respectively. The determined results could be used as a good platform for watermelon growers in the region, in terms of improvement of the optimum utilization of irrigation water.

scholarly journals Effects of drip and alternate furrow method of irrigation on cotton yield and physical water productivity: A case study from farmers’ field of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 677-685
Author(s):  
O. P. Singh ◽  
P. K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Effective Rainfall ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Cotton Crop ◽  
Irrigation Methods ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Normal Rainfall

With the growing irrigation water scarcity, the researchers and policymakers are more concerned to improve the irrigation water use efficiency at farmers’ field level. The water-saving technologies provide greater control over water delivery to the crop root zone and reduce the non-beneficial evaporation from the crop field. Water productivity is an important concept for measuring and comparing water use efficiency. The present study tried to estimate the irrigation water use and physical water productivity of cotton under alternate furrow and drip irrigation methods in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. Results suggest that crop yield and physical water productivity were higher for cotton irrigated by drip method than alternate furrow method during normal rainfall and drought year. The irrigation water use under the drip method of irrigation was lower as compared to the alternate furrow method. In the case of total water (effective rainfall + irrigation water) use, per hectare crop yield and physical water productivity were higher for the drip method of irrigation than the alternate furrow method of irrigating cotton crop during normal rainfall and drought year. In the case of total water use (effective rainfall + irrigation water), it was lower for drip irrigation than the alternate furrow method of irrigating cotton crop during normal rainfall year and drought year. While estimating total water (effective rainfall + irrigation water) use, it was assumed that there is no return flow of water from the cotton field in the study area under both irrigation methods.

scholarly journals TRANSITION FROM SURFACE TO DRIP IRRIGATION IN MOROCCO: ANALYSIS THROUGH THE MULTI-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE

AGROFOR ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oumaima ASSOULI ◽  
Hamid EL BILALI ◽  
Aziz ABOUABDILLAH ◽  
Rachid HARBOUZE ◽  
Nabil El JAOUHARI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Surface Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Multi Level

Agriculture uses more than 80% of water resources in Morocco. The sector isinefficient in terms of water use due to the dominance of surface irrigation. Toaddress this issue, there have been efforts in Moroccan strategies to convert surfaceirrigation to localized one. This paper analyses the dynamics of conversion fromsurface irrigation to drip irrigation in Fez-Meknes region (north-eastern Morocco)through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) on socio-technicaltransitions. MLP framework suggests that transitions are the results of dialecticinteractions among a niche (cf. novelty of drip irrigation), a regime (cf. traditionalsystem of surface irrigation) and the socio-technical landscape (e.g. policies). MLPwas complemented with a multi-capital approach to better assess transitionimpacts. Results show that the area equipped with drip irrigation in Fez-Meknesregion increased from 2174 ha in 2008 to 39290 ha in 2016. Different programshave been implemented in the framework of the Green Morocco Plan to fosterirrigation transition e.g. the National Irrigation Water Saving Program (PNEEI),launched in 2007, aims to convert 550,000 ha to localized irrigation (e.g. dripirrigation) in 15 years. Thanks to these programs, financial and technical supporthas been provided to farmers to promote the adoption of water-saving irrigationtechniques and practices. Farm-level results show that transition to localizedirrigation decreases irrigation water use, increases yields and profitability (cf. grossmargin per ha), and improves water productivity. Despite an enabling policylandscape and positive transition impacts, surface irrigation is still maintained inthe region and farmers are reluctant to change for many reasons (e.g. age andeducation level, unclear land tenure, financial and administrative difficulties).Efforts are still needed to train farmers on irrigation scheduling and on the use ofsmart irrigation techniques to save water. Further research is required to betterunderstand current bottlenecks in the irrigation transition process and designappropriate and context-specific transition governance strategies.

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