scholarly journals Adapatation of Sowing Date for Improving Sorghum Yield in Rainfed Areas in Sudan Using AQUACROP Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
Mohammed Abd Almahamoud Alshikh ◽  
Hassn Ibrahim M. ◽  
Salah Abdel Rahman Salih ◽  
Ali Hussien Kadhim ◽  
Khalid Abd Almageed M.
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
World Population ◽  
Aquacrop Model ◽  
Rain Fall

Due to the rapid growth in world population, the pressure on water resources to feed the growing population is increasing. The Nile water share of Sudan is almost exploited; and agricultural production by rained water is threatened by the pressure of climate change. It is inevitable that the production per unit water consumed, the water productivity, must be increased to meet this challenge. This research therefore focuses on the benchmarking of physical water productivity in rain fed areas and gaining a better understanding of the temporal and spatial variations and the scope for possible improvement. A review of the available records and sources that provide measurements of crop-water productivity was consulted to assess plausible ranges of water productivity levels for rain fed Sorghum crop and to provide a first explanation for the differences that are found using AQUACROP model. As such this study may be considered as crucial step was to establish a water productivity database for the rain fed sorghum crop in the country. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) which is the most important cereal crop in Sudan has been constrained by the detrimental effect of drought which has often caused food shortages. Almost 90% of the total sorghum cropped area is rain-fed, and 60% of that is in drought prone soil conditions. Spatial information on water use, crop production and water productivity will play a vital role for water managers to assess where scarce water resources are wasted and where in a given region the water productivity can be improved. Hence, a methodology has been developed in this study to quantify spatial variation of crop yield, evapotranspiration and water productivity using the AQUACROP model in five stations. The AQUACROP model is used to investigate optimum sowing date that result in maximization of grain yield.Benchmarking of rain fed Sorghum actual and potential grain efficiency in different agro-climate zones was made for the year 1979 to 2013. AQUACROP model was applied at five locations (Gedaref, Damazin, Dalang, El Fashir, and El Obyied) each representing an agro-climate zone. Causes of poor yield performance were investigated and consequently measures needed to improve performance were identified. The study indicates that increase in sorghum yields under historical climate conditions in the different studied stations is possible when early sowing is used and initial rain showers are utilized, yield decrease by 43% when sowing date is delayed from July 15 (the recommended date) to August 1. Stations with high rain fall (Damazin, Gadaref and Dalang) show little variations in inter-annual yields but with a tendency towards high yields, 3536, 3741, 3737 kg/fed for the above stations respectively compared to 2266 and 1086 kg/fed for El Obyied and El Fashir respectively at 15 June. The obtained WUE is lower in the driest regions (El Fashir, and El Obyied) and higher for those of high rain fall. To aid decision makers and crop growers in rain fed areas a set of recommendations for policy making and for future research were identified.

scholarly journals A semi-quantitative approach for modelling crop response to soil fertility: evaluation of the AquaCrop procedure

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
pp. 1218-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. VAN GAELEN ◽  
A. TSEGAY ◽  
N. DELBECQUE ◽  
N. SHRESTHA ◽  
M. GARCIA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Fertility Level ◽  
Crop Response ◽  
Aquacrop Model

SUMMARYMost crop models make use of a nutrient-balance approach for modelling crop response to soil fertility. To counter the vast input data requirements that are typical of these models, the crop water productivity model AquaCrop adopts a semi-quantitative approach. Instead of providing nutrient levels, users of the model provide the soil fertility level as a model input. This level is expressed in terms of the expected impact on crop biomass production, which can be observed in the field or obtained from statistics of agricultural production. The present study is the first to describe extensively, and to calibrate and evaluate, the semi-quantitative approach of the AquaCrop model, which simulates the effect of soil fertility stress on crop production as a combination of slower canopy expansion, reduced maximum canopy cover, early decline in canopy cover and lower biomass water productivity. AquaCrop's fertility response algorithms are evaluated here against field experiments with tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) in Ethiopia, with maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Nepal, and with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) in Bolivia. It is demonstrated that AquaCrop is able to simulate the soil water content in the root zone, and the crop's canopy development, dry above-ground biomass development, final biomass and grain yield, under different soil fertility levels, for all four crops. Under combined soil water stress and soil fertility stress, the model predicts final grain yield with a relative root-mean-square error of only 11–13% for maize, wheat and quinoa, and 34% for tef. The present study shows that the semi-quantitative soil fertility approach of the AquaCrop model performs well and that the model can be applied, after case-specific calibration, to the simulation of crop production under different levels of soil fertility stress for various environmental conditions, without requiring detailed field observations on soil nutrient content.

Improving Dryland Crop Simulation by Assimilating Soil Moisture and Vegetation Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Lu ◽  
Justin Sheffield
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Vegetation Indices ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
State Parameter ◽  
Aquacrop Model

<p>Global population is projected to keep increasing rapidly in the next 3 decades, particularly in dryland regions of the developing world, making it a global imperative to enhance crop production. However, improving current crop production in these regions is hampered by yield gaps due to poor soils, lack of irrigation and other management practices. Here we develop a crop modelling capability to help understand gaps, and apply to dryland regions where data for parametrizing and testing models is generally lacking. We present a data assimilation framework to improve simulation capability by assimilating in-situ soil moisture and vegetation data into the FAO AquaCrop model. AquaCrop is a water-driven model that simulates canopy growth, biomass and crop yield as a function of water productivity. The key strength of AquaCrop lies in the low requirement for input data thanks to its simple structure. A global sensitivity analysis is first performed using the Morris screening method and the variance-based Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (EFAST) method to identify the key influential parameters on the model outputs. We begin with state-only updates by assimilating different combinations of soil moisture and vegetation data (vegetation indices, biomass, etc.), and different filtering/smoothing assimilation strategies are tested. Based on the state-only assimilation results, we further evaluate the utility of joint state-parameter (augmented-states) assimilation in improving the model performance. The framework will eventually be extended to assimilate remote sensing estimates of soil moisture and vegetation data to overcome the lack of in-situ data more generally in dryland regions.</p>

scholarly journals THE IMPORTANCE OF QUINOA (QUINOA CHENOPODIUM WILLD.) CULTIVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A REVIEW

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-356
Author(s):  
A. FATHI ◽  
F. KARDONI
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
World Population ◽  
Cereal Grain ◽  
The World ◽  
Semi Arid

Quinoa is a dicotyledonous species for seeds and, therefore, is not known as a cereal grain and is a pseudograin, which is introduced nowadays as a new crop in the world. Population growth and the need for more food put additional pressure on the environment, especially on water resources and agronomic ecosystems. This has led to more attention to plants that grow at different latitudes and altitudes. Climatic and environmental changes affect agricultural inputs, especially water resources. So, the best way of adapting to the current situation is the introduction of low-water, salt resistant, and drought-tolerant plants to the recent climatic changes. Water scarcity has become a serious problem in many countries. This restriction has had a significant impact on the development of countries. The plants which grow in arid and semi-arid regions are often exposed to adverse environmental factors, such as drought or salinity. Salinity and drought stress, more than any other factor, decrease crop yields around the world. These two abiotic stresses are the main limiting factors for crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Quinoa is an exceptional plant that can adapt to adverse conditions and can serve as a solution to the challenge of global food security. Recent droughts that occurred in the world have prompted governments to include plants in their development plans, which are adapted to the country's existing water and soil conditions and have high nutritional value. This way, quinoa cultivation can ensure their food security in the coming years.

scholarly journals Response of drip irrigated Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) in different irrigation levels and frequencies at field level

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-16
Author(s):  
Arti Kumari ◽  
Neelam Patel ◽  
A. K. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Brassica Oleracea ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Irrigation Frequency ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Irrigation Levels

Geometric increase in population coupled with rapid urbanization, industrialization and agricultural development are causing increased pressure on global water resources. Agriculture is the largest consumer of fresh water resources, thus the scope of enhancing water productivity in agriculture is taken to be the priority area of research. The right amount and frequency of irrigation is essential for optimum use of limited water resources for crop production as well as management. A field experiment with split plot design was carried out during November to February 2015-16 at PFDC (Precision Farming Development Centre), Water Technology Centre, IARI, New Delhi to study the effect of different irrigation levels and frequencies on Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) under drip irrigation. The experiment included three levels of irrigation frequencies: N1 (once every day), N2 (once every 2 days) and N3 (once every 3 days) with different irrigation levels of 100, 80 and 60 % of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). Results revealed that drip irrigation frequency significantly (p<0.05) affected the broccoli yield. The maximum yield (24.46±0.18 t/ha) was obtained with 80% of ETc with once in 2 days irrigation followed by 100% of ETc with once in 2 days. Lowest yield (16.53±0.1 t/ha) was obtained at 60% of ETc at once in 3 days irrigation. Overall, it was observed that irrigation on 80% of ETc with once in two days is an appropriate cycle for optimum yield of broccoli.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Hydroclimatic Variability and Prospective Irrigation Strategies in the U.S. Corn Belt

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orduña-Alegria ◽  
Schütze ◽  
Niyogi
Keyword(s):  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Corn Belt ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Full Irrigation ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Irrigation Technologies ◽  
The U.S

Changes in climate, land use, and population growth has put immense pressure on the use of water resources in agriculture. Non-irrigated fields suffer from variable water stress, leading to an increase in the implementation of irrigation technologies, thus stressing the need to analyze diverse irrigation practices. An evaluation of 17 sites in the U.S. Corn Belt for two temporal climaticconditions was carried out. It consisted of the analysis of critical hydroclimatic parameters, and the evaluation of seven diverse irrigation strategies using the Deficit Irrigation Toolbox. The strategies included rainfed, full irrigation, and several optimizations of deficit irrigation. The results show a significant change in the hydroclimatic parameters mainly by increased temperature and potential evapotranspiration, and a decrease in precipitation with an increase in intense short rainfall events. Consequently, the simulations indicated the potential of deficit irrigation optimization strategies to increase water productivity above full irrigation and rainfed conditions. In particular, GET-OPTIS for wet soil conditions and the Decision Tables for dry soil conditions seasons. The presentstudy highlights the contributions of atypical weather to crop production and the implications for future management options, and allows specialized regionalization studies with the optimal irrigation strategy.

scholarly journals Water resource development and management for agricultural sustainability

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Zaman ◽  
Parveen Zaman ◽  
Sagar Maitra
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Rainfed Farming

Agricultural production can only be sustained on a long term basis if the land, water and forests on which it is based are not degraded further. Improvements in water resources management are essential to raise agricultural productivity and reduce land degradation and water pollution.  Salinization, alkalization and water logging should be addressed by a more careful approach to drainage and the regulation of water quantities through efficient use of irrigation water, which require that water be applied to growing crops at appropriate times and in adequate. The integrated management of water resources could only be possible through adoption of efficient and optimum use of irrigation water, which could only be ensured by judicious and economic use of irrigation potential whatsoever created to increase crop production. The integrated water resources management also includes the concept of rainwater management that has got an immense important on the way to develop the rainfed farming system. It has got relevancy particularly in installing small-scale irrigation system based on farmers’ participatory approach for sustainable crop production for maintaining sustainable growth and development of agriculture. Modern irrigation techniques like sprinkler and drip should be promoted when water is scarce and the topographic and soil conditions do not permit efficient irrigation by conventional methods.  Promotions of such water saving devices should be an objective of the national water policy.  Water resource management is a integrated and multidisciplinary activity, managing irrigation water that needs agronomy and crop husbandry, efficient methods and system of irrigation needs soils scientists and engineers. More than 98% of the irrigated lands are under the coverage of surface irrigation where more than 50% of water as considered as wastages wherein effective minimization of wastage of water used for irrigation and application of right quantity of water at right time will be the key to successful management of this crucial resource. So question of judicious management of water is pertinent while prioritizing researchable issues became of national importance.

Drought tolerant quinoa and irrigation scheduling in the Sahel

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Alvar
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Alternative Crop ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Aquacrop Model ◽  
Maximum Water

&lt;p&gt;Quinoa&amp;#8217;s resilience to drought stress conditions makes the crop suitable for the Sahel. It can support grain production during the dry season and can be considered an alternative crop for alleviating food insecurity within the region. The modelling of quinoa in new environments, beyond its origin, is required given its rapid worldwide expansion. Crop water models are of interest as pressure on water resources is growing and irrigation scheduling is portrayed as the best option for water optimisation. The AquaCrop model is used to simulate crop&amp;#8217;s development and derives optimal frequencies and net applications of irrigation. Due to limited water resources in the region, different irrigation schedules (i.e. full irrigation (FI), progressive drought (PD), deficit irrigation (DI) and extreme deficit irrigation (EDI)) are proposed for analysing yield and biomass responses to water stress conditions. Quinoa yields are stabilised under PD, thereby prioritising maximum water productivity rather than maximum yields. When comparing to FI, PD simulations show a 13 % yield reduction (0.97 Mg ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; for FI vs. 0.85 Mg ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; for PD), but water savings are as much as 25 % (415 mm for FI vs. 307 mm for PD). Water optimisation is reached by watering less (310 mm) but with more frequent irrigation events (28 rather than 20). The accuracy of model&amp;#8217;s simulations, as normalised-root-mean-square-error (NRMSE), is of 13.1 % for biomass and 13.6 % for grain yield (average of calibration and validation treatments).&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Irrigation Management in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1504
Author(s):  
Koffi Djaman ◽  
Suat Irmak ◽  
Komlan Koudahe ◽  
Samuel Allen
Keyword(s):  
Solanum Tuberosum ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Potato Yield ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Irrigation Methods ◽  
Response To Water ◽  
The Impact

Limited water resources coupled with the increase of the human population calls for more efficient use of water in irrigated agriculture. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most widely grown crops worldwide and is very sensitive to water stress due to its shallow rooting system. With the dilemma of potato sensitivity to drought and limited available water resources restricting crop production, researchers and crop growers have been investigating different approaches for optimizing potato yield and improving crop water use efficiency under different irrigation methods. While potato response to water is affected by other management practices such as fertilizer management, the present review is focused on the potato response to water under different environments and different irrigation methods and the impact on potato quality and potato diseases. Variable results obtained from research studies indicate the non-transferability of the results from one location to another as potato cultivars are not the same and potato breeders are still making effort to develop new high-yielding varieties to increase crop production and or develop new varieties for a specific trait to satisfy consumers exigence. This review is a valuable source of information for potato growers and scientists as it is not only focused on the impact of irrigation regimes on potato yield and water productivity as most reviews on water management, but it also presents the impact of irrigation regime on diseases in potatoes, tuber specific gravity, metabolite content of the tubers and the quality of the processed potato products.

Novel crop science to improve yield and resource use efficiency in water-limited agriculture

2010 ◽  
Vol 149 (S1) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. DAVIES ◽  
J. ZHANG ◽  
J. YANG ◽  
I. C. DODD
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
World Population ◽  
Use Efficiency

SUMMARYGlobally, agriculture accounts for 0·80–0·90 of all freshwater used by humans and, in many crop production systems, this water use is unsustainable. The current paper focuses on the potential exploitation of novel drought stress biology in both crop improvement programmes and via changed crop management practices. The aim is to deliver ‘more crop per drop’. In order to respond to the challenge of feeding a world population of seven billion and growing, it is concluded that an interdisciplinary approach is needed involving new genetic opportunities and plant breeding. It is also shown how crop management can exploit the drought stress physiology of plants to deliver improved water productivity without sacrificing crop yield.

scholarly journals A Review on the Effect of Soil Compaction and its Management for Sustainable Crop Production

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Rayhan Shaheb ◽  
Ramarao Venkatesh ◽  
Scott A. Shearer
Keyword(s):  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Heavy Machinery ◽  
Sustainable Crop Production

Abstract Purpose Sustainable crop production could contribute to feed and fuel for the ever-increasing global population. The use of heavy agricultural machinery has improved the efficiency of farming operations and increased global food production since the 1950s. But their negative impact on soil includes changing soil structure resulting in deteriorating soil productivity and environmental quality is being noticed for several decades. The purpose of this review is to summarize and help to better understand the effect of heavy machinery, tire inflation pressure, and field traffic on soil properties and crop development, yield, and economics of different farming systems published in the last 20 years. Methods Search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online, Taylor & Francis Online, Academia, and Research Gate platforms were used to collect and review the articles. This review includes indexed journals, conference and symposium proceedings, reports, academic presentations, and thesis/dissertations. Results Soil compaction increases bulk density and soil strength and reduces soil porosity and soil hydraulic properties. Stunted plant root growth due to compaction of soil affects crop growth and development, and yield. Soil compaction resulting from heavy machinery traffic caused a significant crop yield reduction of as much as 50% or even more, depending upon the magnitude and the severity of compaction of the soil. Conclusions High gross weight vehicles/machinery traffic damages soil structure and soil environment that are critical for sustainable crop production. The use of heavy machinery such as subsoiling for removing soil compaction results in more fuel use, increased use of energy, cost, and sometimes risks of re-compaction, further deteriorating soil conditions and causing additional adverse environmental consequences. The economics of different farming systems affected by soil compaction, potential soil compaction management strategies, and future research needs have also been discussed.

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