Spatio-temporal distribution of irrigation water productivity and its driving factors for cereal crops in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China

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.

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Physiological characteristics and irrigation water productivity of quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) in response to deficit irrigation imposed at different growing stages—A field study from Southern Iran

Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science ◽

10.1111/jac.12392 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 206 (3) ◽

pp. 390-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Fatemeh Razzaghi ◽

Mohammad Reza Bahadori-Ghasroldashti ◽

Signe Henriksen ◽

Ali Reza Sepaskhah ◽

Sven‐Erik Jacobsen

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Chenopodium Quinoa ◽

Physiological Characteristics ◽

Southern Iran ◽

Irrigation Water Productivity

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Water Productivity Evaluation under Multi-GCM Projections of Climate Change in Oases of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16101706 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 1706 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Liu Liu ◽

Zezhong Guo ◽

Guanhua Huang ◽

Ruotong Wang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Northwest China ◽

Hexi Corridor ◽

Heihe River Basin ◽

Heihe River ◽

Crop Water ◽

The Heihe River Basin

As the second largest inland river basin situated in the middle of the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China, the Heihe River basin (HRB) has been facing a severe water shortage problem, which seriously restricts its green and sustainable development. The evaluation of climate change impact on water productivity inferred by crop yield and actual evapotranspiration is of significant importance for water-saving in agricultural regions. In this study, the multi-model projections of climate change under the three Representative Concentration Pathways emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) were used to drive an agro-hydrological model to evaluate the crop water productivity in the middle irrigated oases of the HRB from 2021–2050. Compared with the water productivity simulation based on field experiments during 2012–2015, the projected water productivity in the two typical agricultural areas (Gaotai and Ganzhou) both exhibited an increasing trend in the future 30 years, which was mainly attributed to the significant decrease of the crop water consumption. The water productivity in the Gaotai area under the three RCP scenarios during 2021–2050 increased by 9.2%, 14.3%, and 11.8%, while the water productivity increased by 15.4%, 21.6%, and 19.9% in the Ganzhou area, respectively. The findings can provide useful information on the Hexi Corridor and the Belt and Road to policy-makers and stakeholders for sustainable development of the water-ecosystem-economy system.

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