Evaluating micro-irrigation system performance through assessment of farmers' satisfaction: implications for adoption, longevity, and water use efficiency

Water use efficiency is a main research target in agriculture, which consumes 70% of global freshwater. This study aimed at identifying sustainable water management strategies for the lettuce crop in a semi-arid climate. Three independent experiments were carried out on a commercial variety of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by applying different irrigation levels based on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), estimated through both the Hargreaves–Samani and Penman–Monteith equations. In the first experiment, one treatment was also guided by soil moisture sensors. In the second and third experiments, a factorial combination was used, combining the different irrigation levels with two soil mulching treatments, namely soil without mulch, and soil mulched with dried rice straw residues. The application of different irrigation levels significantly affected plant growth, yield, and physiology. Both the adoption of sensors for guiding irrigation and the application of mulching with straw promoted higher yield. As the irrigation water level was reduced, the WUE (water use efficiency) increased. WUE was also increased by covering the soil with mulch. The experiments point out that accurate management of irrigation water using a drip irrigation system associated with soil mulching increases yield and improves the WUE of lettuce crops in the Central Dry Zone, Myanmar.

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Effect of irrigation regime and method of strip irrigation system on yield, yield components and water use efficiency of cotton under drought stress conditions of Orzouiyeh region of Kerman province in Iran

Scientific Research and Essays ◽

10.5897/sre11.1435 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (27) ◽

Author(s):

Rasoul Asadi

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Yield Components ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Stress Conditions ◽

Irrigation Regime ◽

Use Efficiency

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A survey of water use efficiency on irrigated dairy farms in northern Victoria

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea02234 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 131 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

C. J. Linehan ◽

D. P. Armstrong ◽

P. T. Doyle ◽

F. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Milk Production ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Survey Period ◽

Irrigation Systems ◽

Water Right ◽

Use Efficiency

Water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated dairy systems has been defined, in this paper, as the amount of milk (kg milk fat plus protein) produced from pasture per megalitre of water (irrigation plus effective rainfall). A�farm survey was conducted for the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons in the Goulburn Irrigation System (GIS) and Murray Irrigation System (MIS) when the irrigation water allocated to irrigators in the GIS was low (100–120% of water right compared with the MIS which was 130 and 200% of water right). These data were analysed in conjunction with information collected on the same farms in the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons when the irrigation water allocated to irrigators in both systems was above 150% of water right (Armstrong et al. 1998, 2000). The aim of the survey was to determine if the management decisions made by dairy farmers in seasons of low irrigation water allocations had an impact on WUE.Milk production averaged across the 2 irrigation systems increased significantly over the 5-year period (57 540–75 040 kg milk fat + protein per farm). Over the same period the amount of irrigation water applied (GIS�7.6 ML/ha, MIS 9.2 ML/ha) and the milking area (GIS 72 ha, MIS 73 ha) remained constant. The amount of concentrates fed per cow (GIS 650–1100 kg DM, MIS 480–860 kg DM) and per farm (GIS 119–228 t DM, MIS�72–157 t DM) increased, but pasture consumption (GIS 8.9–9.5 t DM/ha, MIS 9.1–9.7 t DM/ha) did not increase significantly over the survey period. Therefore, the increase in milk production appeared to come primarily from an increase in supplementary feeding rather than an increase in pasture consumption, resulting in no significant change in WUE in either system (GIS 66 kg milk fat + protein/ML, MIS 61 kg milk fat + protein/ML).The survey results indicate that despite varying water allocations in the 2 major irrigation systems in northern Victoria, milk production on farms in both systems increased while changes in WUE could not be detected by the methods used. This suggests tactical options to increase WUE in response to short-term changes in water allocation were either difficult to implement or not a priority in a business sense.

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Irrigation management strategy for Prata-type banana

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental ◽

10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v20n9p817-822 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 817-822 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marcelo R. dos Santos ◽

Sérgio L. R. Donato ◽

Lilian L. Lourenço ◽

Tânia S. Silva ◽

Mauricio A. Coelho Filho

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Management Strategy ◽

Reference Evapotranspiration ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Crop Coefficient ◽

Mother And Daughter ◽

Production Cycles ◽

Use Efficiency

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyze different irrigation strategies in two cultivars of the banana crop. The study was conducted in four production cycles of ‘Prata-Anã’ and ‘BRS Platina’ bananas. The applied irrigation depths (ID) were obtained by the model ID = K x LA x ETo, where K is an empirical transpiration constant of 0.20; 0.35; 0.50 and 0.65 for the strategies 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively; LA is the leaf area of mother and daughter plants of ‘Prata-Anã’ and ETo is the reference evapotranspiration. The strategy 5 was obtained according to the crop evapotranspiration, ETc = ETo x Kc, where Kc is the crop coefficient. Drip irrigation system was used, with two laterals per plant row and emitters with flow rate of 8 L h-1, spaced at 0.50 m. It was found that ‘Prata-Anã’ is more efficient than ‘BRS Platina’ in terms of water use and the model for irrigation management, ID = 0.35 x LA x ETo, is recommended to optimize water use by ‘Prata-Anã’ and ‘BRS Platina’ bananas, with increase in water use efficiency and maintenance of yield. The same model, with K coefficient equal to 0.50, makes it possible to obtain yield and water use efficiency equal to those obtained with irrigation management based on the ETc.

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Improvement of Economic Water Productivity of Cucumber by using Soil Water Retention Technology under Subsurface Trickle Irrigation System

Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences ◽

10.33261/jaaru.2019.26.3.008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 68-72

Author(s):

Fatima Sadoon Mushab ◽

Sabah Anwer Almasraf

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Retention ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Trickle Irrigation ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Use Efficiency

Subsurface soil water retention (SWRT) is a recent technology for increasing the crop yield, water use efficiency and then the water productivity with less amount of applied water. The goal of this research was to evaluate the existing of SWRT with the influence of surface and subsurface trickle irrigation on economic water productivity of cucumber crop. Field study was carried out at the Hawr Rajab district of Baghdad governorate from October 1st, to December 31st, 2017. Three experimental treatments were used, treatment plot T1 using SWRT with subsurface trickle irrigation, plot T2 using SWRT with surface trickle irrigation, while plot T3 without using SWRT and using surface tickle irrigation system. The obtained results showed that the economic water productivity in plot T1 was greater than plots T2 and T3. The increasing value was about 65 % and 124 %, respectively. The benefit of the installing SWRT along with subsurface trickle irrigation in the crop root zone assisted to keep the water, nutrients and fertilizers during the root zone profile, improving the field water use efficiency and then the parameter of water productivity.

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Nitrate Leaching, Yields, and Water-use Efficiency of Zucchini Squash (Cucubita pepo) under Different Irrigation and Nitrogen Rates and Methods in a Sandy Soil

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.4.988b ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 988B-988

Author(s):

Lincoln Zotarelli ◽

Johannes Scholberg ◽

Michael Dukes ◽

Hannah Snyder ◽

Eric Simonne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Nitrate Leaching ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Control Treatment ◽

N Leaching ◽

Use Efficiency

On sandy soils, potential N contamination of groundwater resources associated with intensively managed vegetables may hamper the sustainability of these systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between irrigation system design/scheduling and N fertilization rates on zucchini production and potential N leaching. Zucchini was planted during Fall 2005 using three N fertilizer rates (73, 145, 217 kg/ha) and four different irrigation approaches. Irrigation scheduling included surface-applied drip irrigation and fertigation: SUR1 (141 mm applied) and SUR2 (266 mm) using irrigation control system (QIC) that allowed time-based irrigation (up to five events per day) and a threshold setting of 13% and 15% volumetric water content (VWC), respectively; Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) using a QIC setting of 10% VWC (116 mm) combined with surface applied fertigation; and a control treatment with irrigation applied once daily (424 mm). Leacheate volumes were measured by drainage lysimeters. Nitrate leaching increased with irrigation rate and N rate and measured values ranged from 4 to 42 kg N/ha. Use of SDI greatly reduced nitrate leaching compared to other treatments. SDI and SUR1 treatments had no effect on yields (29 Mg/ha). However, SDI had a 15% and 479% higher water use efficiency (WUE) compared to SUR1 and the fixed irrigation duration treatment. Application of N in excess of intermediate N-rate (standard recommendation) did not increase yield but yield was reduced at the lowest N-rate. It is concluded that combining sensor-based SDI with surface applied fertigation resulted similar or higher yields while it reduced both water use and potential N leaching because of improved nutrient retention in the active root zone.

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Does furrow irrigation system improve yield and water use efficiency of Kinnow mandarin (citrus reticulate blanco)?

International Journal of Agricultural Extension ◽

10.33687/008.03.3381 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed Raza ◽

Imtiaz A. Warraich ◽

Muhammad A. Nawaz ◽

Muhammad Asim ◽

Abdul Aziz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Water Saving ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Furrow Irrigation ◽

Flood Irrigation ◽

Moisture Condition ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Kinnow Mandarin

In Pakistan, orchards are irrigated using flood irrigation system that is considered sub-economical regarding water use efficiency. Considering the importance of natural water resources, there was a need to devise the method of applying irrigation water that would save water consumption, environmentally friendly and easily adopted by the growers. Thus, a research trial was conducted at Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha, Pakistan on 0.41 ha area of Kinnow mandarin. The total area was divided into two parts, half of the area was used for furrow irrigation system and the remaining half was used for flood irrigation system. Tensiometers were installed in the soil in furrow and flood irrigation system to assess the moisture condition in the soil. Irrigations were applied when tensiometer readings reached 40 centibars. The quantity of water used for irrigation was measured with a flume meter and then percentage of water saving was calculated. The study revealed that furrow irrigation system significantly improved the number of fruits per tree (1153), fruit yield (179.89 kg per plant) and juice percentage (48.38%) compared with flood irrigation system where the number of fruits per tree were711, fruit yield was 110.61 kg per plant and juice percentage was 46.31%. However, TSS/acidity ratio, and peel and rag percentage were not affected by the different irrigation systems. In furrow irrigation system 24 irrigations were applied per year with average water saving of 46.14% and water use efficiency (WUE) was 4.58 kg m-3 whereas in flood irrigation system average numbers of irrigations were 15 per year and WUE was 2.34 kg m-3only. Therefore, furrow irrigation system is recommended for the citrus growers to improve the water use efficiency, yield and fruit quality of Kinnow mandarin.

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