scholarly journals Agro-ecological landuse transformation in oasis systems of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, northern Oman

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Buerkert ◽  
Bryan Adam Dix ◽  
Mohamed Nasser Al Rawahi ◽  
Eva Schlecht

AbstractThe millenia-old oasis systems in the Western Hajar Mountains of Northern Oman have received widespread attention as models of sustainable irrigated agriculture in hyperarid Arabia. Given Oman’s rampant urbanization, growing scarcity of water and skilled labour, we quantified chances in water use, land use, and land cover between 2007 and 2018 using a rare time-series approach of detailed GIS-based crop mapping. Results from satellite image analysis and comprehensive ground truthing showed that urban areas grew from 206 ha in 2009 to 230 ha in 2014 and 252 ha in 2018. Throughout this decade, irrigated areas in backyards and front-house gardens of the town, planted largely to tree crops and vegetables, increased from 13.5 to 23.3 ha. Between 2007 and 2018 the actively used area of the studied oasis systems declined by 2.0% and the share of perennial crops without underplanting by 5.1%, while land under agroforestry increased by 2.1% and fallow land by 3.5%. Rising water demand of the sprawling town Sayh Qatanah led to terraces of Al ‘Ayn and Ash Sharayjah now being partly irrigated with treated wastewater which accelerated the abandonment of the old settlement structures. The labour- and water use efficiency-driven transformation of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar oasis agriculture into increasingly market-oriented landuse systems questions its function as example of sustainable, bio-cultural heritage of Arabia.

2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 3035-3039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Bin Qi ◽  
Zong Dong Huang ◽  
Dong Mei Qiao ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
Zhi Juan Zhao ◽  
...  

Agriculture is a big consumer of fresh water in competition with other sectors of the society. The agricultural sector continues to have a negative impact on the ecological status of the environment. The worlds interest in high quality food is increasing. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of subsurface drip irrigation on physiological responses, yield and water use efficiency, Soil nitrogen, Root weight density of potato in the semi-humid region of middle China using subsurface drip irrigation. The experiment used second-stage treated wastewater with and without addition of chloride, and both subsurface drip and furrow irrigations were investigated. Results indicated that the alternate partial root-zone irrigation is a practicable water-saving strategy for potato. The drip with chlorinated and non-chlorinated water improved water use efficiency by 21.48% and 39.1%, respectively, and 44.1% in the furrow irrigation. Partial root zone drying irrigation stimulates potato root growth and enhances root density. The content of the heavy metal in the potato tubers is no more than the National Food Requirements, and it is consistent with National Food Hygiene Stands.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Jabro ◽  
Bart Stevens ◽  
bill Iversen ◽  
brett Allen ◽  
Upendra Sainju

<p>Better management practices have been used to increase soil water storage and reduce evaporation from the soil surface to optimize crop water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated agriculture. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of  conventional tillage (CT), No-till (NT) and strip tillage (ST) practices on yield, water use (WU) and WUE of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) on a clay loam soil under over-head sprinkler irrigation system in the northern Great Plains. Tillage treatments were replicated five times in a randomized block design. Seasonal WU and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose yield were determined for the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons according to the water balance and WUE equations under three tillage practices. Results showed that no significant differences due to tillage treatment were found for crop WU, root yield, sucrose yield, and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. In 2019, the average value of WU across three tillage systems (616 mm) was significantly greater relative to 2018 (468 mm) due to atypical large rainfalls (218mm) occurred in September of 2019. Consequently, WUE values for both root and sucrose yield in 2019 under CT, NT, and ST were significantly greater than those in 2018. While NT and ST practices are promising alternative to CT for agricultural production in this region, further research is needed prior to making any recommendation.</p>


HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 730-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Rouphael ◽  
Mariateresa Cardarelli ◽  
Giuseppe Colla ◽  
Elvira Rea

Limited water supply in the Mediterranean region is a major problem in irrigated agriculture. Grafting may enhance drought resistance, plant water use efficiency, and plant growth. An experiment was conducted in two consecutive growing seasons to determine yield, plant growth, fruit quality, leaf gas exchange, water relations, macroelements content in fruits and leaves, and water use efficiency of mini-watermelon plants [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai cv. Ingrid], either ungrafted or grafted onto the commercial rootstock ‘PS 1313’ (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne), under open field conditions. Irrigation treatments were 1.0, 0.75, and 0.5 evapotranspiration rates. In both years (2006 and 2007), marketable yield decreased linearly in response to an increase in water stress. When averaged over year and irrigation rate, the total and marketable yields were higher by 115% and 61% in grafted than in ungrafted plants, respectively. The fruit quality parameters of grafted mini-watermelons such as fruit dry matter and total soluble solids content were similar in comparison with those of ungrafted plants, whereas titratable acidity, K, and Mg concentrations improved significantly. In both grafting combinations, yield water use efficiency (WUEy) increased under water stress conditions with higher WUE values recorded in grafted than ungrafted plants. The concentration of N, K, and Mg in leaves was higher by 7.4%, 25.6%, and 38.8%, respectively, in grafted than in ungrafted plants. The net assimilation of CO2, stomatal conductance, relative water content, leaf, and osmotic potential decreased under water stress conditions. The sensitivity to water stress was similar between grafted and ungrafted plants, and the higher marketable yield from grafted plants was mainly the result of an improvement in nutritional status and higher CO2 assimilation and water uptake from the soil.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Connellan

Achieving high water use efficiency in maintaining turf, trees and landscape areas is a core responsibility of open space managers. Water Use Efficiency for Irrigated Turf and Landscape provides a logical and scientifically sound approach to irrigation in urban areas in Australia. It is based on green space delivering defined outcomes using the principles of water sensitive urban design and irrigation efficiency. The book covers all stages of the water pathway – from the source to delivery into the plant root zone. Major topics include system planning, estimating water demand, water quality, irrigation systems, soil management and irrigation performance evaluation. Clearly presented explanations are included, as well as line drawings and worked examples, and a plant water use database covering more than 250 plant species. A Water Management Planning template is included to guide water managers and operators through a process that will deliver a sound plan to achieve sustainable turf, urban trees and landscapes. Best Management Practice Irrigation principles are outlined and their implementation in open space turf and landscape situations is explained. The benefits and limitations of the various methods of delivering water to plants are covered, together with case studies and guidelines for specific horticultural situations. Methodologies to evaluate irrigated sites are included along with recommended benchmark values. The book presents the latest irrigation technology, including developments in water application, control technology and environmental sensors such as weather stations, soil moisture sensors and rain sensors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar Soothar ◽  
Ashutus Singha ◽  
Shakeel Ahmed Soomro ◽  
Azhar-u-ddin Chachar ◽  
Faiza Kalhoro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Climate change and increasing demand in non-agricultural sectors profoundly affect the availability and quality of water resources for irrigated agriculture. The FAO AquaCrop simulation model provides a sound theoretical framework to investigate crop yield response to environmental stress. This model has successfully simulated crop growth and yield as influenced by varying soil moisture environments for crops. Integrating crop models that simulate the effects of water on crop yield with targeted experimentation can facilitate the development of irrigation strategies for high yield procurement and improving farm level water management and water use efficiency (WUE) under climatic condition of District Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Results This study was based on completely randomized block design with three treatments including T1 (30% soil moisture depletion), T2 (50% soil moisture depletion) and T3 (70% soil moisture depletion) with three replicates. In order to determine the crop water requirements under desired treatments, the gypsum blocks were used for computing the daily soil moisture depletion. The result shows that total volume of water applied to crop under T1, T2 and T3 was 9689, 5200 and 2045 m3 ha−1, respectively. As a result, the grain yield under T1, T2 and T3 was 13.2, 12.1 and 14.3 t ha−1, respectively. These results advocate that total yield of crop under T1 and T2 was less as compared to T3. The T3 gave higher yield and WUE compared than other treatments. On the other hand, results revealed that the simulated sunflower yields showed a good agreement with their measured under T3. The simulated grain yield was 15.5 t ha−1, while the measured yield varied from 12.1 to 14.3 t ha−1. This study suggested that WUE under T3 was more as compared to T1 and T2. The results showed that the T3 gave the highest crop yield in relation to WUE and optimize yield of sunflower crop under water scarcity. Conclusion The Aquacrop model could very well predict crop yield and WUE at T3 under experiential region for sunflower production.


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