Participatory Management of Irrigation System in North Eastern Region of India

The demand of water by various competing sectors, such as industry, power, drinking and irrigation, is increasing while the supply of available fresh water remains the same. This calls for efficient use of water in all sectors especially irrigation, which consumes the highest amount of water in India. Due to recurrence of drought and flood India suffered from famine, so after the Independence the government has rigorously pursued the construction of irrigation dams to increase agricultural production and meet the increasing demand of food. Construction of dams was given priority than management of irrigation projects. But due to a large gap between irrigation potential created and irrigation potential utilized, there was a paradigm shift in the irrigation sector. As a result, the concept of participatory irrigation management (PIM) was widely spread through seminars, National Water Policies and specific irrigation Command Area Development (CAD) programme. The first National Water Policy in 1987 and the subsequent policies had provisions for involvement of farmers in irrigation management for efficient use of irrigation water. Many states in India implemented PIM Act under the policy. It also applies to the northeastern region (NE region) of India. This region has a traditional irrigation system such as bamboo drip irrigation in Meghalaya, water conservation among the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh, zabo system of Nagaland and dong irrigation among the Bodos of Assam which are traditionally managed by the farmers. This article examines the farmers’ participation in irrigation management in the NE region. It attempts to highlight the changes of PIM policies, involvement of farmers or the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) in irrigation management, constraints and suggest ways to strengthen them for efficient use of irrigation water in the NE region of India.

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Participatory Irrigation Management and its Financial Viability: A Case Study

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v38i4iipp.629-640 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 38 (4II) ◽

pp. 629-640

Author(s):

Waqar A. Jehangir ◽

M. Mudasser ◽

Zakir Hussain

Keyword(s):

World Bank ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Cropping Intensity ◽

Revenue Collection ◽

Participatory Irrigation Management ◽

Deferred Maintenance ◽

The Government

Water is a key input of agriculture. In the past, the area under cultivation was small and there was less stress on farmers to grow more and more of each crop. Water was considered a free good. The situation has changed since. The increase in cropping intensity has led to a rise in the demand for irrigation water. Water is not a free good any more. The provision of irrigation water to the farmer’s fields is going to be costlier. The Government of Pakistan is spending heavily on the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system yet shortage of funds is a major reason for deferred maintenance, which threatens the operational integrity of the irrigation system [World Bank (1988) and Haq (1995)]. The shortfall in O&M funding was estimated to be more than 24 percent in 1993 [World Bank (1994)]. As poor O&M has direct effect on the productivity of agriculture, indirectly it affects the whole economy [Carruthers (1981)]. The allocation of funds for the increasing O&M costs is becoming a problem for the Government of Pakistan with every successive year. One logical answer to this problem is to increase abiana1 fees from the users of irrigation water supplies. The revenue collected through abiana may be used for O&M purposes, but it has been reported that the revenue collection is far less than the expenditures incurred. Resultantly the gap has been increasing every year [Chaudhry (1989)].

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Participatory irrigation water management in the Jordan Valley

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2007.051 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 305-322 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amer Salman ◽

Emad Al-Karablieh ◽

Hans-Jochen Regner ◽

Heinz-Peter Wolff ◽

Munther Haddadin

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Water Shortage ◽

Wastewater Management ◽

Jordan Valley ◽

Irrigation Water Management ◽

Water Users ◽

Participatory Irrigation Management ◽

The Government

This paper reviews Jordan's relatively short experience gained since participatory irrigation management (PIM), was introduced with due consideration of the traditional social and cultural merits. The introduction of PIM was a meaningful partial shift in the paradigm of operation of the Jordan Valley irrigation system that has been undertaken by government agencies since its staged implementation between 1960 and 1988. The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, among other responsibilities, is the current government agency in charge of operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. The advantages of the introduced mode of operation, the PIM, especially in an environment of perpetual irrigation water shortage, are presented. The paper further discusses the multi-dimensional facets of PIM expressed by the representation of users’ community and by the level of representation as well as the interaction between the targeted groups and the government and highlights the virtues of “learning while implementing” in which midcourse corrections can be made in order to arrive at a state of equilibrium between the various stakeholders. The adoption of traditional cooperation as a basis for setting up water users associations (WUAs), is presented. The emergence of PIM as a competitor to management contracts adopted in municipal water and wastewater management in Jordan is touched upon and the dynamics of PIM application in the Jordan Valley, including the division of labor between the WUAs and JVA, is described.

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Nepal: Food Security, a Localized Institutional Irrigation Perspective on Public Irrigation Systems

Hydro Nepal Journal of Water Energy and Environment ◽

10.3126/hn.v11i1.7223 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 95-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Upendra Gautam

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Institutional Development ◽

Resource Base ◽

Irrigation Systems ◽

Irrigated Area ◽

Social Insecurity ◽

The Government ◽

Agriculture Extension

Oriental philosophers have given top priority to food for orderly state affairs as well as personal wellbeing. In past, Nepal had a strong agricultural economy based on indigenous Farmer Managed Irrigation System (FMIS). State policy helped promote these systems. But contemporary Nepal opted for state control on irrigation water by building large scale public irrigation systems. In the last 43 years of planned development (1957-2002), the government has spent 70% of US$1.3 billion on these systems, covering 30% of the irrigated area in the country; the remaining 70% is with the FMIS. Despite the investment, these systems neither promoted themselves as an enterprise nor helped enhance agricultural productivity leading to social insecurity. This social insecurity is reflected in the country's increasing import of food, mass workforce exodus for employment abroad, and added socio-economic vulnerability due to climate change.Donor and government recommendations centered on (i) expansion of irrigated area, (ii) irrigation management transfer, and (iii) agriculture extension seem to have failed in Nepal. These failures asked for alternative institutional development solutions, whereas public irrigation systems are (i) localized to establish system's operational autonomy with ownership and governance, (ii) treated as a rich resource-base with water, land and labor, and (iii) recognized as cooperative enterprise of local stakeholders by law with authorities to enter into joint actions with relevant partners for promoting commercialization and environmental quality of irrigated agriculture.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v11i1.7223 Hydro Nepal Special Issue: Conference Proceedings 2012 pp.95-99

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Analisis Rasio Prestasi Manajemen Irigasi pada Distribusi Air di Subak Kabupaten Tabanan

Jurnal BETA (Biosistem dan Teknik Pertanian) ◽

10.24843/jbeta.2020.v08.i02.p13 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 290

Author(s):

Yuda Arnanda ◽

I Wayan Tika ◽

Ida Ayu Luh Gede Bintang Madrini

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Water Distribution ◽

Local Community ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Survey Method ◽

Irrigation Area ◽

Water Supply Management ◽

Principles Of Justice

Sistem subak adalah merupakan salah satu bentuk sistem irigasi yang mampu mengakomodasikan dinamika sistem sosio-teknis masyarakat setempat. Air irigasi dikelola dengan prinsip-prinsip keadilan, keterbukaan, harmoni dan kebersamaan, melalui suatu organisasi yang fleksibel yang sesuai dengan kepentingan masyarakat. Sistem irigasi erat kaitannya tentang pendistribusian air irigasi pada subak yang berdasarkan luas lahan. Salah satu aspek yang akan dinilai dalam sistem irigasi adalah Rasio Prestasi Manajemen (RPM) irigasi Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui klasifikasi RPM di suatu subak dengan pemberian skor pada masing-masing klasifikasi RPM. Perolehan data sekunder dilakukan dengan metode survey, pengamatan secara langsung dan pengukuran. Data yang telah dikumpulkan selanjutnya akan dianalisis menggunakan metode Rasio Prestasi Manajemen (RPM) Irigasi. RPM irigasi setiap subak dinilai dengan menggunakan empat rentang nilai yaitu Baik bila 0.75 < RPM <1.25, Cukup bila 0.60 < RPM < 0.75 atau 1.25 < RPM < 1.40, Kurang 0.40 < RPM< 0.60 atau 1.40 <RPM<1.60 dan Sangat kurang bila RPM < 0.40 atau RPM >1.60 Hasil metode analisis rasio prestasi manajemen irigasi pada distribusi air di subak diperoleh RPM daerah hulu yaitu Pama Palian, Aya I dan Aya II memiliki RPM yang Baik yaitu rata-rata 100%. Ketersediaan air yang begitu melimpah karena subak daerah hulu, subak yang pertama kali mengambil air di daerah irigasi. Dan yang paling penting adalah sistim pengaturan pemberian air yang sudah optimal. Untuk subak daerah tengah RPM sedikit berbeda dengan di daerah hulu. Rata-rata RPM daerah irigasi tengah yang mempunyai kreteria Cukup yaitu sebesar 15,5% sedangkan Baik 84,5%. Untuk daerah irigasi tengah yang memiliki kriteria RPM cukup dengan nilai 15,5% disebabkan oleh pendistribusian air tidak seoptimal seperti daerah irigasi hulu. Untuk Subak daerah irigasi hilir rata-rata RPM secara keseluruhan yaitu 100% baik, ini disebabkan karena pembagian pendistribusian air daerah irigasi hilir sudah optimal sesuai dengan luas lahan. Subak system is one form of irrigation system that is able to accommodate the dynamics of the socio-technical system of the local community. Irrigation water is managed with the principles of justice, openness, harmony and togetherness, through a flexible organization that is in accordance with the interests of the community. Irrigation systems are closely related to the distribution of irrigation water in subaks based on land area. One aspect that will be assessed in an irrigation system is the Irrigation Management Achievement Ratio (RPM). The purpose of this study is to determine the RPM classification in a subak by scoring in each RPM classification. Secondary data acquisition is done by survey method, direct observation and measurement. The collected data will then be analyzed using the Irrigation Management Achievement Ratio (RPM) method. Irrigation RPM for each subak is assessed using four ranges of values, namely Good if 0.75 <RPM <1.25, Enough if 0.60 <RPM <0.75 or 1.25 <RPM <1.40, Less 0.40 <RPM <0.60 or 1.40 <RPM <1.60 and Very less if RPM <0.40 or RPM> 1.60 The results of the analysis method of irrigation management achievement ratio in the distribution of water in the subak obtained by the upstream area RPM namely Pama Palian, Aya I and Aya II have a good RPM that is an average of 100%. The availability of water is so abundant due to the upstream subak, the first subak to take water in an irrigation area. And the most important thing is the optimal water supply management system. For the subak area the RPM is slightly different from the upstream area. The average RPM of the central irrigation area that has sufficient criteria is 15.5% while 84.5% is good. For the central irrigation area which has sufficient RPM criteria with a value of 15.5% caused by the distribution of water is not as optimal as the upstream irrigation area. For Subak downstream irrigation areas the overall average RPM is 100% good, this is because the distribution of downstream irrigation water distribution is optimal according to the area of ??land.

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Phytotoxicity of Aqueous Ozone on Five Container-grown Nursery Species

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.44.3.774 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 774-780 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Thomas Graham ◽

Ping Zhang ◽

Youbin Zheng ◽

Michael A. Dixon

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Crop Species ◽

Ozone Concentrations ◽

Nursery Crops ◽

Emitter Discharge

The phytotoxic threshold of five woody perennial nursery crops to applications of aqueous ozone was investigated to determine if aqueous ozone could be used for remediation of recycled nursery irrigation water and for pathogen control. The perennial nursery crops [Salix integra Thunb. ‘Hakura Nishiki’; Weigela florida Thunb. ‘Alexandra’; Spiraea japonica L.f. ‘Goldmound’; Hydrangea paniculata Seib. ‘Grandiflora’; Physocarpus opulifolius L. Maxim. ‘Summer Wine’] were evaluated for aqueous ozone phytotoxicity after 6 weeks of overhead spray irrigation in which five aqueous ozone treatments (0, 10.4, 31.2, 62.5, 125.0 μmol·L−1) were applied on a daily basis. The concentrations applied represent levels useful for irrigation system maintenance (pathogen and biofilm control) with the highest levels selected to clearly demonstrate phytotoxicity. Aqueous ozone solutions were prepared and injected in-line during irrigation for 7.5 min every day for 6 weeks, after which growth parameters (leaf area, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, height, flower number) were measured and leaf injury was evaluated. High residual aqueous ozone (62.5 μmol·L−1 or greater at emitter discharge; 0.3 m from canopy) in the irrigation water was shown to negatively affect the growth parameters measured; however, low residual ozone concentrations (31.2 μmol·L−1 or less at emitter discharge; 0.3 m from canopy) did not present any measurable risk to plant growth. Furthermore, even at higher dose levels, leaves produced during the treatment period showed reduced damage levels. It is concluded that ozone residuals of 31.2 μmol·L−1 (at emitter discharge) can remain in overhead irrigation water without negatively affecting the crop species examined under the application protocols used. At the ozone concentrations demonstrated to be tolerable by the crop species examined, it is reasonable to surmise that control of pathogens at all points within the irrigation system will be achievable using aqueous ozone as part of an irrigation management strategy. The use of aqueous ozone in this fashion could also aid in dramatically reducing chemical residuals on crops by reducing the input requirements of traditional chemical controls.

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Hybrid Bermudagrass and Tall Fescue Turfgrass Irrigation in Central California: I. Assessment of Visual Quality, Soil Moisture and Performance of an ET-Based Smart Controller

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1666

Author(s):

Amir Haghverdi ◽

Maggie Reiter ◽

Anish Sapkota ◽

Amninder Singh

Keyword(s):

Tall Fescue ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Precipitation Rate ◽

Irrigation Frequency ◽

Central California ◽

Short Period ◽

The Impact

Research-based information regarding the accuracy and reliability of smart irrigation controllers for autonomous landscape irrigation water conservation is limited in central California. A two-year irrigation research trial (2018–2019) was conducted in Parlier, California, to study the response of hybrid bermudagrass and tall fescue to varying irrigation scenarios (irrigation levels and irrigation frequency) autonomously applied using a Weathermatic ET-based smart controller. The response of turfgrass species to the irrigation treatments was visually assessed and rated. In addition, turfgrass water response functions (TWRFs) were developed to estimate the impact of irrigation scenarios on the turfgrass species based on long-term mean reference evapotranspiration (ETo) data. The Weathermatic controller overestimated ETo between 5and 7% in 2018 and between 5 and 8% in 2019 compared with California Irrigation Management Information System values. The controller closely followed programmed watering-days restrictions across treatments in 2018 and 2019 and adjusted the watering-days based on ETo demand when no restriction was applied. The low half distribution uniformity and precipitation rate of the irrigation system were 0.78 and 28 mm h−1, respectively. The catch-cans method substantially underestimated the precipitation rate of the irrigation system and caused over-irrigation by the smart controller. No water-saving and turfgrass quality improvement was observed owing to restricting irrigation frequency (watering days). For the hybrid bermudagrass, the visual rating (VR) for 101% ETo treatment stayed above the minimum acceptable value of six during the trial. For tall fescue, the 108% ETo level with 3 d wk−1 frequency kept the VR values in the acceptable range in 2018 except for a short period in mid-trial. The TWRF provided a good fit to experimental data with r values of 0.79 and 0.75 for tall fescue and hybrid bermudagrass, respectively. The estimated VR values by TWRF suggested 70–80% ETo as the minimum irrigation application to maintain the acceptable hybrid bermudagrass quality in central California during the high water demand months (i.e., May to August) based on long-term mean ETo data. The TWRF estimations suggest that 100% ETo would be sufficient to maintain the tall fescue quality for only 55 days. This might be an overestimation impacted by the relatively small tall fescue VR data in 2019 owing to minimal fertilizer applications and should be further investigated in the future.

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Efforts to preserve the sustainability of subak irrigation system in Denpasar city, Bali Province, Indonesia

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201927604002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 276 ◽

pp. 04002

Author(s):

I Nyoman Norken

Keyword(s):

Open Space ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Crop Failure ◽

Conservation Effort ◽

Traditional Irrigation ◽

The Government ◽

The City ◽

Over 40 Years

Subak as an irrigation system in Bali is estimated to have existed before the IX century and up to now subak has consistently maintained the continuity of traditional irrigation management and operation of the irrigation system. Subak is a socio-agrarian and religious based on the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana rooted in Hindu philosophy. The challenge of subak in general is that the shrinking of the subak area, the farmers are unable to achieve a decent living, the age of the farmers is over 40 years, the financial burden that farmers bear in doing subak activities is very heavy. The condition is also very much felt in the city of Denpasar as the capital of the province of Bali. The Government has determined to preserve subak as a cultural heritage to realize Denpasar as a Heritage City. The conservation effort is carried out through: maintaining the subak area through local regulations as green open space (RTHK), providing various assistance such as: exempting subak areas from taxes and providing insurance assistance in case of crop failure, assistance for ritual implementation, irrigation channel repair assistance, production facilities, agricultural equipment assistance, incentives for subak managers, providing assistance in realizing subak as ecotourism, plan to provide scholarships for the children of subak farmers.

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Analisis Rasio Prestasi Manajemen Irigasi pada Budidaya Tanaman Padi (Oryza sativa L.) di Subak Kabupaten Tabanan

Jurnal BETA (Biosistem dan Teknik Pertanian) ◽

10.24843/jbeta.2020.v08.i02.p03 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 204

Author(s):

I Kadek Arya Santika ◽

I Wayan Tika ◽

I Putu Gede Budisanjaya

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Local Community ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Rice Cultivation ◽

Performance Ratio ◽

Primary Data ◽

Survey Method ◽

Average Value ◽

A Value

Sistem subak adalah merupakan salah satu bentuk sistem irigasi yang mampu mengakomodasikan dinamika sistem sosio-teknis masyarakat setempat. Air irigasi dikelola dengan prinsip-prinsip keadilan, keterbukaan, harmoni dan kebersamaan, melalui suatu organisasi yang fleksibel yang sesuai dengan kepentingan masyarakat. Sistem irigasi erat kaitannya tentang pemberian air irigasi pada tanaman budidaya tanaman padi. Salah satu aspek yang akan dinilai dalam sistem irigasi adalah Rasio Prestasi Manajemen (RPM) irigasi Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui klasifikasi RPM di suatu subak dengan pemberian skor pada masing-masing klasifikasi RPM. Perolehan data sekunder dilakukan dengan metode survey, pengamatan secara langsung dan pengukuran sedangkan data primer diperoleh dari BMKG Wilayah III Denpasar. Data yang telah dikumpulkan selanjutnya akan dianalisis menggunakan metode Rasio Prestasi Manajemen (RPM) Irigasi. RPM irigasi setiap subak dinilai dengan menggunakan empat rentang nilai yaitu Baik bila 0.75 < RPM <1.25, Cukup bila 0.60 < RPM < 0.75 atau 1.25 < RPM < 1.40, Kurang 0.40 < RPM< 0.60 atau 1.40 <RPM<1.60 dan Sangat kurang bila RPM < 0.40 atau RPM >1.60 Hasil metode analisis rasio prestasi manajemen irigasi pada budidaya tanaman padi diperoleh RPM daerah hulu dari periode I sampai VII rasio prestasi manajemen irigasinya dengan nilai rata-rata 10.05 (Sangat Kurang) dan untuk daerah tengah RPM irigasi dari periode I sampai V nilai rata-ratanya 1.78 (Sangat Kurang), periode VI dengan nilai 1.56 (Kurang), periode VII dengan nilai 1.03 (Baik) sedangkan untuk subak daerah hilir diperoleh RPM irigasinya dari periode I sampai III dengan nilai rata-rata 2.25 (Sangat Kurang) dan untuk periode IV sampai VII dengan nilai rata-rata 0.92 (Baik). Berdasarkan hasil analisis tersebut, dapat dinyatakan bahwa subak daerah hilir memiliki RPM irigasi untuk budidaya tanaman padi lebih baik dibandingkan dengan daerah hulu dan tengah. Subak system is one form of irrigation system that is able to accommodate the dynamics of the socio-technical system of the local community. Irrigation water is managed with the principles of justice, openness, harmony and togetherness, through a flexible organization that is in accordance with the interests of the community. Irrigation systems are closely related to the provision of irrigation water to rice cultivation plants. One aspect that will be assessed in an irrigation system is the Irrigation Management Performance Ratio (MPR). The purpose of this study is to determine the MPR classification in a subak by scoring in each MPR classification. Secondary data acquisition is done by survey method, direct observation and measurement, while primary data is obtained from BMKG Region III Denpasar. The data that has been collected will then be rated and analyzed. Irrigation MPR for each subak is assessed using four ranges of values: Good if 0.75 <MPR<1.25, Sufficient if 0.60 <MPR <0.75 or 1.25 <MPR<1.40, Less 0.40 <MPR <0.60 or 1.40 <MPR <1.60 and Very less if MPR<0.40 or MPR> 1.60. The results of the analysis method of irrigation management achievement ratio in the cultivation of rice obtained by the upstream area MPR from periods I to VII irrigation management achievement ratio with an average value of 10.05 (Very Less) and for the middle area of irrigation MPR from period I to V the average value is 1.78 (Very Less), period VI with a value of 1.56 (Less), period VII with a value of 1.03 (Good) while for the downstream subak the MPR was obtained from the I to III periods with an average value of 2.25 (Very Less) and for periods IV to VII with an average value of 0.92 (Good). Based on the results of the analysis, it can be stated that the downstream subak has an irrigation MPR for rice cultivation better than the upstream and middle regions.

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Modernization of the left bank irrigation system of the Kaudulla reservoir of Sri Lanka

Journal of Water and Climate Change ◽

10.2166/wcc.2021.122 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

W. D. M. Wijenayaka ◽

S. B. Weerakoon ◽

Farncis Mutua

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Water Distribution ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Command Area ◽

Left Bank ◽

The North ◽

North Central Province ◽

Total Capacity ◽

Paddy Cultivation

Abstract Irrigation water management in the paddy cultivation area under the left bank canal of the Kaudulla reservoir (Kaudulla tank) in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka has become a serious issue due to limited water availability and inefficient water distribution infrastructure at present. Insufficient storage capacities of the village tanks in the cultivation area, low rainfall during some months and regulated inflow from the transbasin diversion to Kaudulla tank have had a significant impact on yield in the two cultivation seasons of the year. In this article, modernization of irrigation infrastructure in the command area was investigated for effective utilization of limited available water. The results of the calibrated and validated HEC-HMS model and CROPWAT model were used with WEAP to evaluate the water balance and demand to identify the best investment for improving irrigation water supply to maximize the return. Economic analysis was carried out using the net present values for different modernization options. Accordingly, the construction of a new canal system and augmentation of the capacities of village tanks from the present total capacity of 3.8–20 MCM was found to be the most appropriate option. This intervention will increase the income from yield by 205 million with a payback period of 12 years in the Yala season.

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Efficient IoT-Based Control for a Smart Subsurface Irrigation System to Enhance Irrigation Management of Date Palm

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21123942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 3942

Author(s):

Maged Mohammed ◽

Khaled Riad ◽

Nashi Alqahtani

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Date Palm ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Water Amount

Drought is the most severe problem for agricultural production, and the intensity of this problem is increasing in most cultivated areas around the world. Hence improving water productivity is the primary purpose of sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to use cloud IoT solutions to control a modern subsurface irrigation system for improving irrigation management of date palms in arid regions. To achieve this goal, we designed, constructed, and validated the performance of a fully automated controlled subsurface irrigation system (CSIS) to monitor and control the irrigation water amount remotely. The CSIS is based on an autonomous sensors network to instantly collect the climatic parameters and volumetric soil water content in the study area. Therefore, we employed the ThingSpeak cloud platform to host sensor readings, perform algorithmic analysis, instant visualize the live data, create event-based alerts to the user, and send instructions to the IoT devices. The validation of the CSIS proved that automatically irrigating date palm trees controlled by the sensor-based irrigation scheduling (S-BIS) is more efficient than the time-based irrigation scheduling (T-BIS). The S-BIS provided the date palm with the optimum irrigation water amount at the opportune time directly in the functional root zone. Generally, the S-BIS and T-BIS of CSIS reduced the applied irrigation water amount by 64.1% and 61.2%, respectively, compared with traditional surface irrigation (TSI). The total annual amount of applied irrigation water for CSIS with S-BIS method, CSIS with T-BIS method, and TSI was 21.04, 22.76, and 58.71 m3 palm−1, respectively. The water productivity at the CSIS with S-BIS (1.783 kg m−3) and T-BIS (1.44 kg m−3) methods was significantly higher compared to the TSI (0.531 kg m−3). The CSIS with the S-BIS method kept the volumetric water content in the functional root zone next to the field capacity compared to the T-BIS method. The deigned CSIS with the S-BIS method characterized by the positive impact on the irrigation water management and enhancement on fruit yield of the date palm is quite proper for date palm irrigation in the arid regions.

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