Optimization of Irrigation Water Depth under Water Limiting Condition

Abstract Water productivity is a major challenge in all agricultural regions and despite the use of pressurized irrigation system, it has not increased as expected in Iran. In addition, in spite of water shortage in Iran, gardeners because of lack of knowledge in economic consequences do not welcome deficit irrigation and irrigation scheduling. To this end, optimization of irrigation water depth in an orange orchard was conducted for two irrigation scheduling methods (with and without 4 days irrigation frequency) under water and land limitations conditions by mathematical analysis of production and cost functions. Then, their effect on the net income by changing in water and fruit price was assessed. Production and cost functions were developed based on two scenarios of applied water including only irrigation water depth and irrigation water depth plus rainfall. According to results, when water is limiting, by using the optimum water depth (Ww), 26% of irrigation water use can be saved that causes only 3–4% decrease in the net income per unit of land and 16% increase in the net income per unit of irrigation water. In addition, when water limiting is serious, using 46% deficit irrigation (Wew) is more useful and resultes the highest water productivity, even though it causes 14–17% decrease in the net income per unit of land. However in water limiting condition, if land is not limiting, using Wew causes the maximum net income per unit of land even 50–60% more than full irrigation. Moreover, using the optimum water depths in water limitation conditions (Ww and Wew) increases the water productivity 26–47% relative to full irrigation. On the other side, the net income and the amount of optimum water depths are not sensitive to the price of water at the present value of water. However, they are highly sensitive to the price of fruit. Furthermore, having an irrigation schedule causes 27% increase in the net income per unit of land. According to positive effects of deficit irrigation and irrigation scheduling on the water productivity and the income, they are highly recommended for addressing water scarcity in Iran.

Download Full-text

Deficit Irrigation Strategies for the Western U.S.

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/trans.14114 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 1813-1825

Author(s):

Thomas J. Trout ◽

Terry A. Howell ◽

Marshall J. English ◽

Derrel L. Martin

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Water Allocation ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Production Costs ◽

List Type ◽

Net Income ◽

Water Supplies

HighlightsDeficit irrigation may maximize net income when irrigation water supplies are limited or expensive.Water production functions are used with economic parameters to maximize net income with deficit irrigation.Net income may be insensitive to the amount of deficit irrigation if production costs are appropriate for anticipated yield.Deficit irrigation increases risk.Abstract. Competition for, regulation of, and depletion of water supplies in the western U.S. has resulted in reduced water available for irrigating crops. When the water supply is expensive or inadequate to meet full crop water requirements, deficit irrigation (DI) may maximize net income (NI) by reducing use of expensive water or irrigating more land with limited irrigation supplies. Managed DI entails rational planning and strategic water allocation to maximize NI when water supplies are constrained. Biophysical and economic relationships were used to develop NI models for DI and determine water allocation strategies that maximize NI under three types of water supply constraints. The analyses determined that potential benefits of DI are greatest when water is expensive, irrigation efficiency is low, the water supply is flexible, and rainfed production is not economically viable. When production costs are appropriate for anticipated yields, NI is less sensitive to DI planning decisions. Deficit irrigation will become more important as irrigation water supplies continue to decline in the future. Net income analysis can assist growers in making rational DI decisions. Keywords: Deficit irrigation, Economic analysis, Irrigation management, Net income, Optimization, Water productivity.

Download Full-text

Field and Modeling Study on Manual and Automatic Irrigation Scheduling under Deficit Irrigation of Greenhouse Cucumber

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12239819 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 9819

Author(s):

Abdelraouf R. E. ◽

H. G. Ghanem ◽

Najat A. Bukhari ◽

Mohamed El-Zaidy

Keyword(s):

Automatic Control ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

N Uptake ◽

Irrigation Schedule ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Research Centre ◽

Arid Zones

The primary goal of all those working in the field of sustainable water management, particularly in the arid and semi-arid zones, is to increase irrigation efficiency, reduce irrigation water losses, and improve water productivity for all crops. This study assessed the automatic irrigation scheduling and irrigation management on the growth, yield, and water productivity of cucumber under greenhouse conditions. A field experiment was conducted using cucumber grown in aplastic greenhouse during the winter of 2017/18 and 2018/19 at the research farm station of the National Research Centre (NRC), El-Noubaria Region, Behaira Governorate, Egypt. In a split-plot experiment, two different methods to control irrigation scheduling (manual control (MC) and automatic control (AC)) were used in the main plots and three deficit irrigation treatments (100% of full irrigation (FI), 80% of FI, and 60% of FI). Through the obtained results, it was found that the use of the automatic control of the irrigation schedule led to an improvement in the productivity and quality characteristics of the cucumber crop. Automatic irrigation control created healthy conditions for the plant roots located under the least water stress. This led to an increase in nitrogen uptake at the ages of 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks after planting in addition to improving the total leaf area and the chlorophyll content of leaves, which consequently had a greater effect on increasing yield and water productivity of cucumber. Although the highest values of cucumber productivity were obtained with irrigation at 100% of FI, there were no significant differences between 100% FI and 80% of FI, therefore it is preferable to irrigate at 80% of FI, and this means saving 20% of irrigation water that can be used to irrigate other areas. The SALTMED model simulating all of the following evaluation criteria performed well for soil moisture content and N-uptake as well as the leaves area, the yield, and water productivity of cucumber for all treatments for the two growing seasons 2017/18 and 2018/19, with the overall R2 of 0.882, 0.903, 0.975, 0.907, and 0.933, respectively.

Download Full-text

Irrigation Water Use Efficiency and Water Productivity of Commercial Sugarcane Hybrids under Water-Limited Conditions

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/trans.13548 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 125-132

Author(s):

Arjun S. Tayade ◽

Srinivasavedantham Vasantha ◽

Raja Arun kumar ◽

Sheriff Anusha ◽

Rajesh Kumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Water Security ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Cane Yield ◽

Irrigation Water Use ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Sugarcane Hybrids

HighlightsSugarcane hybrids with improved IWUE have greater scope in sugarcane agriculture as irrigation water is getting scarce.Among sugarcane hybrids, Co 8371 registered high mean water productivity of 4.18 kg m-3, followed by Co 85019 (3.92 kg m-3), while in I2, six hybrids had significantly higher water productivity (Co 85019, Co 0212, Co 86249, Co 10026, Co 0218 and Co V92102) above 4 kg m-3.Deficit irrigation scheduling (irrigation at recommended interval, with 50% crop evapotranspiration replacement) appears to be far more useful than reducing frequency as well as quantity of irrigation water alone. Hybrid mean water productivity was 3.2, 2.7, and 2.1 kg m-3 in I0, I1, and I2, respectively.ABSTRACT. The escalating deficit rainfall scenario in India indicates that drought is a recurrent phenomenon associated with tropical sugarcane farming, and the availability of irrigation water for sugarcane cultivation will be much less in coming years. To meet the challenge of limited and costly water supply, tropical sugarcane growers will have to find ways of increasing the efficiency of irrigation to maintain high cane yields. More efficient irrigation systems, accurate irrigation scheduling, and the right choice of sugarcane hybrids are potential means of increasing irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), water productivity (WP), and global water security. With the objective of optimizing irrigation water use, a field experiment evaluating the physiological efficiency of commercial sugarcane hybrids for WP in a sandy clay soil under water-limited conditions was conducted during 2016-2017 at the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore, India. The replicated field experiment was laid out in split-plot design with three irrigation levels as the main plot and 33 sugarcane hybrids as subplots. The prevailing climatic conditions during the experiment represented a tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season lasting from October to December due to the northeast monsoon. The results showed that full irrigation at recommended intervals with 100% crop evapotranspiration (ET) replacement (I0) produced significantly higher cane yield than deficit irrigation at recommended intervals with 50% crop ET replacement (I1) and skipping alternate irrigations with 50% crop ET replacement (I2). The deficit irrigation treatments (I1 and I2) had declines in cane yield of 41.2% and 56.4%, respectively. IWUE was similar in I0 and I1, while I2 had reduced IWUE by 23%. WP was significantly influenced by irrigation level; reduction in irrigation water reduced WP by 17.5% and 36.3% in I1 and I2 compared to I0. Among sugarcane hybrids, Co 85019, Co 13006, Co 10026, Co 99004, CoLk 8102, Co 86249, Co 8371, Co 94008, and Co 95020 yielded higher than the genotypic mean under both deficit irrigation treatments, suggesting their usefulness in deficit irrigation strategies. Sugarcane hybrids with high WP can play a pivotal role in sustaining sugarcane productivity and can reduce the large volumes of irrigation water consumed in water-scarce tropical India. Thus, considering water security, the implications of the results are of paramount importance in promoting the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic benefits and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems at local as well as national levels. Keywords: Cane yield, Global water security, Sugarcane, Water-limited condition.

Download Full-text

Deficit irrigation as a sustainable option for improving water productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa: the case of Ethiopia. A Critical Review

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-4154 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Desale Asmamaw ◽

Mekete Desse ◽

Seifu Tilahun ◽

Enyew Adgo ◽

Jan Nyssen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Scarcity ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Yield Reduction ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Full Irrigation ◽

Sub Saharan

Water scarcity is a major limiting factor for crop production by irrigation in sub-Saharan countries. Improved irrigation scheduling that can ensure the optimal use of the allocated water and enhance water productivity (WP) is required to address future water scarcity in the region. Maximizing WP by exposing the crop to a certain level of water stress using deficit irrigation (DI) is considered a promising strategy. To adopt DI strategies, a shred of comprehensive evidence concerning DI for different crops is required. This review aims to provide adequate information about the effect of DI on WP. We reviewed 90 research papers from Ethiopia and summarize the effect of DI on WP and yield. It is shown that DI considerably increased WP compared to full irrigation. Despite higher WP, reduced biomass yield was obtained in some of the studied DI practices compared to full irrigation. It was also found that yield reduction may be low compared to the benefits gained by diverting the saved water to irrigate extra arable land. From this review, we understood that growers must recognize specific soil management and crops before applying DI strategies. Maize revealed the highest (2.65 kg m-3) and lowest (0.50 kg m-3) WP when irrigated at only the initial stage compared with being fully irrigated in all growth stages, respectively. Also, onion showed a decreasing WP with increased irrigation water from 60% crop water requirement (ETc) (1.84 kg m-3) to 100% ETc (1.34 kg m-3). Increasing water deficit from 100 to 30% ETc led to an increase of wheat WP by 72.2%. For tomato, the highest WP (7.02 kg m-3) was found at 70% ETc followed by 50% ETc (6.98 kg m-3) and 85% ETc (6.92 kg m-3), while the water application of 100% ETc (or full irrigation) showed the least WP (6.79 kg m-3). Teff showed the lowest WP (1.72 kg m-3) under optimal irrigation, while it was highest (2.96 kg m-3) under 75% ETc throughout the growing season. The regression analysis (R2) for WP increment and yield reduction versus saved water showed higher values, indicating that DI could be an option for WP increment and increasing overall yield by expanding irrigated area and applying the saved water in water-scarce regions. In conclusion, in areas where drought stress is the limiting factor for crop production, the application of DI is feasible.&#160;&#160;&#160;Keywords: Overall yield increase, water productivity, water saved, yield reduction

Download Full-text

Evaluating deficit irrigation scheduling strategies to improve yield and water productivity of maize in arid environment using simulation

Agricultural Water Management ◽

10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106812 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 249 ◽

pp. 106812

Author(s):

Ahmed Attia ◽

Salah El-Hendawy ◽

Nasser Al-Suhaibani ◽

Majed Alotaibi ◽

Muhammad Usman Tahir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Arid Environment ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Scheduling Strategies

Download Full-text

High Nitrogen Fertilization Modulates Morpho-Physiological Responses, Yield, and Water Productivity of Lowland Rice under Deficit Irrigation

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11071291 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1291

Author(s):

Nasr M. Abdou ◽

Mohamed A. Abdel-Razek ◽

Shimaa A. Abd El-Mageed ◽

Wael M. Semida ◽

Ahmed A. A. Leilah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Nitrogen Fertilization ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Water Shortage ◽

Rice Production ◽

Lowland Rice ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizers

Sustainability of rice production under flooding conditions has been challenged by water shortage and food demand. Applying higher nitrogen fertilization could be a practical solution to alleviate the deleterious effects of water stress on lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) in semi-arid conditions. For this purpose, field experiments were conducted during the summer of 2017 and 2018 seasons. These trials were conducted as split-split based on randomized complete blocks design with soil moisture regimes at three levels (120, 100 and 80% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), nitrogen fertilizers at two levels (N1—165 and N2—200 kg N ha−1) and three lowland Egyptian rice varieties [V1 (Giza178), V2 (Giza177) and V3 (Sakha104)] using three replications. For all varieties, growth (plant height, tillers No, effective tillers no), water status ((relative water content RWC, and membrane stability index, MSI), physiological responses (chlorophyll fluorescence, Relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), and yield were significantly increased with higher addition of nitrogen fertilizer under all water regimes. Variety V1 produced the highest grain yield compared to other varieties and the increases were 38% and 15% compared with V2 and V3, respectively. Increasing nitrogen up to 200 kg N ha−1 (N2) resulted in an increase in grain and straw yields by 12.7 and 18.2%, respectively, compared with N1. The highest irrigation water productivity (IWP) was recorded under I2 (0.89 kg m−3) compared to (0.83 kg m−3) and (0.82 kg m−3) for I1 and I3, respectively. Therefore, the new applied agro-management practice (deficit irrigation and higher nitrogen fertilizer) effectively saved irrigation water input by 50–60% when compared with the traditional cultivation method (flooding system). Hence, the new proposed innovative method for rice cultivation could be a promising strategy for enhancing the sustainability of rice production under water shortage conditions.

Download Full-text

Production and water yield of cauliflower under irrigation depths and nitrogen doses

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental ◽

10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v23n8p561-565 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (8) ◽

pp. 561-565

Author(s):

Reginaldo M. de Oliveira ◽

Rubens A. de Oliveira ◽

Sanzio M. Vidigal ◽

Ednaldo M. de Oliveira ◽

Lorença B. Guimarães ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Depth ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Water Yield ◽

Crop Evapotranspiration ◽

Fresh Weight ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Mean Diameter ◽

Irrigation Depth ◽

Completely Randomized Design ◽

Water Depths

ABSTRACT Cauliflower is a brassica produced and consumed in Brazil, whose cultivation depends on the adequate supply of water and nutrients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigation depths and nitrogen doses on the production components and water yield of cauliflower hybrid Barcelona CMS. The treatments consisted of five irrigation water depths (0, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of the crop evapotranspiration) combined with five nitrogen doses (0, 75, 150, 300 and 450 kg ha-1). The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with a split-plot arrangement. The effects of these factors were evaluated using the response surface methodology. The water yield of the crop decreases with increasing irrigation water depth; therefore, the yield is higher when water replenishment is lower than the recommended. The highest estimated total inflorescence yield is 24,547.80 kg ha-1, with a inflorescence mean diameter of 19.60 cm, a inflorescence mean height of 12.25 cm, and an inflorescence fresh weight of 858.90 g plant-1, obtained with an irrigation water depth equivalent to 132.09% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and a nitrogen dose of 450 kg ha-1. The highest inflorescence diameter and height are obtained with an irrigation depth equivalent to 128.70 and 108.20% of ETc, respectively, and a nitrogen dose of 450 kg ha-1. Therefore, the best productivity response of the Barcelona CMS cauliflower hybrid can be obtained using an irrigation depth greater than the crop evapotranspiration, regardless of the nitrogen doses.

Download Full-text

Can Sustained Deficit Irrigation Save Water and Meet the Quality Characteristics of Mango?

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11050448 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 448

Author(s):

Leontina Lipan ◽

Aarón A. Carbonell-Pedro ◽

Belén Cárceles Rodríguez ◽

Víctor Hugo Durán-Zuazo ◽

Dionisio Franco Tarifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Block Design ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Randomized Block Design ◽

Peel Color

Mango is one of the most cultivated tropical fruits worldwide and one of few drought-tolerant plants. Thus, in this study the effect of a sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) strategy on mango yield and quality was assessed with the aim of reducing irrigation water in mango crop. A randomized block design with four treatments was developed: (i) full irrigation (FI), assuring the crop’s water needs, and three levels of SDI receiving 75%, 50%, and 33% of irrigation water (SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33). Yield, morphology, color, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), organic acids (OA), sugars, minerals, fiber, antioxidant activity (AA), and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed. The yield was reduced in SDI conditions (8%, 11%, and 20% for SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33, respectively), but the irrigation water productivity was higher in all SDI regimes. SDI significantly reduced the mango size, with SDI33 generating the smallest mangoes. Peel color significantly changed after 13 days of ripening, with SDI75 being the least ripe. The TA, AA, and citric acid were higher in SDI75, while the TPC and fiber increased in all SDI levels. Consequently, SDI reduced the mango size but increased the functionality of samples, without a severe detrimental effect on the yield.

Download Full-text

Productive characteristics of banana genotypes submitted to different irrigation water depths under Cerrado conditions

Semina Ciências Agrárias ◽

10.5433/1679-0359.2017v38n4suplp2351 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (4Supl1) ◽

pp. 2351

Author(s):

Luciana Borges e Silva ◽

Jorge Luís do Nascimento ◽

Ronaldo Veloso Naves ◽

Juracy Rocha Braga Filho ◽

Wilian Henrique Diniz Buso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Depth ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Potential Evapotranspiration ◽

Block Design ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Production Cycle ◽

Fruit Length ◽

Water Depths ◽

Fruit Diameter

Irrigation management associated with other banana agricultural practices can provide an increased productivity and improved fruit quality. This study assessed the productive characteristics of banana genotypes under different irrigation water depths. The experiment was conducted at the experimental area of the School of Agronomy (EA/UFG) in Goiânia, GO, Brazil. The experimental design was a split-plot randomized block design, in which four irrigation water depths (30, 65, 100, and 135% of crop potential evapotranspiration, ETpc) composed the plots and three genotypes (‘FHIA 18’, ‘Grande-Naine’, and ‘Prata’) the subplots, with a spacing of 2.5 × 1.6 m. During the experimental period (first production cycle), the total precipitation was 1719.20 mm. Characterization of genotype development and yield was performed with the following assessments: bunch mass (kg), number of hands, stalk mass (kg), fruit diameter of the second hand (mm), fruit length of the second hand (cm), mass of the second hand (kg), number of fruits of the second hand, total number of fruits, and number of damaged fruits. The cultivar ‘FHIA 18’, differently from the others, showed a significant response to irrigation water depths on productivity. In the genotypes ‘Grande-Naine’ and ‘Prata’, an influence of irrigation was observed only on external and visual characteristics of fruit (diameter, length, and number of damaged fruits). In the genotype ‘Prata’, the irrigation water depth of 965 mm allowed fruit production with a larger diameter. Fruit length in the genotype ‘Prata’ increased linearly as water depth increased. The use of irrigation promoted a reduction in the number of damaged fruits in the genotypes ‘FHIA 18’ and ‘Grande-Naine’.

Download Full-text

Orchard Level Assessment of Irrigation Performance and Water Productivity of an Irrigation Community in Eastern Spain

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11091829 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1829

Author(s):

Herminia Puerto ◽

Miguel Mora ◽

Bernat Roig-Merino ◽

Ricardo Abadía-Sánchez ◽

José María Cámara-Zapata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Irrigation Water ◽

Energy Use ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Distribution Networks ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Irrigation Performance ◽

Irrigation Water Use ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Fruit Orchards ◽

Peach Trees

Over the last three decades, a great investment effort has been made in the modernization of irrigation in the Valencian Community (Spain). The initial change from distribution networks to pressurized ones and the shift towards drip irrigation systems was followed by improvements in irrigation scheduling, based on agrometeorological data, soil water content sensors, and remote sensing. These improvements are considered adequate for increasing irrigation water use efficiency, but it is difficult to find systematic measurements to assess its impacts on irrigation adequacy along with irrigation productivity in fruit orchards. This work presents the results of a four year assessment of irrigation water and energy use efficiency along with water productivity of a recently established irrigation community in the province of Valencia (Spain). The study was carried out at the orchard level and focused on two fruit crops: persimmon and peach trees. Six irrigation performance indicators, relative water supply (RWS), relative irrigation supply (RIS), yield performance (Yp), global water productivity (WPoverall), output per unit irrigation water (OUI), and the percent of nitrogen fertilization obtained by irrigation water, were defined and calculated for years 2017 to 2020 in 104 persimmon and peach orchards. The results showed that most of the farmers irrigated below the crop water requirements, showing RWS and RIS values less than 1, and there was great variability among farmers, especially in WPoverall and OUI indicators.

Download Full-text