Reality of irrigation water use and suggestions for better management: a comparison of two schemes from Sri Lanka

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 197-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.T.S. Wijesekera ◽  
T.N. Wickramaarachchi
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Water System ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Water Release ◽  
Land Preparation ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Dry Zone

In the dry zone of Sri Lanka, where agriculture is the main livelihood, both farmers and water managers target the best use of water. System H is an area that had been developed for irrigated agriculture using diversions from the River Mahaweli. Study of water use practices was carried out in two irrigation schemes where farmers cultivate the same crop in one-hectare allotments under the support and supervision of the same regional authority. Records of water use and agriculture are not well maintained. Using field visits, discussions with farmers, and meetings with officials were used to fill data gaps and three water issue scenarios were compared. Results of each scheme varied because water release and rotation practices for crop growth are quite different from each other, canal efficiency assumptions are different, land preparation, water use and quantity are dissimilar, and water releases do not consider much about growth stages. The study indicated that use of challenging water issues considering co-ordinated and rational grouping of canals could lead to a saving of 10–30 cm of water per unit area. A discussion of the need for a critical evaluation of guidelines and the present practice of cultivation is included.

scholarly journals An Analytical View on Water Use Efficiency of Some Main Crops Grown in the Non-costal Parts of Thrace Region

2020 ◽  
pp. 47-57
Author(s):  
Recep Cakir
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Rainfed Farming ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Thrace Region

The article contains data obtained from evaluations related to irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water use efficiency (WUE), for the main crops, irrigated at different stages of growth, on the basis of some findings obtained in the Research Institute in Kırklareli. Each of the experimental crops was sown and farmed following procedures applied by the farmers in the region, except of the irrigation applications which were based on the sensitivity of a certain crop to water shortage in the soil, during the specific growth stages. Similar procedures were applied and all the experimental treatments were irrigated at growth stages, as predicted in the research methodology, and water amounts required to fill the 0-90 cm soil depth to field capacity were implied. Evaluation data obtained from the field experiments with three major crops, grown on the non-coastal lands of Thrace Region showed, that the productivity of irrigation water, as well as water use efficiencies of all analysed crops, are growth stage controlled. The highest IWUE and WUE efficiencies of 0.87 and 0.92 kg da-1 m-3; and 1.08 kg da-1 m-3 and 0.81 kg da-1 m-3; were determined for wheat and sunflower crops, irrigated at booting and flowering stages, respectively. Each m3 of irrigation water, applied during the most sensitive fruit formation stage (Ff) of pumpkin crop, provided additionally 8.47 kg da-1 fruit yield, 8.09 fruit numbers and 0.28 kg da-1 seed yields, more than those of rainfed farming (R).

scholarly journals Past, Present, and Future of Irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R. Evett ◽  
Paul D. Colaizzi ◽  
Freddie R. Lamm ◽  
Susan A. O’Shaughnessy ◽  
Derek M. Heeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Irrigation Technology ◽  
Irrigated Area ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
The U.S

Highlights Irrigation is key to the productivity of Great Plains agriculture but is threatened by water scarcity. The irrigated area grew to >9 million ha since 1870, mostly since 1950, but is likely to decline. Changes in climate, water availability, irrigated area, and policy will affect productivity. Adaptation and innovation, hallmarks of Great Plains populations, will ensure future success. Abstract. Motivated by the need for sustainable water management and technology for next-generation crop production, the future of irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains was examined through the lenses of past changes in water supply, historical changes in irrigated area, and innovations in irrigation technology, management, and agronomy. We analyzed the history of irrigated agriculture through the 1900s to the present day. We focused particularly on the efficiency and water productivity of irrigation systems (application efficiency, crop water productivity, and irrigation water use productivity) as a connection between water resource management and agricultural production. Technology innovations have greatly increased the efficiency of water application, the productivity of water use, and the agricultural productivity of the Great Plains. We also examined the changes in water stored in the High Plains aquifer, which is the region’s principle supply for irrigation water. Relative to other states, the aquifer has been less impacted in Nebraska, despite large increases in irrigated area. Greatly increased irrigation efficiency has played a role in this, but so have regulations and the recharge to the aquifer from the Nebraska Sand Hills and from rivers crossing the state. The outlook for irrigation is less positive in western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The aquifer in these regions is recharged at rates much less than current pumping, and the aquifer is declining as a result. Improvements in irrigation technology and management plus changes in crops grown have made irrigation ever more efficient and allowed irrigation to continue. There is good reason to expect that future research and development efforts by federal and state researchers, extension specialists, and industry, often in concert, will continue to improve the efficiency and productivity of irrigated agriculture. Public policy changes will also play a role in regulating consumption and motivating on-farm efficiency improvements. Water supplies, while finite, will be stretched much further than projected by some who look only at past rates of consumption. Thus, irrigation will continue to be important economically for an extended period. Sustaining irrigation is crucial to sustained productivity of the Great Plains “bread basket” because on average irrigation doubles the efficiency with which water is turned into crop yields compared with what can be attained in this region with precipitation alone. Lessons learned from the Great Plains are relevant to irrigation in semi-arid and subhumid areas worldwide. Keywords: Center pivot, Crop water productivity, History, Sprinkler irrigation, Subsurface drip irrigation, Water use efficiency.

Social–ecological dynamics in irrigated agriculture in dry zone Sri Lanka: a political ecology

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 629-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Köpke ◽  
Sisira Saddhamangala Withanachchi ◽  
Ruwan Pathiranage ◽  
Chandana Rohana Withanachchi ◽  
Angelika Ploeger
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Ecological Dynamics ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Dry Zone

scholarly journals Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Yield and Quality of Onion Crop

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Rop ◽  
Emmanuel C. Kipkorir ◽  
John K. Taragon
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Irrigation Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

<p>The broad objective of this study was to test Deficit Irrigation (DI) as an appropriate irrigation management strategy to improve crop water productivity and give optimum onion crop yield. A field trial was conducted with drip irrigation system of six irrigation treatments replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. The crop was subjected to six water stress levels 100% ETc (T100), 90% ETc (T90), 80% ETc (T80), 70% ETc (T70), 60% ETc (T60) and 50% ETc (T50) at vegetative and late season growth stages. The onion yield and quality based on physical characteristics and irrigation water use efficiency were determined. The results indicated that the variation in yield ranged from 34.4 ton/ha to 18.9 ton/ha and the bulb size ranged from 64 mm to 35 mm in diameter for T100 and T50 respectively. Irrigation water use efficiency values decreased with increasing water application level with the highest of 16.2 kg/ha/mm at T50, and the lowest being13.1 kg/ha/mm at T100. It was concluded that DI at vegetative and late growth stages influence yields in a positive linear trend with increasing quantity of irrigation water and decreasing water stress reaching optimum yield of 32.0 ton/ha at 20% water stress (T80) thereby saving 10.7% irrigation water. Onion bulb production at this level optimizes water productivity without significantly affecting yields. DI influenced the size and size distribution of fresh onion bulbs, with low size variation of the fresh bulbs at T80.</p>

Quantifying Irrigation Water Use over Regional Scales with Landsat and Climate Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bretreger ◽  
In-Young Yeo ◽  
Greg Hancock ◽  
Garry Willgoose
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Standardised Precipitation Index

&lt;p&gt;Irrigated agriculture has been identified as using approximately 72% of water globally. Australia, like many places in the world, is subject to water sharing plans that cross government boarders and are subject to a mixture of management policies. There is a pressing need to develop a method to monitor irrigation water use to aid in water resource assessments and monitoring. This paper aims to test a previously developed method which monitors irrigation water use using remotely sensed observations over the catchment scale, without the need for in-situ observations, ground data or in&amp;#8209;depth knowledge of crops and their planting dates. Using conservative assumptions about agricultural land management practice, irrigation is calculated as Irr=AET-P. The method tests three vegetation indices derived from Landsat 5/7/8 images to calculate crop coefficients (K&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;) based on multiple published relationships. These are combined through the FAO56 methodology using gridded rainfall and two reference evapotranspiration (ET&lt;sub&gt;0&lt;/sub&gt;) products to find actual evapotranspiration as AET=ET&lt;sub&gt;0&lt;/sub&gt;xK&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;, providing six ET&lt;sub&gt;0&lt;/sub&gt;-K&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; combinations. Validation data is sourced from Irrigation Infrastructure Operators (IIO) from across the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia which are required to record irrigation water deliveries for billing purposes. The majority of these regions are in arid or semi-arid regions. Data periods used in this study range from 2003/04 to 2016/17. Results indicate this method can effectively assess irrigation water use over a range of catchment sizes from ~6,000 to ~600,000 ha. The best results returned a monthly irrigation RMSE ranging from 1.13 to 2.42 mm/month. Issues arise when regions have a designated low water allocation volume for that season (&lt;40%). The allocation percentage is a function of water storage levels, demand and forecasts. Comparisons with the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) show that the proposed method is robust to the rapid onset and short-term droughts. However, its performance was poor during the long term droughts with low water allocation years. The study results during these years has been predominately attributed to water stress in certain crops being undetected, agricultural managers skipping annual crop commodities as well as stock and domestic water use making up larger portions of total water use. This is a limitation of this approach, although when only comparing results in years with greater than 40% allocations, the results improved significantly showing it can monitor water use effectively. When adequate water is available, this approach is able to accurately predict irrigation water use for the sites examined.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Agronomic Growth Performance of Super Rice under Water-Saving Irrigation Methods with Different Water-Controlled Thresholds in Different Growth Stages

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengxin Zheng ◽  
Zhanyu Zhang ◽  
Shurong Hao ◽  
Wenmeng Chen ◽  
Yongchun Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Performance ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Rice Varieties ◽  
Irrigation Regimes ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Controlled Irrigation ◽  
Different Growth Stages

Many water-saving techniques have been developed for rice production in response to irrigation water scarcity. The selection of the water-saving methods and the optimum thresholds for obtaining maximum benefits of these regimes are largely site-specific depending mainly on soil type, soil texture, and the environment. A two-year (2017 and 2018) experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of the agronomic growth performance, yield, and water use of super rice varieties under different irrigation regimes in Jiangsu Province, China. The irrigation regimes were comprised of different water-controlled thresholds, in different growth stages. Treatments included traditional flooding irrigation (FI, as the control) and the following four water-saving irrigation (WSI) regimes: shallow adjusting irrigation (WSI1), rainwater-catching and controlled irrigation (WSI2), controlled irrigation (WSI3), and drought planting with straw mulching (WSI4). The results showed that WSI treatments significantly increased the irrigation water use efficiency by 20.60% to 56.92% as compared with FI. The WSI treatments significantly decreased the crop evapotranspiration during the rice growth period. The grain yields of WSI1, WSI2, and WSI3 were significantly increased (6.62%~7.20% for WSI1, 8.21%~12.39% for WSI2, and 8.30%~12.91% for WSI3) as compared with that of the control, whereas WSI4 decreased the rice yield by 11.69%~18.10%. This research implies that WSI2 and WSI3 have the greatest potential for promotion in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. An optimization of the irrigation threshold of WSI1 and WSI4 should be considered to guarantee the overall benefit.

Irrigation water use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.) produced with different irrigation intervals

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Marković ◽  
P. Pepó ◽  
M. Sárvári ◽  
V. Kovačević ◽  
J. Šoštarić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Irrigation Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

In the decade from 2000 to 2009, the yield of maize grain in Croatia varied from 4.2 t ha−1 (2003) to 8.0 t ha−1 (2008). The yield variation was mainly caused by weather conditions unfavourable for maize production, meaning lack of precipitation, unevenly distributed during the vegetation season, and mean air temperatures above the long-term mean. Irrigation has become a justified and essential agrotechnical measure that minimizes the damage caused by water deficit during critical plant growth stages and ensures high yields with good quality. In this paper two vegetation seasons (2006 and 2007) with quite different weather conditions for maize production were analysed in order to examine the importance of irrigation in terms of yield increase, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), irrigation efficiency (IE) and irrigation water use index (IWUI) in years favourable (2006) or too dry (2007) for maize production. The yield surpluses achieved with irrigation ranged from 8.54 t ha−1 to 9.62 t ha−1 in the average crop year (2006) and from 8.43 t ha−1 to 10.7 t ha−1 in the dry year (2007), depending on the irrigation method. In the dry year the values of IWUE where higher than in the average year (6.16 and 13.75 kg ha−1/mm, respectively, averaged over the hybrids).

scholarly journals MODELOS DE DECISÃO PARA OTIMIZAÇÃO ECONÔMICA DO USO DA ÁGUA EM ÁREAS IRRIGADAS DA FAZENDA EXPERIMENTAL VALE DO CURU, PENTECOSTE – CE

Irriga ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Peixoto de Castro ◽  
Raimundo Nonato Távora Costa ◽  
Luiz Artur Clemente da Silva ◽  
Raimundo Rodrigues Gomes Filho
Keyword(s):  
Linear Programming ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Shadow Price ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Maximum Water

MODELOS DE DECISÃO PARA OTIMIZAÇÃO ECONÔMICA DO USO DA ÁGUA EM ÁREAS IRRIGADAS DA FAZENDA EXPERIMENTAL VALE DO CURU, PENTECOSTE – CE  Rodrigo Peixoto de Castro1; Raimundo Nonato Távora Costa1; Luiz Artur Clemente da Silva1; Raimundo Rodrigues Gomes Filho21Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, CCA, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, [email protected] Centro de Ensino Tecnológico, Curso de Tecnologia da Irrigação, Sobral, CE  1 RESUMO O trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver e comparar dois modelos de programação linear para quantificar as variáveis do processo de produção, que otimize o uso da água em uma área irrigada da Fazenda Experimental Vale do Curu, Pentecoste – CE, a fim de que a produtividade das culturas seja maximizada por unidade de água, utilizando como parâmetro determinante a maximização da receita líquida anual. Os modelos estudados foram: o modelo com lâminas alternativas de água (LA), que consiste em um modelo de programação separável, e o modelo com lâminas máximas de água (LM), o qual é uma formulação padrão de programação linear. Depois foram estudados os efeitos de quatro condições de disponibilidade de água. Os modelos foram constituídos por uma função - objetivo, sujeita às restrições dos recursos terra (33 ha) e volume mensal de água (31104 mm.ha). No estudo consideraram-se sete culturas bastante difundidas na região e que dispunham de funções de produção à água obtidas no local do estudo: feijão vigna, algodão, tomate, melancia, melão, milho verde e cebola. A maximização da receita líquida foi maior no modelo de lâminas alternativas de água (R$ 221.422,00). O modelo com lâminas máximas de água apresentou uma receita líquida de R$ 221.125,00. Ambos os modelos utilizaram o mesmo padrão de cultivo anual: algodão (33 ha), milho (33 ha), cebola (33 ha), melancia (29 ha) e feijão vigna (4 ha). Para os dois modelos estudados, a disponibilidade de terra para todos os meses foi restritiva. Já as disponibilidades de água em todos os meses não foram limitantes, apresentando assim preços-sombra iguais à zero. A receita líquida aumentou à medida que se elevou a disponibilidade de água, para os modelos estudados. UNITERMOS: programação linear; eficiência econômica; irrigação.  CASTRO, R. P. de; COSTA, R. N.T.; SILVA, L. A. C. da; GOMES FILHO, R.R. DECISION MODELS FOR ECONOMICAL OPTIMIZATION OF IRRIGATION WATER USE INCURUVALLEYEXPERIMENTAL FARM, PENTECOSTE,CEARÁ,BRAZIL  2 ABSTRACT The objective of this paper was to develop and compare two linear programming models to quantify the production variables in order to optimize water use in the Curu Valley Experimental Farm irrigated agriculture in Pentecoste, Ceará, Brazil, so that crop yield is maximized for water unit, using the annual net income as a determining parameter. The following models were studied: the alternative depth model, consisting of a separable programming model, and, the model with maximum water depths, which is a standard linear programming formulation. Also the effects of four water availabilities were studied. The models were based on an objective – function, under land resources (33 ha) and monthly water volume (31.104 mm.ha) constraint, to maximize the farmer’s net income. The study considered seven very used crops in the region with available locally obtained production functions: cowpea, cotton, tomato, watermelon, melon, green corn and onion.            The maximization of net benefit was larger when using the alternative depths model (R$ 221,422.00), as compared to the maximum water depth model (R$ 221,125.00). Both models used the same annual crop pattern: cotton (33 ha), green corn (33 ha), onion (33 ha), watermelon (29 ha) and cowpea (4 ha). Land availability was a limitation for both models for all months. However, availability of water was not limiting, presenting shadow – price zero. The net benefit increased with increase in water availability for all studied models. KEYWORDS: linear programming; net benefit maximization; inputs.

Efficient water conservation in agriculture for growing urban water demands in Jordan

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Octavio A. Ramírez ◽  
Frank A. Ward ◽  
Raed Al-Tabini ◽  
Richard Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
High Price ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
The Face ◽  
Scarce Water

A significant worldwide challenge is to increase the food supply to accommodate a population growing to 9,000,000,000 in the face of climate change. Per capita water supply in Jordan is among the world's lowest. Despite this scarcity, three-quarters of Jordan's water use is consumed by irrigated agriculture, while producing low economic values from additional water used compared to urban uses. However, irrigated agriculture supports Jordan's food security, so its policymakers continue to examine measures to produce more crop per drop in irrigated agriculture, to permit scarce water to meet growing urban demands. This paper examines economically efficient measures to conserve water in irrigated agriculture to sustain growing urban water demands. Using a sample of one-third of the farms in Jordan's Mafraq Basin, an econometric model is formulated to identify factors influencing irrigation water use and economic productivity. Findings show that the price of water is the overarching factor influencing both. A low water price discourages water conservation even if other institutions promote it. A high price of water encourages conservation even in the presence of other discouraging factors. Results suggest that water-conserving policies in Jordan's irrigated agriculture can be more effectively implemented where water institutions and programs are designed to be compatible with the underlying economic scarcity of water. Results carry significant implications for the design and implementation of development programs affecting the use of water in the world's dry areas.

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