scholarly journals The Productive, Economic, and Social Efficiency of Vineyards Using Combined Drought-Tolerant Rootstocks and Efficient Low Water Volume Deficit Irrigation Techniques under Mediterranean Semiarid Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1930
Author(s):  
Pascual Romero Azorín ◽  
José García García
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Berry Quality ◽  
Semiarid Conditions

In many areas of southern Europe, the scarcity of water due to climate change will increase, making its availability for irrigation an even more limiting factor for agriculture. One of the main necessary measures of adaptation of the vineyards in these areas will be the implementation of water-saving irrigation strategies and technologies to improve WUE (water use efficiency). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the long-term economic viability/profitability of different deficit irrigation techniques such as regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial root-zone irrigation (PRI) with low water volume/fertilizer applied in a Monastrell vineyard in southeastern Spain to plants grafted on different rootstocks, and to assess the productive, social, and economic efficiency in these semiarid conditions. Through a cost/benefit analysis, socio-economic and environmental criteria for the selection of optimal deficit irrigation strategies and tolerant/water use efficient rootstocks for the vineyards in arid environments are proposed. Our analysis shows a clear conflict between productivity and quality in wine grape production. Productive and economic indices, such as yield, productive WUE (kg m−3), economic efficiency (€ m−3), break-even point (kg ha−1), and water productivity (€ m−3), were inversely related with berry quality. Besides, high berry quality was closely related with higher production costs. Under the current market of low-priced grapes, if the grower is not rewarded for the quality of the grapes (considering technological, phenolic, and nutraceutical quality), the productivity vision will continue and the cost-effective option will be to produce a lot of grapes, even if at the expense of the berry and wine quality. In this situation, it will be difficult to implement optimized deficit irrigation strategies and sustainable irrigation water use, and the pressure on water resources will increase in semiarid areas. Public policies should encourage vine growers to invest in producing high-quality grapes as a differentiating character, as well as to develop agronomic practices that are environmentally and socially sustainable, by the grapes more adjusted to their real quality and production costs. Only in this way we can implement agronomic measures such as optimized low-input DI (deficit irrigation) techniques and the use of efficient rootstocks to improve WUE and grape quality in semiarid regions in a context of climate change and water-limiting conditions.

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>

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

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.

scholarly journals Assessing the Climate Change Impacts on Grain Sorghum Yield and Irrigation Water Use under Full and Deficit Irrigation Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kritika Kothari ◽  
Srinivasulu Ale ◽  
James P. Bordovsky ◽  
Clyde L. Munster
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Grain Filling ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Grain Sorghum ◽  
Full Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation Water Use

HighlightsIrrigated grain sorghum yield and irrigation water use decreased under climate change.Increase in growing season temperature beyond 26°C resulted in a sharp decline in grain sorghum yield.Irrigating during early reproductive stages resulted in the most efficient use of limited water.Irrigating to replenish soil water to 80% of field capacity was found suitable for both current and future climates. Groundwater overdraft from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation use and anticipated climate change impacts pose major threats to the sustainability of agriculture in the Texas High Plains (THP) region. In this study, the DSSAT-CSM-CERES-Sorghum model was used to simulate climate change impacts on grain sorghum production under full and deficit irrigation strategies and suggest optimal deficit irrigation strategies. Two irrigation strategies were designed based on (1) crop growth stage and (2) soil water deficit. For the first strategy, seven deficit irrigation scenarios and one full irrigation scenario were simulated: three scenarios with a single 100 mm irrigation scheduled between panicle initiation and boot (T1), between boot and early grain filling (T2), and between early and late grain filling (T3) growth stages; three 200 mm irrigation treatments with combinations of T1 and T2 (T4), T1 and T3 (T5), and T2 and T3 (T6); one 300 mm irrigation scenario (T7) that was a combination of T1, T2, and T3; and a full irrigation scenario (T8) in which irrigation was applied throughout the growing season to maintain at least 50% of plant-available water in the top 30 cm soil profile. For the second strategy, the irrigation schedule obtained from auto-irrigation (T8) was mimicked to create a full irrigation scenario (I100) and six deficit irrigation scenarios. In the deficit irrigation scenarios, water was applied on the same dates as scenario I100; however, the irrigation amounts of scenario I100 were reduced by 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% to create deficit irrigation scenarios I90, I80, I70, I60, I50, and I40, respectively. Projected climate forcings were drawn from nine global climate models (GCMs) and two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Climate change analysis indicated that grain sorghum yield under full irrigation was expected to be reduced by 5% by mid-century (2036 to 2065) and by 15% by late-century (2066 to 2095) under RCP 8.5 compared to the baseline period (1976 to 2005). Simulated future irrigation water demand of grain sorghum was reduced due to the shorter growing season and improved dry matter- and yield-transpiration productivity, likely due to CO2 fertilization. Based on the simulated grain sorghum yield and irrigation water use efficiency, the most efficient use of limited irrigation was achieved by applying irrigation during the early reproductive stages of grain sorghum (panicle initiation through early grain filling). A 20% deficit irrigation scenario was found to be optimal for current and future conditions because it was more water use efficient than full irrigation with a minor yield reduction of &lt;11%. In summary, these results indicated that strategic planning of when and how much to irrigate could help in getting the most out of limited irrigation. Keywords: CERES-Sorghum, Critical growth stages, Crop yield, Global climate model, Irrigation demand, Soil water depletion.

Development and Evaluation of a Variable-Rate Irrigation Management Method in the Mississippi Delta

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-298
Author(s):  
Ruixiu Sui ◽  
Jonnie Baggard
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water Productivity ◽  
Variable Rate Irrigation

HighlightsWe developed and evaluated a variable-rate irrigation (VRI) management method for five crop years in the Mississippi Delta.VRI management significantly reduced irrigation water use in comparison with uniform-rate irrigation (URI). There was no significant difference in grain yield and irrigation water productivity between VRI and URI management.Soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) was used to delineate irrigation management zones and generate VRI prescriptions.Sensor-measured soil water content was used in irrigation scheduling.Abstract. Variable-rate irrigation (VRI) allows producers to site-specifically apply irrigation water at variable rates within a field to account for the temporal and spatial variability in soil and plant characteristics. Developing practical VRI methods and documenting the benefits of VRI application are critical to accelerate the adoption of VRI technologies. Using apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and soil moisture sensors, a VRI method was developed and evaluated with corn and soybean for five crop years in the Mississippi Delta. Soil ECa of the study fields was mapped and used to delineate VRI management zones and create VRI prescriptions. Irrigation was scheduled using soil volumetric water content measured by soil moisture sensors. A center pivot VRI system was employed to deliver irrigation water according to the VRI prescription. Grain yield, irrigation water use, and irrigation water productivity in the VRI treatment were determined and compared with that in a uniform-rate irrigation (URI) treatment. Results showed that the grain yield and irrigation water productivity between the VRI and URI treatments were not statistically different with both corn and soybean crops. The VRI management significantly reduced the amount of irrigation water by 22% in corn and by 11% in soybean (p = 0.05). Adoption of VRI management could improve irrigation water use efficiency in the Mississippi Delta. Keywords: Soil electrical conductivity, Soil moisture sensor, Variable rate irrigation, Water management.

scholarly journals Potential and Actual Water Savings through Improved Irrigation Scheduling in Small-Scale Vegetable Production

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Studer ◽  
Simon Spoehel
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Appropriate irrigation scheduling for efficient water use is often a challenge for small-scale farmers using drip irrigation. In a trial with 12 farmers in Sébaco, Nicaragua, two tools to facilitate irrigation scheduling were tested: the Water Chart (a table indicating required irrigation doses) and tensiometers. The study aimed at evaluating if and to what extent simple tools can reduce irrigation water use and improve water productivity in drip-irrigated vegetable (beetroot; Beta vulgaris L.) production compared with the farmers’ usual practice. Irrigation water use was substantially reduced (around 20%) when farmers irrigated according to the tools. However, farmers did not fully adhere to the tool guidance, probably because they feared that their crop would not get sufficient water. Thus they still over-irrigated their crop: between 38% and 88% more water than recommended was used during the treatment period, resulting in 91% to 139% higher water use than required over the entire growing cycle. Water productivity of beetroot production was, therefore, much lower (around 3 kg/m3) than what can be achieved under comparable conditions, although yields were decent. Differences in crop yield and water productivity among treatments were not significant. The simplified Water Chart was not sufficiently understandable to farmers (and technicians), whereas tensiometers were better perceived, although they do not provide any indication on how much water to apply. We conclude that innovations such as drip irrigation or improved irrigation scheduling have to be appropriately introduced, e.g., by taking sufficient time to co-produce a common understanding about the technologies and their possible usefulness, and by ensuring adequate follow-up support.

scholarly journals Adaptation Effort and Performance of Water Management Strategies to Face Climate Change Impacts in Six Representative Basins of Southern Europe

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Sordo-Ward ◽  
Alfredo Granados ◽  
Ana Iglesias ◽  
Luis Garrote ◽  
María Bejarano
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
River Network ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Irrigation Water Use

We evaluated different management alternatives to enhance potential water availability for agriculture under climate change scenarios. The management goal involved maximizing potential water availability, understood as the maximum volume of water supplied at a certain point of the river network that satisfies a defined demand, and taking into account specified reliability requirements. We focused on potential water availability for agriculture and assumed two types of demands: urban supply and irrigation. If potential water availability was not enough to satisfy all irrigation demands, management measures were applied aiming at achieving a compromise solution between resources and demands. The methodological approach consisted of estimation and comparison of runoff for current and future period under climate change effects, calculation of water availability changes due to changes in runoff, and evaluation of the adaptation choices that can modify the distribution of water availability, under climate change. Adaptation choices include modifying water allocation to agriculture, increasing the reservoir storage capacity, improving the efficiency of urban water use, and modifying water allocation to environmental flows. These management measures were evaluated at the desired points of the river network by applying the Water Availability and Adaptation Policy Analysis (WAAPA) model. We simulated the behavior of a set of reservoirs that supply water for a set of prioritized demands, complying with specified ecological flows and accounting for evaporation losses. We applied the methodology in six representative basins of southern Europe: Duero-Douro, Ebro, Guadalquivir, Po, Maritsa-Evros, and Struma-Strymon. While in some basins, such as the Ebro or Struma-Strymon, measures can significantly increase water availability and compensate for a fraction of water scarcity due to climate change, in other basins, like the Guadalquivir, water availability cannot be enhanced by applying the management measures analyzed, and irrigation water use will have to be reduced.

Effect of the optimized regulated deficit irrigation methodology on water use in barley under semiarid conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 228 ◽  
pp. 105925 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Pardo ◽  
A. Martínez-Romero ◽  
B.C. Léllis ◽  
J.M. Tarjuelo ◽  
A. Domínguez
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Regulated Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Semiarid Conditions

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 &gt;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.

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