The influence of the spatial distribution of agricultural conservation practices on hydrological balance variables in a small basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Noreika ◽  
Tomas Dostal ◽  
Tailin Li ◽  
David Zumr ◽  
Josef Krasa
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Hydrological Balance ◽  
Agricultural Conservation ◽  
Basin Scale

<p>SWAT is perhaps the most widely-used basin-scale hydrological model discussed in modern literature. SWAT is typically used to model large basins (100+ km<sup>2</sup>) and has even successfully modeled basins at continental scales. Regardless of the typical scale that SWAT is used, SWAT has been shown to adequately model various hydrological processes at smaller scales, but this application is much less common in the literature.  The aim of this study is to utilize SWAT+ in a small (<1 km<sup>2</sup>) agricultural basin (Nucice) approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Prague, Czechia to determine the effects of various spatial distribution patterns of agricultural conservation practices (no/reduced tillage, crop residues, cover crops, etc.) and their respective impacts on projected runoff, soil water retention, and evapotranspiration.</p><p>We were able to successfully calibrate our SWAT+ model for the Nucice experimental catchment from 2014 through part of 2018 using discharge data and estimating ET via remote sensing. After successful calibration, we implemented 4 scenarios to analyze the effects of implementing agricultural conservation practices: 25% continuous in upper 50% of basin, 25% fragmented in upper 50% of basin, 25% continuous in lower 50% of basin, and 25% fragmented in lower 50% of basin.</p><p>The adaptation pattern of agricultural conservation practices has significant and disproportionate effects on various hydrological balance parameters. Since it is rare that a single farmer manages an entire basin, this study shows that widespread adaptation of agricultural practices is necessary to maximize water conservation within a landscape. We intend to upscale this study (100+ km<sup>2</sup> basins) and to compare basins across multiple climates to determine if these effects are universal.</p><p>This research has been supported by project H2020 No. 773903 Shui, focused on water scarcity in European and Chinese cropping systems.</p>

scholarly journals Non-Chemical Weed Management in Vegetables by Using Cover Crops: A Review

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husrev Mennan ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Bernard H. Zandstra ◽  
Firat Pala
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Negative Effects

Vegetables are a substantial part of our lives and possess great commercial and nutritional value. Weeds not only decrease vegetable yield but also reduce their quality. Non-chemical weed control is important both for the organic production of vegetables and achieving ecologically sustainable weed management. Estimates have shown that the yield of vegetables may be decreased by 45%–95% in the case of weed–vegetable competition. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is desired for several reasons. For example, there are greater chances of contamination of vegetables by herbicide residue compared to cereals or pulse crops. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is also needed due to environmental pollution, the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds and a strong desire for organic vegetable cultivation. Although there are several ways to control weeds without the use of herbicides, cover crops are an attractive choice because these have a number of additional benefits (such as soil and water conservation) along with the provision of satisfactory and sustainable weed control. Several cover crops are available that may provide excellent weed control in vegetable production systems. Cover crops such as rye, vetch, or Brassicaceae plants can suppress weeds in rotations, including vegetables crops such as tomato, cabbage, or pumpkin. Growers should also consider the negative effects of using cover crops for weed control, such as the negative allelopathic effects of some cover crop residues on the main vegetable crop.

scholarly journals Assessing the joint adoption and complementarity between in-field conservation practices of Kansas farmers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng Gong ◽  
Jason.S. Bergtold ◽  
Elizabeth Yeager
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Agricultural Conservation ◽  
Farmer Adoption ◽  
Adoption Decisions ◽  
On Farm

AbstractAgricultural conservation systems consist of a myriad of conservation practices. The mix and intensity of conservation practices adopted can benefit farmers and affect the entire production system in addition to soil and water conservation. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze farmer adoption of and complementarity between conservation practices from a joint and conditional probabilistic perspective using Kansas as a case study. We develop a modeling framework that can analyze and examine farmers’ joint and conditional adoption decisions using a multinomial logistic regression model. This framework is used to estimate conditional probabilities of adopting conservation practices given adoption of other practices to better capture the complementarity between different conservation practices. These estimates allow for an assessment of linkages between adoption of different conservation practices and the socioeconomic factors that affect the likelihood of adopting conservation practices given other conservation practices have already been adopted on-farm. The results can help guide policy and outreach efforts to promote further intensification of adoption by farmers.

scholarly journals Modeling Basin-Scale Impacts of Cultivation Practices on Cotton Yield and Water Conservation under Various Hydroclimatic Regimes

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Lili Tan ◽  
Yingqi Zhang ◽  
Gary W. Marek ◽  
Srinivasulu Ale ◽  
David K. Brauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Planting Date ◽  
Cotton Yield ◽  
Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Cultivation Practices ◽  
Texas Panhandle ◽  
Irrigation Depth ◽  
Short Season

The SWAT model equipped with an improved auto-irrigation function was used to assess the impacts of cultivation practices on irrigated and dryland cotton yield and water conservation in the Texas Panhandle. Results showed the largest irrigation depth led to reductions in irrigation and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) with slightly increased cotton yields compared to the baseline scenarios under different hydroclimatic regimes. However, soil water content and surface runoff values were increased when using the largest irrigation depth. The opposite results were observed for the small irrigation depth. Early planting of cotton resulted in decreased irrigation and ETc, and increased cotton yields under both irrigated and dryland conditions, particularly in normal and wet years. By contrast, the late planting scenarios indicated the opposite for those variables. Simulated hydrologic variables were relatively stable using various maturity cultivars. Nevertheless, greater than 10% reductions in irrigated cotton yield under diverse hydroclimatic years and dryland yields during normal and wet years were identified in the long-season cotton. The opposite was determined for the short-season cotton. These outcomes suggest that a larger irrigation depth, earlier planting date, and short-season cultivar are promising cultivation practices for improving cotton yield and water conservation in the Texas Panhandle.

scholarly journals Awards

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Schattman ◽  
Luke Trinity ◽  
Eric M. Clark ◽  
Scott C. Merrill
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Motivational Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Conservation ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Sustained Use ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Study Participants

There are many examples of nonmonetary awards which can serve as proxies for social recognition of good agricultural stewardship and conservation behavior. However, the degree to which these awards motivate implementation and sustained use of conservation practices (such as cover cropping) has not been adequately examined. In this study, we used a serious game approach to explore the effect of nonmonetary conservation awards on participants’ agricultural management decisions in an online experiment. Our results show that study participants were highly motivated to implement cover crops on a year-by-year basis by the fictional Ecobadge award, particularly when award thresholds were set at low levels. There was no difference between participants with prior agricultural experience and those without. Although participants who were not motivated to seek the Ecobadge achieved higher mean financial returns, they also had a wider variation in their financial performance as a group. Those who attained the Ecobadge were less risk-tolerant than those who did not. Achievement of the Ecobadge decayed over several rounds of game play, except among participants who planted cover crops on a high percentage (≥50%) of their land, suggesting these participants possessed high intrinsic motivation. This exploration suggests that nonmonetary awards have high potential to serve as motivational tools to increase adoption of cover crops and potentially other agricultural conservation practices, likely as part of a suite of motivational strategies. We suggest that organizations reconsider how they issue these awards. Better integration of awards with opportunities for peer-to-peer recognition among farmers is a promising approach to expand implementation of conservation practices.

scholarly journals Long‐term database of Beasley Lake Watershed with 25 years of agricultural conservation practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Lizotte Jr ◽  
Lindsey M. W. Yasarer ◽  
Mark K. Griffith ◽  
Martin A. Locke ◽  
Ronald L. Bingner
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Agricultural Conservation

scholarly journals A Review of SWAT Model Application in Africa

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1313
Author(s):  
George Akoko ◽  
Tu Hoang Le ◽  
Takashi Gomi ◽  
Tasuku Kato
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Model Parameterization ◽  
Basin Scale

The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) is a well-known hydrological modeling tool that has been applied in various hydrologic and environmental simulations. A total of 206 studies over a 15-year period (2005–2019) were identified from various peer-reviewed scientific journals listed on the SWAT website database, which is supported by the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). These studies were categorized into five areas, namely applications considering: water resources and streamflow, erosion and sedimentation, land-use management and agricultural-related contexts, climate-change contexts, and model parameterization and dataset inputs. Water resources studies were applied to understand hydrological processes and responses in various river basins. Land-use and agriculture-related context studies mainly analyzed impacts and mitigation measures on the environment and provided insights into better environmental management. Erosion and sedimentation studies using the SWAT model were done to quantify sediment yield and evaluate soil conservation measures. Climate-change context studies mainly demonstrated streamflow sensitivity to weather changes. The model parameterization studies highlighted parameter selection in streamflow analysis, model improvements, and basin scale calibrations. Dataset inputs mainly compared simulations with rain-gauge and global rainfall data sources. The challenges and advantages of the SWAT model’s applications, which range from data availability and prediction uncertainties to the model’s capability in various applications, are highlighted. Discussions on considerations for future simulations such as data sharing, and potential for better future analysis are also highlighted. Increased efforts in local data availability and a multidimensional approach in future simulations are recommended.

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