Levels of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Alternative Irrigation Water Vary Based on Water Source on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

In the last several decades, Maryland’s Eastern Shore has seen significant declines in groundwater levels. While this area is not currently experiencing drought conditions or water scarcity, this research represents a proactive approach.

Impact Evaluation of Alternative Irrigation Technology in Crete: Correcting for Selectivity Bias

The interest in promoting food and water security through development projects has led to the need to evaluate the impact of these projects. This study evaluates the impact from transitioning to a modern irrigation technology. Deciding to adopt or not an alternative irrigation technology (sprinklers) is not necessarily a random determination. Therefore, selection bias can be present and this can lead to biased estimates. In this study, we apply methodological specifications to correct for self-selectivity biases. Then, we measure and compare the technical efficiency scores from adopters and non-adopters. The empirical application uses data covering 56 small-scale greenhouse farms in Crete (Greece) for the cropping years 2009-2013. The results reveal that the average technical efficiency for farmers who adopted sprinkler irrigation is lower than the group of non-adopters, when the presence of selectivity bias cannot be rejected. This implies that either the farmers need more time to incorporate the know-how of the newly acquired technology or they become less motivated after the adoption. Consequently, agricultural water saving technologies need to be promoted in combination with support to the farmers, so they can cope with the lower performance in the first years after adoption.

A 2020 Vision of Subsurface Drip Irrigation in the U.S.

HighlightsSubsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has continued to expand in irrigation area within the U.S. during the last 15 years.Research with SDI continues for multiple crop types (fiber, grain and oilseed, horticultural, forage, and turf).SDI usage on many crops has matured through research and development of appropriate strategies and technologiesDespite some persistent challenges to successful use of SDI, important opportunities exist for further adoption.Abstract. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) offers several advantages over alternative irrigation systems when it is designed and installed correctly and when best management practices are adopted. These advantages include the ability to apply water and nutrients directly and efficiently within the crop root zone. Disadvantages of SDI in commercial agriculture relative to alternative irrigation systems include greater capital cost per unit land area (except for small land parcels), unfamiliar management and maintenance protocols that can exacerbate the potential for emitter clogging, the visibility of system attributes (components and design characteristics) and performance, and the susceptibility to damage (i.e., rodents and tillage) of the subsurface driplines. Despite these disadvantages, SDI continues to be adopted in commercial agriculture in the U.S., and research efforts to evaluate and develop SDI systems continue as well. This article summarizes recent progress in research (2010 to 2020) and the status of commercial adoption of SDI, along with a discussion of current challenges and future opportunities. Keywords: Drip Irrigation, Irrigation, Irrigation systems, Microirrigation, SDI, Water management.

Improving rice water productivity using alternative irrigation (case study: North of Iran)

Increasing population and the need for more food has made forces on water resources due to crop productions. One of the strategies for preventing the overuses of safe water resources for agriculture is to increase agricultural productivity by reducing the amount of irrigation water with a slight reduction or even maintaining the yields. Rice production in the northern region of Iran which is strategically and economically very important, requires irrigation management changing with traditional irrigation methods (flood irrigation). This study was conducted in 2017–2018 crop season to investigate the effect of different irrigation management on water consumption, rice yield and water productivity in paddy field of Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran. The experiment was performed in the field in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and four treatments in 12 plots. The treatments were TI (Traditional/flood Irrigation), AI1, AI3 and AI5 (Alternative Irrigation one, three and five days after the disappearance of water from the soil surface, respectively). The number of yield components and the water productivity indexes were determined. The results of this study showed a significant difference (at 1% level) between irrigation treatments in terms of yield components including tiller number, Panicle length, filling percentage, and water productivity, but they did not have any significant effect on plant height and grain yield. The applied irrigation water for TI, AI1, AI3, and AI5 treatments was measured to be 7,940, 4,910, 4,090 and 3,290 m3/ha, respectively. The maximum yield (6.11 ton/ha) belonged to TI treatment and after that with the value of 6.02 ton/ha was belong to AI5 treatment with the least application of water. Rice water productivities for TI, AI1, AI3, and AI5 treatments were calculated to be 0.82, 1.05, 1.38 and 1.83 kg/m3, respectively. Therefore, alternate irrigation five days after the disappearance of surface water (AI5) was accepted to be the best irrigation practices among the other different irrigation management due to 56.07% reduction in water use and only 1.47% reduction in grain yield compared to control treatment.

Clorpactin: An Alternative Irrigation Method for Total Knee Arthroplasty Joint Infection Revisions

Different combinations of irrigation solutions have been used in attempt to eradicate microorganisms for the prevention and treatment of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs). Clorpactin WCS-90 was evaluated as an alternative irrigation intraoperative technique for the treatment of PJI using both debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) and 2-stage total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures. We retrospectively reviewed PJIs irrigated with Clorpactin between January 2015 and January 2020. We found 13 patients who underwent a DAIR procedure for an acutely infected primary TKA, 18 patients underwent a 2-stage procedure for a chronically infected primary TKA, two patients underwent a DAIR procedure for an acutely infected revision TKA, and 18 patients underwent a 2-stage procedure for a chronically infected revision TKA. The odds of reinfection and need for additional surgery were analyzed at a mean follow-up of 20 to 26 months between groups. Only one patient (7.69%) became reinfected in the acute infected primary TKA group, three patients (16.67%) in the chronic infected primary TKA group, 0 patients (0%) in the acute infected revision TKA group, and six patients (33.33%) in the chronic infected revision TKA group. When the acute primary TKA infection group was compared with the chronic revision TKA infection group, the odds of reinfection (Chi-square test [χ2] = 21.7, df 3, p < 0.001) and odds of additional surgery (χ2 = 13.6, df 3, p < 0.003) were significantly higher for the chronic revision TKA infection group. Overall, the reinfection rate for DAIR revisions was 6.67% (range = 0–7.69) and 2-stage revisions was 25.00% (range = 16.67–33.33). The use of Clorpactin WCS-90 irrigation prior to wound closure is a useful option for the treatment of acute and chronic knee PJIs. Our study provides evidence that infection eradication with the use of Clorpactin is comparable to other irrigation methods and surgical techniques in reported literature.

Longitudinal Assessment of the Dynamics of Escherichia coli, Total Coliforms, Enterococcus spp., and Aeromonas spp. in Alternative Irrigation Water Sources: a CONSERVE Study

ABSTRACT As climate change continues to stress freshwater resources, we have a pressing need to identify alternative (nontraditional) sources of microbially safe water for irrigation of fresh produce. This study is part of the center CONSERVE, which aims to facilitate the adoption of adequate agricultural water sources. A 26-month longitudinal study was conducted at 11 sites to assess the prevalence of bacteria indicating water quality, fecal contamination, and crop contamination risk (Escherichia coli, total coliforms [TC], Enterococcus, and Aeromonas). Sites included nontidal freshwater rivers/creeks (NF), a tidal brackish river (TB), irrigation ponds (PW), and reclaimed water sites (RW). Water samples were filtered for bacterial quantification. E. coli, TC, enterococci (∼86%, 98%, and 90% positive, respectively; n = 333), and Aeromonas (∼98% positive; n = 133) were widespread in water samples tested. Highest E. coli counts were in rivers, TC counts in TB, and enterococci in rivers and ponds (P < 0.001 in all cases) compared to other water types. Aeromonas counts were consistent across sites. Seasonal dynamics were detected in NF and PW samples only. E. coli counts were higher in the vegetable crop-growing (May-October) than nongrowing (November-April) season in all water types (P < 0.05). Only one RW and both PW sites met the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act water standards. However, implementation of recommended mitigation measures of allowing time for microbial die-off between irrigation and harvest would bring all other sites into compliance within 2 days. This study provides comprehensive microbial data on alternative irrigation water and serves as an important resource for food safety planning and policy setting. IMPORTANCE Increasing demands for fresh fruit and vegetables, a variable climate affecting agricultural water availability, and microbial food safety goals are pressing the need to identify new, safe, alternative sources of irrigation water. Our study generated microbial data collected over a 2-year period from potential sources of irrigation (rivers, ponds, and reclaimed water sites). Pond water was found to comply with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) microbial standards for irrigation of fruit and vegetables. Bacterial counts in reclaimed water, a resource that is not universally allowed on fresh produce in the United States, generally met microbial standards or needed minimal mitigation. We detected the most seasonality and the highest microbial loads in river water, which emerged as the water type that would require the most mitigation to be compliant with established FSMA standards. This data set represents one of the most comprehensive, longitudinal analyses of alternative irrigation water sources in the United States.