Irrigation
Seyed Abolghasem Haghayeghi Moghaddam; Fariborz Abbasi; Abolfazl Nasseri; Peyman Varjavand; Sayed Ebrahim Dehghanian; Mohammad Mehdi Ghasemi; Saloome Sepehri; Hassan Khosravi; Mohammad Karimi; Farzin Parchami-Araghi; Mustafa Goodarzi; Mokhtar Miranzadeh; Masoud Farzamnia; Afshin Uossef Gomrokchi; Moinedin Rezvani; Ramin Nikanfar; Seyed Hassan Mousavi fazl; Ali Ghadami Firouzabadi
Abstract
Introduction
The basic strategy to mitigate water crisis is to save agricultural water consumption by increasing productivity, which will result in more income for farmers and sustainable production. Due to the economic importance of barley production in the country, it is necessary to study the volume ...
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Introduction
The basic strategy to mitigate water crisis is to save agricultural water consumption by increasing productivity, which will result in more income for farmers and sustainable production. Due to the economic importance of barley production in the country, it is necessary to study the volume of irrigation water and water productivity to produce this strategic product. Based on extensive field research on irrigation water management and application of different irrigation methods in barley farms, the innovations of this research were: a) measuring water consumed and determining water use efficiency in barley production, b) the up-to-date of the measurements and research findings, c) findings applicability for application in agricultural planning at the national and regional levels, d) the ability to development the findings in barley farms at the national level to improve water use efficiency. The hypotheses of this research are: a) barley irrigation water is various in different regions, b) water applied in barley farms is more than the required one, c) the water use efficiency of barley is different in the main production areas, and d) The applied water of barley is not the same in different irrigation methods. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to determine the water consumed and water use efficiency in barley production; to measure the water applied to barley farms in the main production areas; to compare the water measured in the production areas with the net irrigation requirement; and finally to determine water use efficiency of the barley in the main production areas in the Iran.
Materials and Methods
For this purpose, the volume of irrigation water and barley yield in 296 selected farms in 12 provinces (about 75% of the area under cultivation and production of barley in Iran) including Khuzestan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, North Khorasan, Fars, Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, Semnan, Markazi, Isfahan, Hamedan and Qazvin were measured directly. Farms in the mentioned provinces were selected to cover various factors such as irrigation method, level of ownership, proper distribution and quality of irrigation water. By carefully monitoring the irrigation program of selected farms during the growing season, the amount of irrigation water for barley during one year was measured. At the end of the season and after determining the average yield of barley during the 2020-2021 year, the values of irrigation water productivity and total water productivity (irrigation+effective rainfall) were determined in selected barley farms in each region. The volume of water supplied was compared with the gross irrigation requirements estimated by the Penman-Monteith method using meteorological data from the last ten years, and compared with the values of the National Water Document. Analysis of variance was used to investigate the possible differences in yield, irrigation water and water productivity in barley production.
Results and Discussion
To assess the reliability of statistical analysis, we evaluated the sufficiency of the number of measurements needed for both the quantity of irrigation water and the ley yield on the farms. Subsequently, we computed statistical indices, such as the mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the number of measurements of irrigation water and barley yield was to be 296 and 283, respectively, which was more than the number of measurements required for irrigation water (41 dataset) and yield (50 dataset). Therefore, the sufficiency of the data for the statistical analysis was reliable. The results showed that the difference in yield, volume of irrigation water and water productivity indices were significant in the mentioned provinces. The volume of barley irrigation water in the studied areas varied from 1900 to 9300 cubic meters per hectare and its average weight was 4875 cubic meters per hectare. The average barley yield in selected farms varied from 1630 to 7050 kg ha-1 and the average was 3985 kg ha-1. Irrigation water productivity in selected provinces ranged from 0.22 to 1.53 and its weight average was 0.90 kg m-3. Average gross irrigation water requirement in the study areas by the Penman-Monteith method using meteorological data of the last ten years and the national water document were 4710 and 4950 cubic meters per hectare, respectively. Irrigation efficiency of barley fields in the country is estimated at 62-65% without deficit irrigation.
Conclusion
In order to reduce water consumption and improve water productivity, it is suggested to manage water delivery to farms during the season and deliver water rights to them according to crops water requirements. To reduce water losses and enhance productivity in the barley farms, it is suggested the application of modern irrigation systems according to the farms conditions with the suitable operation; and modification and improvement of surface and traditional irrigation methods. Note that, water is only one of several necessary and effective inputs in the optimal and economic production of barley. On the other hand, attention should be paid to the optimal application of other inputs including: seeds, fertilizers, equipment and tools etc.
Irrigation
M. Goodarzi; F. Abbasi; A. Hedayatipour
Abstract
IntroductionThe lack of water resources and increase in water demand are among the effective factors in the imbalance of the water resources in each region, and it is necessary to manage the proper use of available water resources in all activities. Water in the agricultural sector is one of the main ...
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IntroductionThe lack of water resources and increase in water demand are among the effective factors in the imbalance of the water resources in each region, and it is necessary to manage the proper use of available water resources in all activities. Water in the agricultural sector is one of the main factors of production, which should be conveyed by irrigation systems to the field level and made available for the plant roots. The necessity of macro-planning in water management and consumption imposes a comprehensive study of the amount of water consumed in the agricultural sector. Hence, this study was conducted with the objective of directly measuring and field-assessing the applied water, water productivity, and water footprint associated with the primary crops cultivated in Markazi Province, all managed by local farmers.MethodologyFor this purpose, 141 farms were selected in the major production areas of the main agricultural and horticultural crops of Markazi province with the coordination of the Agricultural Jihad centers. Then, the volume of water applied was measured without interfering in the irrigation scheduling of the users. To do so, first, the flow rate of the water source (canal, well, aqueduct or spring) was measured with a suitable device (flume and meter) in each of the selected farms. Then, by carefully monitoring the irrigation schedule of the farm, including the time of each irrigation, the number of irrigation throughout the year, as well as measuring the area under crop cultivation, the amount of water used by the crop was measured for each of the selected farms during the season. Also, based on the measured data, the amounts of blue, green and gray water footprints were determined for each of the examined crops. For this purpose, the blue, green and gray water footprints of different crops were calculated using the framework provided by Hoekstra and Chapagain (2008), and Hoekstra et al., (2011).Results and DiscussionThe irrigation intervals in the studied fields varied between 3 and 15 days with an average of 8 days and the average irrigation depth varied between 26.2 and 99 mm with an average of 67.8 mm in different crops. The results showed that the average volume of applied water for the studied crops in Markazi province was 10782 cubic meters per hectare. Also, the minimum and maximum amount of applied water for the evaluated crops was as follows: barley 3783 and 7232, alfalfa 10382 and 19797, beans 8280 and 17840, watermelon 5333 and 7174, walnuts 4420 and 29600, almonds 3850 and 13932, peaches 6872 and 17727, cherries 7050 and 14645, pomegranates 7156 and 20790, and grapes 5937 and 18168 cubic meters per hectare. Furthermore, the average value of irrigation water efficiency index and water footprint was as follows: barley 0.46 and 1642, alfalfa 0.92 and 700, bean 2924 and 0.24, watermelon 9.37 and 117, walnut 0.1 and 6706, almonds 0.16 and 6857, peach 2.48 and 242, cherries 0.73 and 875, pomegranates 1.33 and 636, and grapes 11.2 and 322. Based on the obtained results, the average total water footprint index was equal to 2102 cubic meters per ton. On average, the almond with a water footprint of 6857 cubic meters per ton had the highest share in allocating the water footprint in the crop production of the province. Whereas, the lowest water footprint related to the watermelon with a water footprint of 117 cubic meters per ton. he average values of the irrigation application efficiency index, irrigation water productivity, and water footprint for the examined farms were 72.5%, 1.79 kg/m3, and 2,102 m3/ton, respectively. In summary, the results indicate that the combined volume of irrigation water and beneficial rainfall in the irrigated fields within Markazi Province surpasses the actual water demand of the crops. This underscores the substantial impact of irrigation management on water utilization in the region.ConclusionOn average, the total volume of irrigation water and effective rainfall in irrigated fields and gardens in Markazi Province is more than the actual water requirement of the plant. In general, the results showed that irrigation management has a great impact on the amount of water use in the region. Based on the obtained results, considering that most of the farms and gardens receive water in an intermittent manner, in principle, no special attention is paid to the need for water and even effective rainfall, and the amount of water availability has the greatest impact on water consumption. Therefore, in order to reduce water consumption and improve water efficiency, it is suggested to manage the delivery of water to farmers during the season and according to their crop water needs. Also, the results of the water footprint can be used to improve water resource policies at the province level, land use studies, cropping pattern modification, and environmental sector policies.
Irrigation
M. Goodarzi; J. Ghadbeiklou; A. Ghadiry; M.A. Khodshenas
Abstract
Introduction
Water is one of the most important factors of development in human societies, water scarcity, specially fresh water which is one of the main limitation for agricultural, economic and social development in most developing countries. Providing and implementing an optimal cropping pattern, ...
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Introduction
Water is one of the most important factors of development in human societies, water scarcity, specially fresh water which is one of the main limitation for agricultural, economic and social development in most developing countries. Providing and implementing an optimal cropping pattern, in addition to better management of water and soil resources, can lead to reducing production risk, increasing the ability to deal with crises, improving employment, better management of providing services to farmers, and providing the possibility of expanding agro-based industries. In many regions of the world, including in Iran, many studies have been done to improve the cropping pattern in different regions. Despite the existing problems in designing and implementing the appropriate cropping pattern in the plains, modifying the cropping pattern based on scientific principles and emphasizing the reduction of water consumption while reducing water consumption provides the possibility of sustainable agriculture and in terms of economic and social aspects. Implementing an optimized cropping pattern in the Farahan Plain is an undeniable necessity to preserve national resources. This study was conducted with the objective of optimizing the cropping pattern in the area, taking into account multiple criteria.
Methodology
In this research, considering the importance of determining the cropping pattern based on the multiple objectives of the decision makers, it was tried to determine the optimal cropping pattern by using mathematical programming and fuzzy logic by establishing a compromise between the objectives of the cropping pattern. The model considered for this study was in the framework of the goal of the maximum ideal distance (Fuzzy Composite Distance). Also, in order to use water resources sustainably, scenarios of cropping patterns are presented based on different conditions of water resources uses. Based on the basin's water resource stability, an optimal cropping pattern was developed to address the conditions of normal water resource exploitation, as well as sustainable and unsustainable scenarios. Each scenario corresponds to a specific period. To achieve this, a multi-objective planning approach was utilized, integrating water, food, energy, and economic profit indicators. The resulting optimal cropping pattern considers stable water resource utilization during normal, drought, and wet periods, ensuring sustainable conditions.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the amount of water consumed by the optimal cropping pattern compared to the existing cropping pattern under normal, drought and wet conditions is reduced by 23.2, 29.2 and 18.1%, respectively. On the other hand, compared to the existing cropping pattern, the amount of calories produced by the optimal cropping pattern under normal, drought and wet conditions increases by 51.7, 61.9 and 45.2%, the average energy efficiency increases by 40.9, 42.8 and 35.8% and the net profit productivity increases by 43.3, 30.9 and 44.2 %, respectively. Based on the obtained results, it can be seen that in the optimal cropping pattern in drought conditions, the cultivated area of crops such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, grain corn, sugar beets, beans, alfalfa and watermelons should reach to the zero or be at the lowest possible level. In normal and drought conditions, the cultivated area of these crops should be minimal. On the other hand, the area under cultivation of crops such as fodder sorghum, fodder corn, saffron, cumin, camellia and medicinal plants should be increased and the cultivation of these crops should be promoted at the region. Also, regarding horticultural products, the cultivated area of walnut, apple, peach, apricot and almond orchards should be minimized and replaced with plants such as grapes, oleaster, jujube, barberry, rose, and figs.
Conclusion
Based on the obtained results, it was found that the use of the optimal cropping pattern derived from the indicators of water, food, energy and economic profit is completely superior and preferred over the existing cropping pattern and single purpose optimal cropping pattern. In order to achieve sustainable water resource management, it is recommended to modify the cropping pattern during drought, normal, and wet periods based on the suggested optimal cropping pattern. The existing cropping pattern currently falls short in terms of achieving the four objectives of water, food, energy, and economic profit. Therefore, it is crucial to develop main plans and strategies in the Farahan Plain that align with the implementation of the proposed optimal cropping pattern. By doing so, it will be possible to optimize the allocation of water resources and achieve improved outcomes in terms of water availability, food production, energy efficiency, and economic profitability.