A Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency of Two Sprinkler Irrigation Systems for Wheat Cultivation (Case Study: Dehgolan Plains, Kurdistan)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• P. Tahmasbi ¹
• F. Dalvand ¹
• S.A. Hosseini ¹
• B. Karimi ²
• H. Ghadrshnas ³

¹ Water Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

² , Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

³ Water Resources, Kurdistan Regional Water Authority, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22067/jsw.2025.90134.1439

Abstract

Introduction
Agriculture plays a dual role in the energy sector meaning that it acts both as a source of raw material for bioenergy production and as a major consumer of energy, particularly in the processes of planting, cultivation and harvesting, transportation, processing, and storage of agricultural products. Among the numerous challenges facing the agricultural sector, optimizing energy or input consumption is of paramount importance. These key inputs play a crucial role in ensuring food security and economic stability for the country. One of the most important agricultural development programs in the country should be to increase efficiency of energy consumption in the agricultural sector. In Iran, approximately 9.2 million hectares have been equipped with modern irrigation systems (pressure system) which has increased the water productivity index from 0.87 kg m^-3 in 2014 to 0.32 kg m^-3 in 2014. Accordingly, it is predicted to reach 0.60 kg m^-3 hectares until 2025. The Dehgolan Plain, located in the east of Sanandaj city, has an area of 84,982 square kilometers. Groundwater is the only source of water for agriculture in the region. Due to the annual decrease in the groundwater level, energy consumption for water extraction has increased. Common irrigation systems in the region's farms include fixed-mobile sprinkler classic rain irrigation systems, center pivot, and lateral roll. Thus, it seems necessary to evaluate the energy productivity and efficiency indexes in the mentioned plain. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the energy consumption indexes of wheat in farms under fixed-mobile sprinkler classic and Willet rain irrigation systems.
 
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted in the farms of Dehgolan plains where the energy consumption trend of input factors in two irrigation systems was investigated. All information related to input factors and working hours of machinery, agricultural equipment, and manpower was recorded at the end of the cropping season 1400-1401 through filling out questionnaires. The studied farms in this research were all under dry wheat cultivation and equipped with two rain irrigation systems, system 1 (fixed-mobile sprinkler classic) and system 2 (Wheel move irrigation). The required input factors for wheat production in each hectare were determined. The amount of different input factors for conversion to energy standard was calculated using energy coefficients and equivalents. As a result, energy productivity, energy use efficiency, specific energy, and net energy indexes were used to investigate the energy consumption trend of wheat in the two mentioned irrigation systems.
 
Results and Discussion
The results of this study showed that the total input energy for wheat production in systems (1) and (2) was 85943.97 and 69189.04 MJ ha^-1, respectively and energy consumption in the Willet rain irrigation system was higher than in the fixed-mobile sprinkler classic rain irrigation system due to the high consumption of electricity and irrigation water. The electricity consumption in both systems accounted for the highest energy consumption. Moreover, the energy productivity and efficiency of the two systems were almost equal as well as the net energy of irrigation system (1) and irrigation system (2) was 41510.96 and 64156.03 MJ ha^-1, respectively.
 
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study focuses on evaluating the energy trends in rain irrigation systems used in dry wheat farms in the Dehgolan plains, Kurdistan province, Iran. In this study, the energy indexes of wheat in smallholder farmers' farms in Dehgolan plain, Kurdistan province, were evaluated. The studied farms were categorized into two groups, system (1) (fixed-mobile sprinkler classic rain irrigation system) and irrigation system (2) (Willet rain irrigation system), the energy source of which was electricity for both systems. At the end of the cropping season, the total amount of input and output factors were collected by filling out questionnaires in person, and to validate the amount of electricity consumption, its amount was obtained from the Dehgolan Electricity Company. The results of the research showed that the energy consumption per unit of wheat production in the Willet irrigation system was higher than in the fixed-mobile sprinkler classic irrigation system. This difference was due to the higher consumption of electricity and irrigation water in the Willet irrigation system. The energy productivity and efficiency indexes were almost equal in both systems. Eventually, the net energy of the fixed-mobile sprinkler classic irrigation system was higher than that of the Willet irrigation system.

Keywords

• Consumed electricity
• Input energy
• Irrigation system
• Performance
• Wheel move

Main Subjects

• Irrigation

©2024 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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