The river chief system and agricultural non-point source water pollution control in China

As part of their efforts to control water pollution,local governments in China introduced the river chief system,whereby a named individual undertakes responsibility for protecting a specified waterway.As one of the most prominent sources of water pollution,agricultural non-point-source(NPS)pollution is becoming increasingly serious.Determining whether the river chief system,an institutional reform in China's decentralized environmental regulation regime,is effective in alleviating NPS pollution is important for the realization of green development.The effect of the river chief system on reducing agricultural NPS pollution is explored in this study using panel data from 308 Chinese counties during the period from 2004 to 2015.The results reveal that the negative impact of manure output from animal breeding operations on surface water quality is reduced with the implementation of the river chief system.However,the river chief system is ineffective in dealing with the water pollution caused by fertilizer use.Furthermore,in the current system,cooperation among river chiefs only occurs within a province.Local governments should increase their efforts in reducing fertilizer source loads and preventing fertilizer loads from entering surface waters.In addition,the central government should improve cooperation among the river chiefs in upstream and downstream provinces.

Impacts of climate change mitigation on agriculture water use:A provincial analysis in China

Agriculture consumes huge amounts of water in China and is profoundly affected by climate change.This study projects the agricultural water use towards 2030 under the climate change mitigation target at the provincial level in China by linking a computable general equilibrium(CGE)model and a regression model.By solving the endogeneities amongst agricultural water use,output and climate factors,we explore how these variables affect water use and further predict future trends through soft-link with the IMED|CGE model.It is found that sunshine duration has a slightly positive impact on water use.Furthermore,agricultural output will significantly drive agricultural water use based on historical data of the past 16 years.Results also show that carbon reduction would have a trade-offor co-benefit effect on water use due to regional disparity.Provinces with increasing agricultural exports,such as Xinjiang and Ningxia,would anticipate considerable growth in agricultural water use induced by carbon reduction.The soft-link method proposed by this study could be applied for future studies that aim to incorporate natural and geographical factors into human activities,and vice versa,for assessing sustainable development policies in an integrated way.

Effects of Continuous Plastic Film Mulching on Soil Bacterial Diversity, Organic Matter and Rice Water Use Efficiency

Two field experiments were conducted to study the effects of 6-year plastic film mulching on bacterial diversity, organic matter of paddy soil and water use efficiency on different soils with great environmental variabilities in Zhejiang Province, China, under non-flooding condition. The experiment started in 2001 at two sites with one rice crop annually. Three treatments included plastic film mulching with no flooding (PM), no plastic film mulching and no flooding (UM), and traditional flooding management (TF). Soil samples were collected and analyzed for bacterial diversity by DGGE and organic matter content, and water use efficiency (WUE) was calculated. The results showed that PM treatment favored the development of a more total bacterial community compared with TF management, the total number of bands was 33.3, 31.7 at tiller stage and heading stage (p < 0.05*). Hence, organic matter content was decreased by 36.7% and 51.4% under PM at two sites. PM also produced similar rice grain yield as TF at Duntou site and Dingqiao site, the average was 7924 kg?ha?1 and 7015 kg?ha?1 for PM and 8150 kg?ha?1 and 6990 kg?ha?1 for TF, respectively. Compared to TF, WUE and irrigation water use efficiency were increased significantly by 70.2% - 80.4% and 273.7% - 1300.0% for PM. It is essential to develop the water-saving agriculture.

Temporal Dynamics of Land Use and Water Quality in Three Sub-Catchments of the Rur River, Germany

The Rur catchment has over time undergone land use change which could have affected the biogeochemical processes of the river. Three sub-catchments in the Rur, Upper Rur, Inde and Wurm have different kinds of land use. Upper Rur is more natural catchment;Inde is mixed type and Wurm is highly modified by anthropogenic activities. This study investigated how land use changes from 2000 to 2018 have influenced SO4 and Cl dynamics in the Rur catchment. Land use maps were developed in QGIS environment for land use change calculation. Historical water quality data were collected from the online public source by Ministry of Environment and Nature Conservation in Germany. R-software was used for statistical analysis and graphical presentation. Less land use change was observed in the Upper Rur between 2000 to 2018. But in the Inde and Wurm decrease in agricultural land and associated increase in industrial, commercial and urban land were observed. Increase in mining area inside the catchment has enhanced the level of SO4 and EC in the Inde river. Conversion rates of natural to human dominated land use could be quantified in this study through land use change mapping, which will further help in making water management plan for these and comparable German and European catchments. However, high quality historical data set is a key requirement to maximize the output in process of relating impact of land use change in water quality.

Assessment of Nutrient Leaching Losses and Crop Uptake with Organic Fertilization,Water Saving Practices and Reduced Inorganic Fertilizer

The increasing world population has forced excessive chemical fertilizer and irrigation to complete the global food demand,deteriorating the water quality and nutrient losses.Short-term studies do not compile the evidences;therefore,the study aimed to identify the effectiveness of reduced doses of inorganic fertilizer and water-saving practices,hence,a six-year experiment(2015-2020)was conducted in China to address the knowledge gap.The experimental treatments were:farmer accustomed fertilization used as control(525:180:30 kg NPK ha^(-1)),fertilizer decrement(450:150:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)),fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation(450:150:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)),application of organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation(375:120:0 kg NPK ha^(-1)+4.5 tones organic fertilizer ha^(-1)),and application of controlled-release fertilizer(80:120:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)).Each treatment was replicated thrice following a randomized complete block design.The results achieved herein showed that control has the highest losses in the six-year study for total nitrogen(225.97 mg L^(-1)),total soluble nitrogen(121.58 mg L^(-1)),nitrate nitrogen(0.93 mg L^(-1)),total phosphorus(0.57 mg L^(-1)),and total soluble phosphorus(0.57 mg L^(-1))respectively.Reduced fertilizer and water application improved crop nutrient uptake,nitrogen concentration was significantly enhanced with organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation,P concentration was increased with fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation,and K concentration was improved with fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation.Hence,this study concludes that reduced inorganic fertilizer dose combined with water-saving practices is significantly helpful in reducing nutrient leaching losses and improving nutrient uptake and water pollution.Further studies are needed to explore the impacts of reduced fertilization and water-saving irrigation on leaching losses.The benefits at different climatic conditions,soil types,and fertilizer types with application methods are also a research gap.

Effects of biodegradable mulch on soil water and heat conditions,yield and quality of processing tomatoes by drip irrigation

To combat the problem of residual film pollution and ensure the sustainable development of agriculture in oasis areas,a field experiment was carried out in 2019 at the Wuyi Farm Corps Irrigation Center Test Station in Urumqi,Northwest China.Four types of biodegradable mulches,traditional plastic mulchs and a control group(bare land;referred to as CK)were compared,including a total of six different treatments.Effects of mulching on soil water and heat conditions as well as the yield and quality of processing tomatoes under drip irrigation were examined.In addition,a comparative analysis of economic benefits of biodegradable mulches was performed.Principal component analysis and gray correlation analysis were used to evaluate suitable mulching varieties for planting processing tomatoes under drip irrigation.Our results show that,compared with CK,biodegradable mulches and traditional plastic mulch have a similar effect on retaining soil moisture at the seedling stage but significantly increase soil moisture by 0.5%-1.5%and 1.5%-3.0%in the middle and late growth periods(P<0.050),respectively.The difference in the thermal insulation effect between biodegradable mulch and plastic mulch gradually reduces as the crop grows.Compared with plastic mulch,the average soil temperature at 5-20 cm depth under biodegradable mulches is significantly lowered by 2.04°C-3.52°C and 0.52°C-0.88°C(P<0.050)at the seedling stage and the full growth period,respectively,and the water use efficiency,average fruit yield,and production-investment ratio under biodegradable mulches were reduced by 0.89%-6.63%,3.39%-8.69%,and 0.51%-6.33%(P<0.050),respectively.The comprehensive evaluation analysis suggests that the black oxidized biological double-degradation ecological mulch made from eco-benign plastic is the optimal film type under the study condition.Therefore,from the perspective of sustainable development,biodegradable mulch is a competitive alternative to plastic mulch for large-scale tomato production under drip irrigation in the oasis.

Water use efficiency data from 2000 to 2019 in measuring progress towards SDGs in Central Asia

Central Asia,located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent,is characterized with sparse rainfall,frequent droughts and low water use efficiency.Limited water resources have become a key factor restricting the sustainable development of this region.Accurately assessing the efficiency of water resources utilization is the first step to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)in Central Asia.However,since the collapse of the Soviet Union,the evalua-tion of water use efficiency is difficult due to low data availability and poor consistency.To fill this gap,this paper developed a Water Use Efficiency dataset(WUE)based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)Gross Primary Production(GPP)data and the MODIS evapotranspiration(ET)data.The WUE dataset ranges from 2000 to 2019 with a spatial resolution of 500 m.The agricultural WUE was then extracted based on the Global map of irrigated areas and MODIS land use map.As a complementary,the water use amount per GDP was estimated for each country.The present dataset could reflect changes in water use efficiency of agriculture and other sectors.

Land use change in highland area and its impact on river water quality:a review of case studies in Malaysia

The policy of encouraging agriculture and development for mass tourism has led to environmental problems in Cameron Highlands,Malaysia.Rampant development and land clearing have significantly altered the land cover of Cameron Highlands for the past 30 years.Sensitive highlands areas are prone to landslides and soil erosion which then contributed to the main water pollution issues in the network of river system,sedimentation and siltation.The continuous trend of river water quality deterioration in Cameron Highlands has raised the issues for discussion in this review article.The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the land use change,agriculture practices,agro-tourism,and agriculture policy and management toward water quality of the river system network in Cameron Highlands specifically in the downtown where most of the development and agriculture activities are concentrated.A rigorous review has been done on the existing literature to determine the relationship between land use change and agriculture practices toward river water quality in Cameron Highlands from 2001 to 2017.The total number of reviewed papers was 68.The outcomes established from previous researchers have highlighted factors such as soil erosion,landslides,agriculture activities,urbanization,and unplanned development associated with land use change have significantly influenced the river water quality in the highland areas.Continuous land use changes without proper development plan and law enforcement may critically threaten the sustainability of river network in the highlands area.

The Role of Traditional Irrigation Canals in a Long Term Environmental Perspective A Case Study in Southern France： The Durance Basin

The agricultural sector is often considered to be the largest water consumer and the policy aimed at saving irrigation water exists across Europe. The flip-side of such policy, however, is the disappearance of traditional irrigation canals since farmers are encouraged to turn to drip irrigation and overhead irrigation gradually. Given this, we would like to argue that traditional irrigation canals need to be reexamined. Such canals are not only built aquatic infrastructure, they are also the product of a culture and social relationship with water in the Mediterranean region. Canals form a complex system which is driven by environmental, economic and social factors. Our sociological and environmental research in Provence （and around the Durance basin more specifically） points up how the very dense territorial network of gravity-fed canals is useful in water management, as well as in other shared uses over the long-term. The findings underscore the positive environmental role played by these historical and anthropogenic constructions. They contribute to refilling the aquifer and also act as a valuable environmental good and service （e.g., run-off regulation, biodiversity, landscape, recreation, etc.）. Further, several local actors have underscored their role as part of an intangible cultural heritage and as important for the area＇s economic and social development. Such canals play a central role in sustainable development since beyond their productive role in agriculture, they play a social role （new uses） and an ecological role （as reservoirs for biodiversity and ecological corridors）.

Effects of land use and changes in cover on the transformation and transportation of iron:A case study of the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

Wetland reclamation has been ongoing in the Sanjiang Plain since the mid-1950s,which has resulted in major changes in wetlands and the agriculture ecosystem in the region that have influenced the iron output to the Sea of Okhotsk and limited the primary productivity in the North Pacific Ocean.This study was conducted to investigate the chemical forms of iron in different aquatic environments(agricultural water including groundwater,paddy water,and canal water;wetland water including marsh water,marsh streams,and main streams) with the cross-flow filtration method to reveal the transportation and transformation characteristics of iron in response to major land use changes.In addition,the factors affecting iron behavior in different water bodies were reviewed.In marsh water and streams,the concentrations of dissolved iron were higher due to the high organic matter contents and marsh water becoming the main iron source for river water.The conversion of dissolved iron into acid-labile iron occurred during the discharge of wetland water into marsh rivers.Iron primarily existed in both the >0.7 and <0.01 μm size fractions,accounting for about 58.3% and 26.4% of the total dissolved iron,respectively.In agricultural irrigation systems,ferrous ion entered the paddy fields from groundwater,and a fraction of this ferrous iron was subsequently converted into high molecular weight and medium molecular weight iron(colloid iron) in paddy and canal water.However,the concentrations of total dissolved iron decreased by 62.5% from underground to the surface due to the formation of precipitates.Despite this,water discharge in agriculture is still an important iron source for rivers and has the potential to supplement iron due to its higher acid-labile iron concentrations.Land use and cover change and agricultural irrigation increased the iron content of surface soil,but reduced the output of iron in water systems.Overall,the concentration of total dissolved iron in water systems has been reduced to 42.6% by wetland reclamation.

The expansion of Brazilian agriculture:Soil erosion scenarios

During the next 10 years Brazil's agricultural area will expand to meet increased domestic and worldwide demand for food,fuel,and fiber.Present choices regarding land use will determine to what degree this expansion will have adverse effects that include soil erosion,reservoir siltation,water quality problems,loss of biodiversity and social conflict,especially around indigenous reservations.This paper presents an up-to-date inventory of soil erosion in Brazil caused by crop and livestock activities and provides estimates based on three different hypothetical land-use scenarios to accommodate the expansion of Brazilian agricultural activity by 2020:Scenario 1-expansion of cropping into areas of natural vegetation,without adoption of conservation practices;Scenario 2-expansion of cropping into areas of degraded pasture,without adoption of conservation practices;Scenario 3-expansion of cropping into areas of degraded pasture,together with conservation practices in 100%of the expanded area.The worst-case scenario involves expansion of agriculture into areas of native vegetation in the Brazilian Savannah(Cerrado)and Brazilian rainforest(Amazon)biomes,and could increase total soil erosion in Brazil(currently about 800 million metric tons a year)by as much as 20%.In the best-case scenar-io,crop expansion under a conservation agriculture model would utilize currently degraded pasture,especially in the Savannah(circa 40 million hectares),reducing soil erosion in Brazil by around 20%.For this to occur,however,a national soil and water conservation policy needs to be implemented in Brazil to support a sustainable model of agriculture in which the environment can be preserved as much as possible.

A meta-analysis of global crop water productivity of three leading world crops(wheat,corn,and rice)in the irrigated areas over three decades

The overarching goal of this study was to perform a comprehensive metaanalysis of irrigated agricultural Crop Water Productivity(CWP)of the world’s three leading crops:wheat,corn,and rice based on three decades of remote sensing and non-remote sensing-based studies.Overall,CWP data from 148 crop growing study sites(60 wheat,43 corn,and 45 rice)spread across the world were gathered from published articles spanning 31 different countries.There was overwhelming evidence of a significant increase in CWP with an increase in latitude for predominately northern hemisphere datasets.For example,corn grown in latitude 40–50°had much higher mean CWP(2.45 kg/m^(3))compared to mean CWP of corn grown in other latitudes such as 30–40°(1.67 kg/m^(3))or 20–30°(0.94 kg/m^(3)).The same trend existed for wheat and rice as well.For soils,none of the CWP values,for any of the three crops,were statistically different.However,mean CWP in higher latitudes for the same soil was significantly higher than the mean CWP for the same soil in lower latitudes.This applied for all three crops studied.For wheat,the global CWP categories were low(≤0.75 kg/m^(3)),medium(>0.75 to<1.10 kg/m^(3)),and high CWP(≥1.10 kg/m^(3)).For corn the global CWP categories were low(≤1.25 kg/m^(3)),medium(>1.25 to≤1.75 kg/m^(3)),and high(>1.75 kg/m^(3)).For rice the global CWP categories were low(≤0.70 kg/m^(3)),medium(>0.70 to≤1.25 kg/m^(3)),and high(>1.25 kg/m^(3)).USA and China are the only two countries that have consistently high CWP for wheat,corn,and rice.Australia and India have medium CWP for wheat and rice.India’s corn,however,has low CWP.Egypt,Turkey,Netherlands,Mexico,and Israel have high CWP for wheat.Romania,Argentina,and Hungary have high CWP for corn,and Philippines has high CWP for rice.All other countries have either low or medium CWP for all three crops.Based on data in this study,the highest consumers of water for crop production also have the most potential for water savings.These countries are USA,India,and China for wheat;USA,China,and Brazil for corn;India,China,and Pakistan for rice.For example,even just a 10%increase in CWP of wheat grown in India can save 6974 billion liters of water.This is equivalent to creating 6974 lakes each of 100 m^(3)in volume that leads to many benefits such as acting as‘water banks’for lean season,recreation,and numerous ecological services.This study establishes the volume of water that can be saved for each crop in each country when there is an increase in CWP by 10%,20%,and 30%.