Soil salt leaching under different irrigation regimes: HYDRUS-1D modelling and analysis

Field irrigation experiments were conducted in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia,China,to study the effects of irrigation regimes on salt leaching in the soil profile.The data were used to calibrate and validate the HYDRUS-1D model.The results demonstrated that the model can accurately simulate the water and salt dynamics in the soil profile.The HYDRUS-1D model was then used to simulate 15 distinct irrigation scenarios.The results of the simulation indicated that irrigation amount did not have a significant effect on soil water storage but that increases in irrigation amount could accelerate salt leaching.However,when the irrigation amount was larger than 20 cm,the acceleration was not obvious.Compared with irrigating only once,intermittent irrigation had a better effect on increasing soil water storage and salt leaching,but excessive irrigation times and intervals did not improve salt leaching.In addition,we found that the irrigation regime of 20 cm,irrigated twice at 1-d intervals,might significantly increase salt leaching in the plough layer and decrease the risks of deep seepage and groundwater contamination.

Effects of irrigation regimes on soil NO_(3)^(-)-N, electrical conductivity and crop yield in plastic greenhouse

Developing water-saving irrigation regimes has important practical significance not only in alleviating the crucial water shortage,but also in controlling soil salinization for the protected cultivation in eastern China.A field study with six treatments was conducted to evaluate the effects of different irrigation regimes with subdrainage systems on the soil nitrate nitrogen,salinity and moisture,also evaluate the effects on tomato growth,fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE).The treatments were distinguished by three different irrigation amounts of 310 mm,360 mm and 410 mm,and two irrigation frequencies of 7 and 11 times.Results showed that the irrigation amount had significant effects on the soil NO_(3)^(-)-N and electric conductivity(EC).A positive correlation was detected between soil NO_(3)^(-)-N(x)and EC(y)at 0-20 m depth after harvest,with a linear equation of y=0.063x-0.670.Soil volumetric moisture at 0.10 m and 0.20 m depth was increased as the irrigation amount increased.Moreover,a higher amount of irrigation increased the fruit yield but reduced the IWUE of tomato.It was also found that smaller irrigation amounts combined with frequent intervals could increase fruit yield and IWUE.However,the fruit quality of tomato had a significant(p<0.05)negative correlation with irrigation amount.Therefore,the parameters of irrigation regime including the irrigation amount and intervals should be considered comprehensively in order to find a compromise between salinity control and irrigation water use efficiency improvement.

Effects of Different Irrigation and Nitrogen Application Regimes on Cook-ing Quality of Chinese Noodle in Winter Wheat

Two wheat cultivars, strong-gluten Yumai66 and medium-strong-gluten Yumai49, were usedto test the effects of irrigation and nitrogen application regimes on cooking quality ofChinese noodle in 2001-2002. The results showed that both in Yumai49 and Yumai66, valueof total organic matter (TOM) of noodle and noodle cooking loss rate ranked the firstwhile noodle score (NS) ranked the lowest in treatments without any nitrogen application.As nitrogen application rate increased, TOM value decreased but NS increased. The lowestTOM and the highest NS existed for treatments with 225 and 150 kg N ha-1 in Yumai49 andYumai66, respectively. Increasing irrigation resulted in greater TOM and NS, but lessbroken noodles. However, no significant difference was found in NS among differentirrigation treatments. Significant difference was found in TOM, NS, breaking rate andwater absorption rate of noodle between these two cultivars. Yumai49, with an average TOMvalue of 1.19 g and NS of 88.5, was better than Yumai66, with an average TOM value of1.55 and NS of 85.7. Interaction in TOM value was found between irrigation and nitrogenapplication. Effects of nitrogen fertilization were greater than that of irrigation inYumai49, while in Yumai66 the other way round. It is suggested, therefore, thosedifferent irrigation and nitrogen application regimes be chosen in production practicebased upon cultivar quality traits.

Yield and water use responses of winter wheat to irrigation and nitrogen application in the North China Plain

With increasing water shortage resources and extravagant nitrogen application, there is an urgent need to optimize irrigation regimes and nitrogen management for winter wheat（Triticum aestivum L.） in the North China Plain（NCP）. A 4-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of three irrigation levels（W1, irrigation once at jointing stage; W2, irrigation once at jointing and once at heading stage; W3, irrigation once at jointing, once at heading, and once at filling stage; 60 mm each irrigation） and four N fertilizer rates（N0, 0; N1, 100 kg N ha-（-1）; N2, 200 kg N ha-（-1）; N3, 300 kg N ha-（-1）） on wheat yield, water use efficiency, fertilizer agronomic efficiency, and economic benefits. The results showed that wheat yield under W2 condition was similar to that under W3, and greater than that under W1 at the same nitrogen level. Yield with the N1 treatment was higher than that with the N0 treatment, but not significantly different from that obtained with the N2 and N3 treatments. The W2 N1 treatment resulted in the highest water use and fertilizer agronomic efficiencies. Compared with local traditional practice（W3 N3）, the net income and output-input ratio of W2 N1 were greater by 12.3 and 19.5%, respectively. These findings suggest that two irrigation events of 60 mm each coupled with application of 100 kg N ha-（–1） is sufficient to provide a high wheat yield during drought growing seasons in the NCP.

Wheat Straw Burial Improves Physiological Traits, Yield and Grain Quality of Rice by Regulating Antioxidant System and Nitrogen Assimilation Enzymes under Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation

Wheat straw burial has great potential to sustain rice production under alternate wetting and drying(AWD)irrigation.A field experiment was conducted with three wheat straw burial treatments,including without straw burial(NSB),with light straw burial of 300 kg/hm^(2)(LSB)and dense straw burial of 800 kg/hm^(2)(DSB),as well as three AWD regimes:alternate wetting/moderate drying(AWMD),alternate wetting/severe drying(AWSD)and alternate wetting/critical drying(AWCD).The rice growth and grain quality were higher in LSB and NSB than those in NSB under the same AWD regime.The AWMD×DSB treatment resulted in the highest yield,brown rice rate,milled rice rate,amylose content and protein content.Conversely,the AWCD×NSB treatment led to the lowest yield,brown rice rate,milled rice rate,amylose content and protein content.The active absorption area and nitrate reductase activity of roots were higher in the AWMD×DSB treatment than those in the AWCD×NSB treatment,as the former increased organic carbon and nitrogen contents in the rhizosphere,whereas the latter reduced their availability.Total soluble protein content and glutamine synthetase activity were greater in the AWMD×DSB treatment than those in the AWCD×NSB treatment.The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were higher in the AWMD×DSB treatment compared with the AWCD×NSB treatment,leading to the amelioration of oxidative cell injury,as shown by a lower malonaldehyde level.This study suggested that farmers should implement AWMD irrigation after leaving the straw residues in the field,followed by deep tillage to improve soil quality and mitigate the drought stress cycles of AWD.This approach can improve rice growth and grain quality and alleviate the problems of disposal of straw residues and water scarcity for sustainable rice production.

Effects of irrigation water regime, soil clay content and their combination on growth,yield,and water use efficiency of rice grown in South China

To investigate the effect of irrigation regime,soil clay content and their combination on growth,yield,and water productivity of rice,a shelter experiment was conduct using Randomized Complete Block Design(RCBD)with a factorial arrangement of treatments with four replications.Irrigation regime was the main treatment investigated,set in three levels as R(30 mm-100%)(100%of saturation and 30 mm flooded),R(30 mm-90%)(90%of saturation and 30 mm flooded)and R(30 mm-70%)(70%saturation and 30 mm flooded),respectively.The sub-treatment was soil type,set in three levels as 40%,50%and 60%clay content,respectively.Results showed that irrigation regime and soil clay content had significant effects on growth,yield and water productivity of rice.However,their combination showed no significant impact on panicles number,root biomass,harvest index and irrigation water productivity.Higher soil clay content results in increase in growth,yield,and water productivity of rice.The total water consumption during R(30 mm-100%)was higher than that during R(30 mm-90%)and R(30 mm-70%)because the latter two saturation levels led to the cracking of soil and decrease of total number of irrigations.Cracks were consistently getting more serious with the reduction in soil water content and the increase in soil clay content.Cracks in soil will preferentially become the major routes of water losses,thus water percolation during R(30 mm-70%)was higher than that during R(30 mm-90%)and R(30 mm-100%)after each irrigation event.The total water use under R(30 mm-70%)exceeded the water consumption under R(30 mm-90%)due to the great amount of soil cracking as well as the excessive volume of standing water depth.Considering water consumption and grain yield,the following conclusion can be reached:(i)The reduction in water consumption was greater than the reduction in grain yield in the case of drying soil 10%below saturation before reflooding.(ii)The reduction in water consumption was less than the reduction in grain yield in the case of drying soil 30%below saturation before reflooding;(iii)The increase in water use was greater than the increase in grain yield in the case of maintaining soil moisture at 100%of saturation before reflooding.Therefore,the water use efficiency was recorded in the order of R(30 mm-90%)>R(30 mm-100%)>R(30 mm-70%).

Salt Tolerance of 15 Rice （Oryza sativa L.） Varieties in the Office du Niger Zone of Mali

From 2003 to 2005, in pot and field experiments, rice response to salinity stress of 15 rice varieties was studied at germination and young seedling stages using salt affected soils collected from rice production areas in the Office du Niger zone of Mali. The rice varieties were composed of 10 rice genotypes from the breeding program of Mali and five from West African Rice Development Association （WARDA） program （Saint Louis, Senegal）. Soil samples were collected from the visually affected soils which were characterized by the appearance of white or black efflorescence on the soil surface. In pot experiments, the genotypes were allowed to germinate in both affected soil types （white efflorescence and black efflorescence） and salt effects on plant seedling growth were observed. Results showed that all varieties were significantly sensitive to salinity stress based on germination, young seedling shoot and root dry weights. Among the rice varieties, the most salt tolerant variety was BG90-2 （a high yielding genotype from the Institut d＇Economie Rurale （IER） breeding program） while the most sensitive variety was Telimani （also from the breeding program of IER）. All other varieties were intermediary between these two genotypes. A three year field experiment conducted in a highly affected area near Niono confirmed the results of the pot experiment. The relatively salt tolerant genotypes were found in both Malian （BG90-2, Kogoni91-1, SK51-5-2） and WARDA （Was30-11-1-1-4-6-1B） rice breeding programs.

Irrigation scheduling for corn in a coastal saline soil

Currently,water scarcity is serious and the irrigation scheduling with efficient water use becomes important in China.In this study,irrigation systems were scheduled in the saline area along Laizhou Bay.Field study was conducted to determine the relation of irrigation regime and crop yield from 2010 to 2012,and the representative rainfall years(high-flow year,normal-flow year and low-flow year)were calculated by analyzing rainfall frequency over 30 years.Six irrigation regimes were set according to local farmers’practices.Irrigation amounts of T1,T2,T3,T4,T5 and T6 were 225.0 mm,270.0 mm,337.5 mm,300.0 mm,360.0 mm and 450.0 mm,respectively,with the same frequency of four times.The results showed that soil salt content decreased with the increase of irrigation water amounts.The corn yield varied from 6560 kg/hm2 to 8060 kg/hm2.The highest yield was obtained from T5.Production functions related to irrigated water(I,mm)for corn yield(Y,kg/hm2)was Y=−0.0397I2+1059.6(R2=0.8892).Aiming at high corn yield,total water supply(irrigation and rainfall)to corn crops was 859 mm.Precipitation amounts at low-flow year(p=80%),normal-flow year(p=50%)and high-flow year(p=20%)were obtained by the simulation of rainfall frequency curve,which were 348 mm,457 mm and 604 mm respectively in the whole growth period(from late June to mid-October).In order to obtain the highest theoretical corn yield,according to field results and rainfall,the optimum irrigation frequency at low-flow year,normal-flow year or high-flow year was four times for corn in the saline area along Laizhou Bay.