Characteristics and Functions of Cooperative Economic Organizations for Water-saving Irrigation in Agricultural Development in Arid Areas

Agricultural cooperative economic organization for water-saving irrigation in arid areas is a new form of economic organization in production,operation and management during the application process of water-saving irrigation technologies.Currently,there are few researches on this cooperative economic organization.In this study,connotations of cooperative economic organizations for water-saving irrigation are specifically defined,and the characteristics and functions of this cooperative economic organization are analyzed.Based on that,several suggestions are proposed on the continuous development of cooperative economic organizations for water-saving irrigation.

Application of Automatic Water-saving Irrigation System in Roof Gardens

Based on the special site conditions of roof gardens,it was put forward to introduce automatic water-saving irrigation system into the roof garden constructions,such as the solar energy and microcomputer auto water-saving irrigation system,aiming to solve the photosynthetic noon break phenomenon of plants and relieve the stress from high temperature.

Design and Construction of Rainwater Harvesting and Water-saving Irrigation System of Toona sinensis on Mountain Slopes

In order to collect rainwater and resist drought to enhance the utilization rate of rainfall and water resources, through project rainwater harvesting measures, the total annual rainwater harvesting amount of the six greenhouses was calculated according to annual average precipitation 542.2 mm, up to 1 095.7 m^3. The upper natural slopes of cultivated land were as rainwater harvesting areas, and total annual rainwater harvesting amount was 49 242 m^3 on the mountain slopes with an area of 73.37 hm^2, while total water storage amount was 39 394 m^3 in theory, so it could meet water use for the irrigation of 26.28 hm^2 of T. sinensis land. To be convenient for rainwater harvesting, irrigation and supplying water to the water-saving cellars, one pert-cut and part-fill reservoir （which was 470 m^3 in volume） was built on the mountain slopes at the right rear of the greenhouses, and their altitude difference was 50 m. The reservoir was sealed and was built with reinforced concrete. Water-saving cellars were distributed in front and the middle and at the back of two rows of greenhouses, and they were connected with each other. The reservoir could supply water to the water-saving cellars and also collect water by mountain slopes, from the lower water-saving cellars or deep wells. Two rainwater hervesting ditches that were 1 650 m in length were at the lower edge of arable land in the upper reaches of slopes to intercept rainfall runoff and make it flow into channels and then the sedimentation tanks. The total annual rainwater harvesting amount of the reservoir and water-saving cellars was 1 222.5 m^3.

The water-saving potential of using micro-sprinkling irrigation for winter wheat production on the North China Plain

The shortage of groundwater resources is a considerable challenge for winter wheat production on the North China Plain.Water-saving technologies and procedures are thus urgently required.To determine the water-saving potential of using micro-sprinkling irrigation(MSI)for winter wheat production,field experiments were conducted from 2012 to 2015.Compared to traditional flooding irrigation(TFI),micro-sprinkling thrice with 90 mm water(MSI1)and micro-sprinkling four times with 120 mm water(MSI2)increased the water use efficiency by 22.5 and 16.2%,respectively,while reducing evapotranspiration by 17.6 and 10.8%.Regardless of the rainfall pattern,MSI(i.e.,MSI1 or MSI2)either stabilized or significantly increased the grain yield,while reducing irrigation water volumes by 20–40%,compared to TFI.Applying the same volumes of irrigation water,MSI(i.e.,MSI3,micro-sprinkling five times with 150 mm water)increased the grain yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat by 4.6 and 11.7%,respectively,compared to TFI.Because MSI could supply irrigation water more frequently in smaller amounts each time,it reduced soil layer compaction,and may have also resulted in a soil water deficit that promoted the spread of roots into the deep soil layer,which is beneficial to photosynthetic production in the critical period.In conclusion,MSI1 or MSI2 either stabilized or significantly increased grain yield while reducing irrigation water volumes by 20–40%compared to TFI,and should provide water-saving technological support in winter wheat production for smallholders on the North China Plain.

The Potential Contribution of Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Water-Saving Agriculture in the Western USA

Water shortages within the western USA are resulting in the adoption of water-saving agricultural practices within this region. Among the many possible methods for saving water in agriculture, the adoption of subsurface drip irrigation （SDI） provides a potential solution to the problem of low water use efficiency. Other advantages of SDI include reduced NO3 leaching compared to surface irrigation, higher yields, a dry soil surface for improved weed control, better crop health, and harvest flexibility for many specialty crops. The use of SDI also allows the virtual elimination of crop water stress, the ability to apply water and nutrients to the most active part of the root zone, protection of drip lines from damage due to cultivation and tillage, and the ability to irrigate with wastewater while preventing human contact. Yet, SDI is used only on a minority of cropland in the arid western USA. Reasons for the limited adoption of SDI include the high initial capital investment required, the need for intensive management, and the urbanization that is rapidly consuming farmland in parts of the western USA. The contributions of SDI to increasing yield, quality, and water use efficiency have been demonstrated. The two major barriers to SDI sustainability in arid regions are economics （i.e., paying for the SDI system）, including the high cost of installation; and salt accumulation, which requires periodic leaching, specialized tillage methods, or transplanting of seedlings rather than direct-seeding. We will review advances in irrigation management with SDI.

Development Potentials and Benefit Analysis of Efficient Water-saving Irrigation in Lixin County

On the basis of analyzing water resources,crop planning structure,and irrigation mode in Lixin County,potentials and benefits of developing efficient water-saving irrigation in the county were explored to provide references for its future water-saving irrigation.

Cotton's Water Demand and Water-Saving Benefits under Drip Irrigation with Plastic Film Mulch

The primary purpose of this research was to give suitable irrigation program according to the growth period and water requirement.A cotton field experiment with mulched drip irrigation was conducted at the National Field Observation and Research Station for Oasis Farmland Ecosystem in Aksu of Xinjiang in 2008.Water balance method was adopted to study the water requirement and water consumption law of cotton under mulched drip irrigation in Tarim Irrigated Area.Statistical analysis of experimental data of irrigation indicates that the relationship between yield of cotton and irrigation presents a quadratic parabola.We fit the model of cotton water production on the basis of field experimental data of cotton.And the analysis on water saving benefit of cotton under mulched drip irrigation was done.Results indicate that water requirements for the irrigated cotton are 543 mm in Tarim Irrigated Area.The water requirements of seedling stage is 252 mm,budding stage is 186 mm,bolling stage is 316 mm and wadding stage is 139 mm.the irrigation amount determines the spatial distribution of soil moisture and water consumption during cotton life cycle.However,water consumption at different growth stages was inconsistent with irrigation.Quantitatively,the water consumed by cotton decreases upon the increase of irrigation amount.From the perspective of water saving,the maximal water use efficiency can reach 3 091 m3/ha.But the highest cotton yield needs 3464 m3/ha irrigation water.In summary,compared to the conventional drip irrigation,a number of benefits in water saving and yield increase were observed when using plastic mulch.At the same amount of irrigation,the cotton yield with plastic mulch was 30.2% higher than conventional approaches,and the efficiency of water utilization increased by30.2%.While at the same yield level,29.3% water was saved by using plastic mulch,and the efficiency increased by 41.5%.

Study on the Suitable Water-Saving Irrigation Technology for Mining Areas in the Northwestern Arid Desert Regions in China

Water is the key factor to ensure plant survival in the process of ecological restoration in the coal base of China northwest deserts. On the premise of meeting the mine production and living water demands, we should take measures such as dirt wastewater treatment and water-saving irrigation to increase income and reduce expenditure and allocate limited water re-sources rationally, to provide mining area ecological restoration maximum usable water resources. The mining dump has large slope and thin soil layer and it is easy to produce surface runoff. So it is particularly important to study the irrigation technology needed to satisfy vegetation restoration, on the premise of guaranteeing not to produce surface runoff and the slope stability. In this paper, through field plot test, the suitable irrigation method for mine slope, slope surface soil moisture migration characteristics and slope stability analysis were studied. Results show that three slope ir-rigation technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages. On the whole, the effect of drip irrigation is the best, micro spray irrigation is the second, infiltrating irrigation is not ideal. The permeability of mine soil slope is very strong, the infiltration rate of the slope direction is the high-est, inverse slope infiltration rate is lowest. In the process of irrigation, with the increase of soil moisture content, slope safety factor is the decreased obviously, the whole slope surface soil moisture content is 14% for the slope stability safety threshold.

Green High-yield and High-efficiency Cultivation Techniques of Integrated Management of Water and Fertilizer for Maize under Mulch Drip Irrigation

The green high-yield and high-efficiency cultivation techniques of integrated management of water and fertilizer for maize under mulch drip irrigation are described from the aspects of high yield target of maize and its component factor indexes,pre-sowing preparation,sowing,post-sowing management,field management at the seedling stage,integrated management of water and fertilizer for target yield of maize,rational application of micro-fertilizer,comprehensive prevention and control of diseases and pests,timely harvest,etc.,in order to provide a reference for agricultural technicians,maize farmers and maize industry development in northern Xinjiang.

What determines irrigation efficiency when farmers face extreme weather events? A field survey of the major wheat producing regions in China

Water availability is a major constraint on grain production in China, therefore, improving irrigation efficiency is particularly important when agriculture faces extreme weather events. This paper first calculates irrigation efficiency with a translog stochastic frontier production function and then investigates what happens when extreme weather events occur via a Tobit model. The estimated results reveal several important features of irrigation practices: i) irrigation efficiency is lower when extreme weather events occur; ii) large variations in irrigation efficiency occur across irrigation facilities; iii) the farm plots exhibit an extreme distribution across efficiency levels; and iv) water-saving techniques, technology adoption, and the maintenance of farmers’ economic resilience are major determinants of irrigation efficiency. Based on these results we propose the following recommendations: i) farmers should balance crop yield and water use; undertake relevant training programs and adopt water-saving techniques; ii) local governments and researchers should help farmers to find the optimal level of irrigation water use based on their own circumstances and provide better water-saving techniques and training programs rather than simply encouraging farmers to invest in irrigation facilities in the most extreme weather years; and iii) the income level of farm households should be increased so as to improve their resilience to natural disasters.

Using side-dressing technique to reduce nitrogen leaching and improve nitrogen recovery efficiency under an irrigated rice system in the upper reaches of Yellow River Basin, Northwest China

The excessive nitrogen （N） fertilizer input coupled with flood irrigation might result in higher N leaching and lower nitrogen recovery efficiency （NRE）. Under an intensive rice system in the Ningxia irrigation region, China, environmental friendly N management practices are hreavily needed to balance the amount of N input for optimum crop production while minimize the nitrogen loss. The objective of this study was to determine the influences of side-dressing （SD） technique in mechanical transplanting systems on the NRE, N leaching losses and rice yield in anthropogenic-alluvial soil during two rice growing seasons （2010-2011）. Four fertilizer N treatments were established, including conventional urea rate （CU, 300 kg ha-1 yr-1）; higher SD of controlled-release N fertilizer rate （SD1,176 kg ha-1 yr-1）; lower SD of controlled-release N fertilizer rate （SD2, 125 kg ha-1 yr-1）; and control （CK, no N fertilizer）. Field lysimeters were used to quantify drainage from undisturbed soil during six rice growing stages. Meanwhile, the temporal variations of total nitrigen （TN）, NO3--N, and NH4＋-N concentrations in percolation water were examined. The results showed that SD1 substantially improved NRE and reduced N leaching losses while maintaining rice yields. Across two years, the averaged NRE under SD1 treatment increased by 25.5% as relative to CU, but yet the rice yield was similar between two treatments. On average, the nitrogen loss defined as TN, NH4＋-N, and NO3--N under the SD1 treatment reduced by 27.4, 37.2 and 24.1%, respectively, when compared with CU during the study periods. Although the SD2 treatment could further reduce N leaching loss to some extent, this technique would sharply decline rice yield, with the magnitude of as high as 21.0% relative to CU treatment. Additionally, the average NRE under SD2 was 11.2% lower than that under SD1 treatment. Overall, the present study concluded that the SO technique is an effective strategy to reduce N leaching and increase NRE, thus potentially mitigate local environmental threat. We propose SD1 as a novel alternative fertilizer technique under an irrigated rice-based system in Ningxia irrigation region when higher yields are under consideration.

Satellite Derived Geospatial Irrigation Performance Indicators for Benchmarking Studies of Irrigation Systems

Development of irrigation infrastructure and its efficient management is the primary concern for sustainable food production. The assessment of irrigation infrastructure creation, its utilization, diagnostic evaluation of the various performance indices (monitoring) are important to measure the efficiency. Benchmarking of Irrigation Systems (BIS) is for the diagnostic analysis of irrigation performance indicators comprising of Irrigation Infrastructure System (IIS), Agricultural System (AS), Water Delivery Dynamics (WDD). Since, the performance of an irrigation command varies with space and time, utilization of spatial information technologies viz. Remote Sensing (RS), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) useful to provide spatial information on several indices in the process of benchmarking (BM). Information requirements for BIS at different stages, utilization of spatial information technologies to derive irrigation performance indicators was discussed with suitable examples and demonstrated in this study. The studies carried out indicates that the geospatial approach for BIS enabled the improvements in data collection methods, diagnostic analysis, spatio-temporal visualisation of BM indicators at disaggregated canal level which would be useful for decision support during the corrective management measures. The conjunctive use of multi-date (medium resolution) satellite data, high spatial resolution data, field data on water deliveries was found to be an alternative to the conventional non-spatial approaches for BIS and thereby better water resources planning and management.

Non-negligible factors in low-pressure sprinkler irrigation:droplet impact angle and shear stress

Droplet shear stress is considered as an important indicator that reflects soil erosion in sprinkler irrigation more accurately than kinetic energy,and the effect of droplet impact angle on the shear stress cannot be ignored.In this study,radial distribution of droplet impact angles,velocities,and shear stresses were investigated using a two-dimensional video disdrometer with three types of low-pressure sprinkler(Nelson D3000,R3000,and Komet KPT)under two operating pressures(103 and 138 kPa)and three nozzle diameters(3.97,5.95,and 7.94 mm).Furthermore,the relationships among these characteristical parameters of droplet were analyzed,and their influencing factors were comprehensively evaluated.For various types of sprinkler,operating pressures,and nozzle diameters,the smaller impact angles and larger velocities of droplets were found to occur closer to the sprinkler,resulting in relatively low droplet shear stresses.The increase in distance from the sprinkler caused the droplet impact angle to decrease and velocity to increase,which contributed to a significant increase in the shear stress that reached the peak value at the end of the jet.Therefore,the end of the jet was the most prone to soil erosion in the radial direction,and the soil erosion in sprinkler irrigation could not only be attributed to the droplet kinetic energy,but also needed to be combined with the analysis of its shear stress.Through comparing the radial distributions of average droplet shear stresses among the three types of sprinklers,D3000 exhibited the largest value(26.94-3313.51 N/m^(2)),followed by R3000(33.34-2650.80 N/m^(2)),and KPT(16.15-2485.69 N/m^(2)).From the perspective of minimizing the risk of soil erosion,KPT sprinkler was more suitable for low-pressure sprinkler irrigation than D3000 and R3000 sprinklers.In addition to selecting the appropriate sprinkler type to reduce the droplet shear stress,a suitable sprinkler spacing could also provide acceptable results,because the distance from the sprinkler exhibited a highly significant(P<0.01)effect on the shear stress.This study results provide a new reference for the design of low-pressure sprinkler irrigation system.

Water-Saving and High-Yielding Irrigation for Lowland Rice by Controlling Limiting Values of Soil Water Potential

The present study investigated whether an irrigation system could be established to save water and increase grain yield to enhance water productivity by proper water management at the field level in irrigated lowland rice （Oryza sativa L.）. Using two field-grown rice cultivars, two irrigation systems; conventional irrigation and water-saving irrigation, were conducted. In the water-saving irrigation system, limiting values of soil water potential related to specific growth stages were proposed as irrigation indices. Compared with conventional irrigation where drainage was in mid-season and flooded at other times, the water-saving irrigation increased grain yield by 7.4% to 11.3%, reduced irrigation water by 24.5% to 29.2%, and increased water productivity （grain yield per cubic meter of irrigation water） by 43.1% to 50.3%. The water-saving irrigation significantly increased harvest index, improved milling and appearance qualities, elevated zeatin-I-zeaUn riboside concentrations in root bleedings and enhanced activities of sucrose synthase, adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase and starch branching enzyme in grains. Our results indicate that water-saving irrigation by controlling limiting values of soil water potential related to specific growth stages can enhance physiological activities of roots and grains, reduce water input, and increase grain yield.

Split nitrogen fertilizer application improved grain yield in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) via modulating antioxidant capacity and ^(13)C photosynthate mobilization under water-saving irrigation conditions

A water-saving cultivation technique of supplementary irrigation based on soil moisture levels has been adopted for winter wheat production in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China,due to the enhanced water-use efficiency.However,appropriate split nitrogen management may further improve crop growth and grain yield.Here,we conducted a 2-year field experiment to determine if split nitrogen management might improve wheat productivity by enhancing ^(13)C photosynthate mobilization and the antioxidant defense system under water-saving conditions.Split nitrogen management involved a constant total nitrogen rate(240 kg ha^(−1))split in four different proportions between sowing and jointing stage,i.e.,10:0(N1),7:3(N2),5:5(N3),and 3:7(N4).The N3 treatment significantly enhanced“soil-plant analysis development”values,superoxide dismutase antioxidant activity,soluble protein content,sucrose content,and sucrose phosphate synthetase activity,although it reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA).The N3 treatment ultimately increased the amount of dry matter assimilation after anthesis significantly.In addition,the ^(13)C isotope tracer experiment revealed that the N3 treatment promoted the assimilation of carbohydrates after anthesis and their partitioning to the developing grains.Compared to the unequal ratio treatments(N1,N2,and N4),the equal ratio treatment(N3)increased grain yield by 5.70–16.72%via increasing 1000-grain weight and number of grains per spike in both growing seasons.Therefore,we recommend the use of a 5:5 basal-topdressing split nitrogen fertilizer application under water-saving irrigation conditions to promote antioxidant enzyme activity and the remobilization of photosynthate after anthesis for improving wheat grain yield.

Efficient Water-Saving Irrigation,Space Efficiency and Agricultural Development——Study Based on Spatial Stochastic Frontier Model

Xinjiang's agriculture is a typical irrigated agriculture for its agriculture water consumption accounts for 96%of the total water use.As a typical resource-deficient area,the key to Xinjiang's agricultural development is saving water.This paper takes the high-efficient water-saving irrigation technology of 41 regions along the Tarim River from 2002 to 2013 as the research object,adopts spatial stochastic frontier model to measure the space efficiency of high-efficient water-saving irrigation technology,and analyzes the effect of water-saving irrigation technology on agricultural development.Results show that the water-saving irrigation technology has a spatial effect,if neglecting it,the error of missing variables will occur,and the average loss will be 6.98 percentage points.The spatial correlation effect promotes the improvement of the efficiency of water-saving irrigation technology.The spatial heterogeneity leads to the spatial imbalance of the efficiency of water-saving irrigation technology.The promotion of agricultural water-saving irrigation technology can increase production and the efficiency of agricultural development.Due to the technical heterogeneity of different types of water-saving irrigation technology,the contribution to the development of agriculture is also different.The study finds that water-saving irrigation technology of drip irrigation in the Tarim River contributes more to agricultural development.

Optimizing water-saving irrigation schemes for rice(Oryza sativa L.)using DSSAT-CERES-Rice model

Rice is one of the major crops in China,and enhancing the rice yield and water use efficiency is critical to ensuring food security in China.Determining how to optimize a scientific and efficient irrigation and drainage scheme by combining existing technology is currently a hot topic.Crop growth models can be used to assess actual or proposed water management regimes intended to increase water use efficiency and mitigate water shortages.In this study,a CERES-Rice model was calibrated and validated using a two-year field experiment.Four irrigation and drainage treatments were designed for the experiment:alternate wetting and drying(AWD),controlled drainage(CD),controlled irrigation and drainage for a low water level(CID1),and controlled irrigation and drainage for a high water level(CID2).According to the indicators normalized root mean square error(NRMSE)and index of agreement(d),the calibrated CERES-Rice model accurately predicted grain yield(NRMSE=6.67%,d=0.77),,shoot biomass(NRMSE=3.37%,d=0.77),actual evapotranspiration(ETa)(NRMSE=3.83%,d=0.74),irrigation volume(NRMSE=15.56%,d=0.94),and leaf area index(NRMSE=9.69%,d=0.98)over 2 a.The calibrated model was subsequently used to evaluate rice production in response to the four treatments(AWD,CD,CID1,and CID2)under 60 meteorological scenarios which were divided into wet years(22 a),normal years(16 a),and dry years(22 a).Results showed that the yield of AWD was the largest among four treatments in different hydrological years.Relative to that of AWD,the yield of CD,CID1,and CID2 were respectively reduced by 5.7%,2.6%,8.7%in wet years,9.2%,2.3%,8.6% in normal years,and 9.2%,3.8%,3.9% in dry years.However,rainwater use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency were the greatest for CID2 in different hydrological years.The entropy-weighting TOPSIS model was used to optimize the four water-saving irrigation schemes in terms of water-saving,labor-saving and high-yield,based on the simulation results of the CERES-Rice model in the past 60 a.These results showed that CID1 and AWD were optimal in the wet years,CID1 and CID2 were optimal in the normal and dry years.These results may provide a strong scientific basis for the optimization of water-saving irrigation technology for rice.

马铃薯节水灌溉技术研究进展

马铃薯是我国第四大粮食作物,马铃薯高效生产对保障国家粮食安全具有重要意义。马铃薯需水量大,生育期间的降水量无法满足其正常水分需求,因此对灌溉水的依赖度高。然而,我国淡水资源短缺,马铃薯生产中存在灌溉水管理粗放、节水灌溉制度不合理、水分利用效率低等问题,亟需探索马铃薯节水高效灌溉技术体系。本文从需水规律、灌溉方式、灌溉制度等方面综述了马铃薯灌溉技术的研究现状和存在的问题,对我国马铃薯节水灌溉技术需要进一步研究的问题进行了展望,以期丰富马铃薯高效用水理论,为马铃薯稳定生产提供技术支撑。

Er∶YAG激光SWEEPS双脉冲模式激活荡洗在自由水域中的气泡动力学观测

目的:探究Er∶YAG激光光子增强的光声流(SWEEPS)技术在不同脉冲间隔参数条件下的蒸汽气泡动力学效应。方法:Er∶YAG激光手具连接工作尖放置于自由水域模型中,设置SWEEPS模式,150~600μs脉冲间隔激活。高速摄像机(200 000 Hz)摄录Er∶YAG激光激活荡洗引起空穴效应的过程,matlab逐帧分析蒸汽气泡间的相互作用关系,及蒸汽气泡消失时刻气泡残余与激光工作尖之间的距离。实验数据经SPSS 19.0统计软件进行统计分析。结果:在自由水域中,Er∶YAG激光SWEEPS模式下,脉冲间隔设置的改变会引起两次脉冲激发的蒸汽气泡形成不同的相互作用关系,包括双气泡融合、双气泡撞击及双气泡脱离。其中,脉冲间隔设置为360~440μs时,双气泡撞击现象会使蒸汽气泡消失时气泡残余与激光工作尖之间达到最远距离。结论:在自由水域中,Er∶YAG激光双脉冲SWEEPS模式在不同的脉冲间隔设置下引起双气泡间形成不同的作用关系,该现象可能可以增强Er∶YAG激光空穴效应,强化激光激活荡洗的临床应用效果。