Central Valley decision support tool helps predict yield and profitability response to irrigation with saline water

Pesticide use is increasingly under scrutiny for its environmental and human health impacts. While government leaders promote sustainable pest management, including reductions in pesticide usage, growers face pressure to produce agricultural commodities at high cosmetic standards, which often requires the use of pesticides. California (United States) has a productive agricultural industry, many sustainability initiatives and a government that actively regulates pesticide use. We identified two cases where it was possible to quantify cosmetic pesticide use in California: stink bug control in processing tomato and red colour and large size in table grape. Between 2009 and 2019, 1.47% and 7.7% of total hectares treated with pesticides were treated with the subset of cosmetic pesticides examined in this study in processing tomato, and table and raisin grape, respectively. Individual hectares can be treated with multiple pesticides that each adds to the total hectares. We identified unique hectares treated with cosmetic pesticides: 8.14% and 57.1% of harvested hectares received at least one application of a cosmetic pesticide in processing tomato, and table and raisin grape, respectively. The current food system that supports high cosmetic standards, and thus demands pesticide usage, can inhibit the adoption of and transition to sustainable agricultural systems.

Hydroeconomic optimization of reservoir management under downstream water quality constraints

Introduction Shortage of feedstuff is one of the important problems of animal nutrition in Iran. Salinity is a global problem worldwide in particular in arid and semi-arid zones such as Iran. Salinity is an important factor in the growth of plants. Its initial effect to plants is through its effect in the availability of water to plants. Halophytes have good ability to draw water from soils of low water potential due to their ability to maintain a salt balance comparable to the salt in the soil they are growing. Lands in high irrigation districts are susceptible to soil salinization. Soil salinization is the primary cause of productivity decline in highly developed and irrigated land schemes While the increase in soil and water salinity in many agricultural areas of the world has created major challenges in the production of food crops, it has also presented some new prospects for livestock agriculture. There are plants that grow under saline conditions, and historically, they have been opportunistically used as fodder for grazing livestock or as components of mixed rations to replace roughage. Using of seawater for irrigation of this plant because of shortage of sweet water and for higher production of these plants was necessary for feedstuff. The aim of this study was evaluation of Chemical composition, In vitro digestibility and gas production of Kochia scoparia under six level of salinity including 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 ds/m. Materials and Methods The Kochia scoparia was irrigated by normal tap water (the control) and water containing 6 levels of salinity including 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 deci Siemens per meter (ds/m). The salinity was applied gradually in accordance with the plant growth advancement (2 ds/m increment per each irrigation period. Oven dried (65◦C for 48 h) chopped samples were ground to pass through a 1-mm screen. The samples were analyzed according to the standard procedures for chemical composition (AOAC 2000, Van-Soest et al. 1991). Procedure of in vitro gas production was performed according to Menke and Steingass (1988). Rumen fluid was obtained from three fistulated Baluchi male lamb before morning feeding. The DM degradation data were fitted to the exponential equation p = a + b (1 - e-ct). The in vitro dry matter, NDF and organic matter digestibility were determined according to the Arroquy et al (2005) procedure. Test samples were incubated for different hrs and then filtered through the nylon cloth with the pore size of 44microns. The remaining materials were dried at 60 °C for 72 hrs and utilized for the subsequent analysis according to the procedure. In vitro gas production was completed according to the procedure described by Menke and Steingass (1988). Each sample, both original forages and insoluble residues, weighing about 200mg, were put into 100ml calibrated glass syringes (FORTUNA®, Haberle Labortechnik, Germany) together with 30ml rumen liquid media solution on a 1:2 ratio. Syringes were incubated in a water bath at 39°C, where a transparent plastic lid with holes held the syringes upright. Two blanks and a standard hay sample of known gas production were included in each run. Results and Discussion NDF content of Kochia scoparia without salinity (irrigate with tap water) was higher than that for Kochia samples irrigated with various levels of salinity. Crude protein (CP) content of the control Kochia sample (11%) was significantly (p<0.05) lower than the CP content of Kochia samples irrigated with different levels of salinity. Ash content of the samples from Kochia under various levels of salinity were significantly (p<0.05) higher than that for the control sample. The results of In vitro gas production demonstrated the highest rate of gas production for the control sample. These results demonstrated that irrigation of Kochia scoparia with saline water caused to decrease in rate of gas production was indicated 6 hrs after incubation in compared with control treatment (without salinity). Although rate and level of gas production decreased with enhancement of salinity levels in irrigation. In vitro batch culture digestibility indicated that digestibility was increased with increasing the salinity levels. Conclusion It was concluded that feeding quality of Kochia scoparia increased following increasing the level of salinity therefore, it can be recommended as a suitable forage for many parts of Iran with low rainfall and feed scarcity mainly in arid or semi-arid conditions.

In this project we studied optimal use and adoption of sophisticated irrigation technologies. The stated objectives in the original proposal were to develop a conceptual framework for analyzing intra-season timing of water application rates with implications for crop and irrigation technology selection. We proposed to base the analysis on an intra-seasonal, dynamic, agro-economic model of plants' water demand, paying special attention to contamination of groundwater and soil in intensively cultivated areas that increasingly rely on water of lesser quality. The framework developed in the project integrates (i) a bio-physical model of water flow in the vadose zone and water uptake by plants and yield response with (ii) a dynamic management model to determine the optimal intra-season irrigation policy. It consists of a dynamic optimization model to determine irrigation rates at each point of time during the growing season and aggregation relating harvested yield with accumulated water input. The detailed dynamic approach provides a description of yield production processes at the plant’s level, and serves to determine intra-season irrigation decisions. Data derived from extensive field experiments were used to calibrate the model's parameters. We use the framework to establish the substitution between irrigation technology (capital) and water inputs; this is an important property of irrigation water productivity that has been overlooked in the literature. Another important feature investigated is the possibility to substitute fresh and saline water with a minimal productivity loss. The effects of soil properties and crop characteristics on optimal technology adoption have also been studied. We find that sandy soil, with low water holding capacity, is more conducive to adoption of sophisticated drip irrigation, as compared to heavier soils in which drainage losses are significantly smaller.

Introduction: Lack of water and deterioration in the quality of soil and water resources are considered to be the prime cause of reduced crop yield in arid and semi-arid regions ‘More crop per drop’ by trickle irrigation, deficit irrigation, and uncommon water are the best strategies for mitigating water crises. Different irrigation management strategies are needed to increase production in different areas. In areas where sufficient water is available, a full irrigation strategy could be a suitable option, while in areas where water is limited, deficit irrigation would be an appropriate method, and finally in areas where water resources are saline, management strategies for achieving sustainable production as well as economic yields would be suitable. Maize is the third most important grain crop in the world following wheat and rice and it is the main source of nutrition for humans and animals. Because of the importance of maize in the world, increasing maize production under environmental stresses is a big challenge for agricultural scientists. Different methods of irrigation and the use of saline water that had satisfactory results for increasing agricultural production have been studied by several investigators . The main objective of this study was to establish an efficient use of limited water resources as well as to explore the possibility of replacing saline water with fresh water using different management techniques. Materials and Methods: A field experiment was conducted over two maize cropping seasons (2012–2013) in northern Iran (Gorgan Agricultural Research Station) to compare different alternate irrigation scenarios using saline water on corn yield, salinity and soil moisture distribution in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were: T1 and T2 = 100 and 50 % of crop water requirement with non-saline water, respectively; T3 and T4 = variable and fixed full irrigation with saline and non-saline water in every other row, respectively; T5 and T6= fixed and variable deficit irrigation with non-saline water in every other rows, respectively and T7= full irrigation with saline water. To create the desired water salinity (8 dS/m), non-saline well water (1.5 dS/m) and drainage water (20–35 dS/m) were blended in different proportions. A T-tape drip irrigation system (20 m in length) was used in the field experiment. Results and Discussion: In general, corn yield in 2013 was about 1270 kg ha-1 higher than in 2012. From the weather records it can be seen that the second year was drier than the first year. Yield analysis showed that deficit irrigation treatments (T2, T5 & T6) and also alternate salinity treatments (T3 & T4) did not significantly difference. In other words, the deficit irrigation management had no effect on yield. Corn yield in T3 and T4 with 50% of saved fresh water was just reduced to 7 and 1 % of T1, respectively. As a result, comparing treatments T3 and T4 with full irrigation have shown that treatments T3 and T4 are the best option. Comparison of moisture distribution in deficit irrigation treatments showed the highest water content in surface and deep layers was related to the treatments T6 and T2, respectively. The distribution of salinity in the soil profile for treatments T3 and T4 showed that after two years of irrigation with saline water, there is the possibility of use saline water for corn production, but drainage and leaching of soil will need to maintain sustainability. Conclusion: Naturally, in water scarce areas that use some strategic management such as deficit irrigation or saline water use, there is available arable farmland to further develop the irrigated area, and thereby increase total production. According to the results of the two-years where there was a shortage of water to meet crop water requirement and saline water was not available, the use of deficit irrigation managements as described in this study can save fresh water resources and increase total production and farmer's income. If the region is facing a shortage of water resources and saline water is available nearby agricultural land, it is suggested to use alternate furrow irrigation with saline and non-saline water; with the crop water requirement being met by the saline water, the total output will be higher than using deficit irrigation management with non-saline water. Comparision of the distribution of moisture in deficit irrigation treatments showed that surface soil moisture was lower in the treatment of T5 because it was more lateral distribution. In the deeper layers, soil moisture of the treatment T2 was more than others, because it was the predominant infiltration. The two treatments T3 and T4 because of the combined matric and osmotic potential and the movement of water along the sides and deep percolation, resulting widely distributed in soil moisture and thus remaining lower moisture in the soil compare to full irrigation treatments. Consequently, this finding indicates that after two years of corn irrigation using saline (8 dS/m) and non-saline water in every other row (treatments T3 and T4) production can be increased, and in case of proper leaching and drainage management, agricultural sustainability will also preserve.

IntroductionThe date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a major component of the agro-food systems of the arid regions. Since it is an indigenous tree, it is an integral part of the local cultural heritage and social and economic life. Date palm cultivation in the region is challenging due to various factors such as water scarcity and soil and water salinity.MethodsThis research study was conducted to evaluate the quality of commonly sold date palm varieties in the UAE market and grown using saline water at the ICBA research station in Dubai. The study involved measuring physical parameters like fruit weight, size, dimensions, color, volume, Brix, protein, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sugars, phenols, sodium, and potassium, as well as analyzing how consumers perceive the fruit’s quality attributes produced under varying salinity levels. The study evaluated Tamar dates’ texture, flavor, aroma, taste, color, and appearance using a five-point scale from very poor to excellent.Results and discussionThe study found that fruit quality is affected by salinity, and there is a significant interaction between variety and salinity treatments. Salinity affects date palm traits, but low to moderate levels do not affect fruit quality. Khalas, Sukkari, and Ajwa-Tul-Madinah are the least affected varieties. High salinity negatively impacts some varieties, leading to decreased fruit quality. However, it is also worth noting that salinity stress can increase the sugar concentration in fruit for specific varieties, as demonstrated in this study on fruit sugar content under such conditions. Among the tested dates, Sukkari from the market, Ajwa-Tul-Madinah irrigated with 5 and 10 dS m−1 have the highest sugar content and many other desirable characteristics. Hierarchical k-means clustering reveals that each genotype performs better under a specific level of salinity, allowing for targeted selection of genotypes for salinity mitigation. Sugar content is crucial in assessing date fruits irrigated with saline water. It should be included in the evaluation criteria to promote the use of saline water for date palm irrigation and save freshwater resources. The study provides valuable insights into different date palm varieties’ behavior under varying salinity levels, enabling farmers to optimize production and establish new evaluation criteria.

Modeling the relationship between land use and surface water quality

system________________________________________ 28 Pleistocene and Recent alluvial and eolian deposits-_______ 28 Saline surface water_____________________________________________ 29

Appropriate application of water-salt-crop function model can optimize agricultural water management in regions with declining water supply, such as the Hetao district. Appropriate use of saline water is also based on the effects of irrigation water demand and water quality on crop growth quantitatively. Therefore, oil sunflower growth testing under both water and salt stress was completed from 2013 to 2014. Water salinity levels at 1.7 ds/m, 4 ds/m, 6 ds/m and 8 ds/m were used in the experiments. Two water deficit levels were reported, 60% and 80% of the irrigation quota, which were considered moderate and mild deficit levels, respectively. All treatments were applied in planting the oil sunflower in critical growing periods, namely, floral initiation, anthesis and maturity. Linear, Cobb-Douglas, quadratic and transcendental function models were used to simulate the relative yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and electrical conductivity (EC). The predictive ability and sensitivity of each model were then evaluated. Compared with salt stress, water stress exerted a more significant effect on the oil sunflower yield; the water parameters (a1 and a3) were most sensitive in the water-salt-crop function model. Oil sunflower was most sensitive to water and salt stress during anthesis. The transcendental function generally showed a relatively high sensitivity coefficient and a relatively small statistical error. Therefore, the transcendental function is the most appropriate model for simulating and predicting the yield of oil sunflower irrigated with saline water. Applying the water-salt-crop function model in planting of oil sunflower can help in the development and utilization of saline water in the Hetao district. Keywords: irrigation, water-salt production functions, saline water, water stress, salt stress, oil sunflower, evapotranspiration DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20160902.1683 Citation: He X, Yang P L, Ren S M, Li Y K, Jiang G Y, Li L H. Quantitative response of oil sunflower yield to evapotranspiration and soil salinity with saline water irrigation. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2016; 9(2): 63－73.

Water agencies, governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations accountable for water use, development, and conservation are dealing with ways to address changes in water data collection, maintenance, storage, visualization, and communication. As demand for water resources and variability of water availability increases, water data are essential to monitoring changes and finding solutions. Coupled with other data efforts to enhance “big data” and serve critical environmental issues, water data reveal the complex data-scape that demands streamlined data standards across scientific communities where data processing systems are fragmented due to multiple sources and methodologies, limited data sharing, and incomplete data coverage. With a better understanding of some of the discrepancies in the science, practice, and policy of water data systems, we need to consider and implement innovative ways to foster stronger water data sharing arrangements. This special issue on Water Data explores the science, practice, and policy of water data systems, provides examples in which data integration has been successful or ineffective, and explores the technological frontier of water data systems.

چکیده کیفیت آب آبیاری در اکثر مناطق ایران پائین بوده و به درجات مختلف با شوری همراه می‌باشد که بروز خشکسالی این مشکل را تشدید کرده است. با اعمال مدیریت‌های صحیح کشاورزی می‌توان از این آبها برای کشت گیاهان متحمل و نیمه متحمل به شوری استفاده کرد. یکی از روش‌های مدیریتی جهت استفاده از آب‌های شور و لب‌شور، تلفیق آب شور و معمولی می‌باشد. هدف این تحقیق، بررسی چهار روش تلفیق آب شور (هدایت الکتریکی 11 دسی زیمنس بر متر) و معمولی (هدایت الکتریکی 2 دسی زیمنس بر متر) و تأثیر هر رژیم روی عملکرد و اجزای عملکرد دو رقم آفتابگردان بود. آزمایش به صورت کرت‌های خرد شده در قالب طرح بلوک کامل تصادفی با 4 تکرار اجرا گردید که در آن کرت‌های اصلی شامل 2 رقم آفتابگردان ( هایسان 33 و آلستار) بوده و در کرت‌های فرعی از 4 رژیم آبیاری (1ـ تیمار شور ـ معمولی، 2ـ تیمارآب معمولی ـ شور، 3ـ آبیاری یک در میان و 4ـ آبیاری مخلوط) استفاده شد. بذر هر دو رقم هایسان 33 و رقم آلستار، به طور مساوی در 32 کرت کاشته شده و از مرحله‌ی کاشت تا ساقه‌دهی گیاهان، سه مرتبه با آب معمولی جهت استقرار بهتر آبیاری شدند. بعد از این مرحله تا زمان برداشت برای آبیاری، رژیم‌های آبیاری مورد اشاره به کار گرفته شد. نتایج نشان داد که در میان چهار رژیم اعمالی، رژیم آبیاری شور ـ معمولی از نظر عملکرد روغن، وزن صد دانه، عملکرد دانه، عملکرد دانه در طبق، قطر ساقه، ارتفاع بوته، قطر طبق، مساحت برگ و املاح موجود در برگ بیشترین شاخص را داشته است. برای رقم هایسان 33 رژیم آبیاری یک در میان و برای رقم آلستار رژیم آبیاری مخلوط بعد از رژیم آبیاری شور ـ معمولی دارای بهترین عملکرد دانه و روغن بوده است. واژه های کلیدی: شوری، مدیریت آبیاری تلفیقی، آفتابگردان، عملکرد

Total useable water supply for agriculture is essentially fixed and is a limiting factor for increasing agriculture production. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate water quality of rivers, drains and groundwater. Suggestions are made for controlling pollution and for sustainable use of water. The scope of the paper is limited to the Indus Basin. The criteria based on TDS, SAR and RSC was used to categorize water as useable, marginal and hazardous quality for agricultural use. Data of different water quality surveys from 1959 to 2003 were used for the study. Spatial changes of groundwater quality indicate saline water intrusion towards fresh groundwater pockets. Temporal changes of groundwater quality also show deterioration of water, quality over long periods. Canal supplies need to be increased to reduce reliance on groundwater which indirectly help sustainable use of groundwater. River water quality at Kotri, the lowest point in the Indus River system, is suitable for irrigation throughout the year. However, pollution is a serious issue particularly during low flow periods. During the year 2004 about 40 persons died in Hyderabad due to pollution in drinking water the source of which was the River Indus. Municipal and Industrial effluents are being disposed into rivers, drains and canals without treatment which is not only detrimental to crops, human beings, livestock and marine life but also a potential threat to environment. Out of 143 outfall drains of the Indus Basin, the effluent quality of 53 drains is useable. 46 marginal and 44 hazardous. A large number of farmers are using drainage effluent for agriculture. There is no monitoring of land and water for such use. Provincial irrigation department and environment protection agencies should provide technical guidance and support to the farmers, using the drainage effluent. The Environment Act should be strictly implemented. Provincial Irrigation and Drainage Authorities (PIDA‘s) must work with Provincial Environmental Protection Departments to achieve the compliance of NEQS and protecting the quality of rivers, canals and agricultural drainage effluent. it is recommended that integrated water resource management approach should be adopted by consulting and involving all the stakeholders to protect the water quality in the Indus Basin. A regulator programme for water quality monitoring in irrigated areas and water bodies of the country should be Initiated.

This research was carried out in the Field Crop Department, Tekirda Agriculture Faculty, and Plant Breeding Application and Research Centre, Trakya University, Turkey. The response of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) seedlings to salt and available water level tolerance were compared for its water retention capability and the dry matter of shoots, root and shoot weights after 2 h incubation at 30&amp;deg;C and 1 h incubation at 105&amp;deg;C under the conditions of absence, as well as the presence of various levels of salinity and available water. Germination was not affected by the salinity and available water treatments. 1.35 dS/m salinity water treatment resulted in increasing the fresh weights of its shoot (1.179 g) and root (0.580 g), weights after 2 h incubation at 30&amp;deg;C (shoot: 0.0456 and root: 0.0325 g) and 1 h incubation at 105&amp;deg;C (shoot: 0.0104 g and root: 0.0073 g), water retention capability (0.0123 g) and dry matter (0.0236 g) of the shoot in seedlings. The highest fresh weight (root: 0.567 g and shoot: 1.113 g) and water retention capability (0.0112 g) were determined from capacity of the field.

Anthropogenic impairment of water bodies represents a global environmental concern, yet few attempts have successfully linked fish performance to thermal habitat suitability and fewer have distinguished co-varying water quality constraints. We interfaced fish bioenergetics, field measurements, and Thermal Remote Imaging to generate a spatially-explicit, high-resolution surface of fish growth potential, and next employed a structured hypothesis to detect relationships among measures of fish performance and co-varying water quality constraints. Our thermal surface of fish performance captured the amount and spatial-temporal arrangement of thermally-suitable habitat for three focal species in an extremely heterogeneous reservoir, but interpretation of this pattern was initially confounded by seasonal covariation of water residence time and water quality. Subsequent path analysis revealed that in terms of seasonal patterns in growth potential, catfish and walleye responded to temperature, positively and negatively, respectively; crappie and walleye responded to eutrophy (negatively). At the high eutrophy levels observed in this system, some desired fishes appear to suffer from excessive cultural eutrophication within the context of elevated temperatures whereas others appear to be largely unaffected or even enhanced. Our overall findings do not lead to the conclusion that this system is degraded by pollution; however, they do highlight the need to use a sensitive focal species in the process of determining allowable nutrient loading and as integrators of habitat suitability across multiple spatial and temporal scales. We provide an integrated approach useful for quantifying fish growth potential and identifying water quality constraints on fish performance at spatial scales appropriate for whole-system management.

Water management in the Pirapama River Basin in northeastern Brazil is affected by both water quantity and water quality constraints. The region is known for significant sugarcane-based ethanol production—which is the key to the Brazilian economy and expected to grow dramatically under recent changes in climate and energy policies. Sugarcane production in the region goes hand in hand with controlled fertirrigation practices with potentially significant adverse impacts on the environment. To assess sustainable water allocation in the basin, an integrated hydrologic-economic basin model is adapted to study both water quantity and quality aspects. The model results show that incorporating water quality aspects into water allocation decisions leads to a substantial reduction in application of vinasse to sugarcane fields. Embedding highly nonlinear water quality constraints in a basin optimization model is demonstrated to be an effective tool to address the water management problems in rapidly developing biofuel areas of Brazil and elsewhere.