Study on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Irrigation Water Requirements for Major Crops in Shandong Province

Abstract

Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of irrigation water requirements is significant to realize the rational allocation of water resources and also serves as the basis for analyzing agricultural water-saving potential. This study refers to the standard irrigation regions in southwestern, northern, central, southern, and eastern Shandong province. The irrigation water requirements at 20 weather stations in Shandong Province from 1968 to 2016 were calculated, and the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics were analyzed. The results indicated the following: (a) The trend of the annual irrigation water requirements for summer maize and winter wheat showed an insignificant increase in the eastern Shandong irrigation region, a significant decline in northern and southwestern Shandong irrigation regions, and an insignificant decrease in the other irrigation regions. (b) The multi-year average irrigation water requirement for summer maize generally presents a spatial distribution characteristic which is less in the southwest, more in the northeast, less in the south, and more in the north, while the spatial distribution characteristic for winter wheat is less in the southeast, more in the northwest, less in the south, and more in the north. (c) The main meteorological factors affecting the irrigation water requirements for summer maize are precipitation and sunshine duration, while relative humidity is the main factor affecting winter wheat in Shandong Province.