Abstract
Surface fertigation is a common choice when it comes to applying fertilizers in surface irrigated crops. The inherent complexity of the concepts and equations governing surface fertigation has made this technique a challenging research issue in the past decades. A number of researchers have used field experiments and/or modelling results to develop recommendations aiming at improving surface fertigation management. In this paper, these recommendations are reviewed and classified considering the particular type of surface irrigation system. Key factors affecting surface fertigation performance, such as the inflow hydrograph, soil and water quality, effective root depth for fertilizer uptake and the specific surface irrigation method are discussed. The history of surface fertigation modelling is reviewed, introducing key developments, accomplishments and open issues. Finally, current research gaps and needs are identified and discussed, such as the coupling of two-dimensional surface and subsurface simulation models or the use of performance optimization approaches. Research gaps require an intensification of modelling and/or experimental efforts.
Highlights
Population growth and development are resulting in an increased need for food
The three primary modes of solute transport in open channel flow are advection or convection, diffusion, and dispersion
Even though the amount of applied water and fertilizer per unit area was doubled in the conventional furrow irrigation (CFI) treatment relative to alternate furrow treatments, soil water and nitrate concentrations in alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) and fixed alternate furrow irrigation (FFI) were much higher than half of the corresponding values in the CFI treatment
Summary
Population growth and development are resulting in an increased need for food. the use of chemical fertilizers will continue to escalate in an attempt to increase crop yields. A number of research works on surface fertigation and related topics have been published Some of these papers discussed the transport of solutes sprayed on the soil prior to a surface irrigation event (Izadi et al, 1993, 1996; Mailhol et al, 2001; Zhang et al, 2010). Research works comparing crop yield (quantity and/or quality) in conventional fertilization vs fertigation (e.g. Dawelbeit & Richter, 2004) or comparing fertigation performance in surface vs pressurized irrigation systems (Wang et al, 1997; Dillon et al, 1999; Quinones et al, 2007) were not included either. Readers are invited to refer to the original papers for further details
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