Efficient Use Of Available Water Research Articles

Increasing Energy Efficiency of the Executive Mechanisms of Intellectual Systems

At the same time, the demand for water and energy resources around the world is growing year by year. This requires the efficient use of available water and energy resources. Currently, attention is paid to the low energy consumption of devices manufactured in all areas. In particular, in our country, scientific research is being conducted to create energy-efficient devices in the water management system. This article is devoted to the positive solution of the listed problematic issues.

An Attempt to Modify the Crop Coefficient Value of Wheat and Chickpea for Humid Subtropical Climate of Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh

Crop water requirement is one of the essential components that should always be taken into account wherever water management strategies are adopted for effective utilization of water. In India agriculture is considered as the backbone of economy but nothing technical or advance technology has being adopted for its advancement and still major portion of agriculture are dependent on the verge of monsoon. Therefore crop coefficient (Kc) value for wheat and Chickpea as a function of relative humidity, wind speed and crop height has been formalized in this study for efficient use of available water. The empirical formula was applied for estimating Kc(mid) and Kc(end) values for humid subtropical climate of Varanasi. The corrected crop coefficient value of wheat for Kc(mid) was found to be 1.12 and for end season Kc(end) corrected was found to be 0.42. Mean maximum height of wheat crop in mid-season was obtained as 0.80 m and for the end season mean maximum height was found to be 0.99 m. The corrected crop coefficient value of Chickpea for midseason was found to be 0.98 whereas it was found out to be 0.38 at Kc(end). Mean maximum height of chickpea crop in mid-season was obtained as 0.39 m and for the end season of the crop mean maximum height was found to be 0.52 m. Crop coefficient curve for wheat crop was prepared in which X-axis represents time in days and Y- axis represents crop coefficient value for wheat. A third-order polynomial equation (y = -3E - 06x3 + 0.0005x2 - 0.0039x + 0.3702) has been obtained for wheat crop with correlation coefficient of 0.97. Similarly, graphical plot was constructed for chickpea crop and a third-order polynomial equation (y = -2E - 06x3 + 0.0002x2 - 0.0004x + 0.3732) has been obtained with correlation coefficient of 0.98. Furthermore, third-order polynomials were fitted well to predict the crop coefficient values as function of growing degree-days (GDD).

English

This study investigates the optimum water requirements of Sugarcane planted in different months under rainfall and irrigation management, using CROPWAT model at Finchaa Valley in view of the importance of efficient water use as a key to grow crops and satisfy water demand. Analysis of soil physical properties was performed following the standard field and laboratories procedures and methods. The result of investigation indicated that total and monthly crop (irrigation) water requirement of sugarcane varied with the first watering month, ranging from 1554.6 mm (764.5 mm) to 1677.8 mm (1090.9 mm) with the average value of 1614.45 mm (903.8 mm). per growing season The highest and lowest amount of both rainfall and irrigation water demands were obtained for the first watering month (from irrigation or rainfall) of May and August respectively. The finding of the study also implies that, irrespective of the planting and harvesting months’ irrigation water provision is not required in June, July and August months for sugarcane cultivated in Finchaa Valley under current climatic condition. Thus, applying fixed depth of irrigation water at a fixed frequency to different soil types throughout the growing season probably lower water use efficiency and reduce crop yield. It is recommended to use CROPWAT model for proper and effective irrigation scheduling for efficient use of available water and improved yields of sugarcane. Key words: Sugarcane, first watering month, water requirement, CROPWAT model.

Coping Strategies and Household Food Security in Drought-Prone Areas in Ethiopia: The Case of Lay Gayint District

A range of factors from physical environmental circumstances to policy and institutions-related issues affect households’ involvement in long-term strategies for positive livelihood outcomes. The general objective of this study was to examine households’ response to undesirable situations for food security outcomes. Questionnaire, in-depth interview and focus group discussions were the major data collection techniques. A major finding is that despite the low level of productivity related to local environmental constraints, adaptation strategies were not in a position to improve the livelihoods of the poor in the study area. The study found out that, planting trees for the market, livestock diversification and natural resource conservation were vital adaptive strategies employed by the better-off households. Short-term responses to meet the shortfall of consumption needs, such as selling charcoal and fuel wood, taking loans/credits and borrowing in kind or cash from friends were the major ex-post coping strategies practised by the poor and vulnerable households. In drought-prone areas such as Lay Gayint district, a serious problem for agricultural production is scarcity and irregularity of rainfall. Thus, there is the need to adapt early maturing and drought-resistant varieties, efficient use of available water and the growing of highland apple trees and planting Eucalyptus trees in accessible areas for better livelihoods.Keywords: Agro-ecology, Livelihood diversification, Water harvesting, Lay Gayint, Ethiopia

Trees improve water storage and reduce soil evaporation in agroforestry systems on bench terraces in SW Uganda

The success of agroforestry in semi-arid areas depends on efficient use of available water and effective strategies to limit tree/crop competition and maximise productivity. On hillsides, planting improved tree fallows on the degraded upper section of bench terraces is a recommended practice to improve soil fertility while cropping continues on the lower terrace to maintain food production. This study examined the influence of tree fallows on soil water content (θ w ) and evaporation (E s ). Alnus acuminata Kunth (alnus), Calliandra calothyrsus Meissner (calliandra), Sesbania sesban L. (sesbania), a mixture of all three species, or sole crops (beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) or maize (Zea mays L.)) were grown on the upper terrace. The same sole crops were grown on the lower terrace. Four management regimes (unpruned, root, shoot and root + shoot pruned) were applied to the tree rows adjacent to the cropping area. Neutron probe and microlysimeter approaches were used to determine θ w and E s when the trees were c. 3.5 years old. Sesbania and alnus increased θ w by 9–18 % in the cropping area on the lower terrace but calliandra reduced θ w by 3–15 %. After heavy rain, E s comprised 29–38 % of precipitation in the tree-based treatments and 53 % under sole crops. Absolute values declined as rainfall decreased, but E s as a proportion of rainfall increased to 39–45 % in the tree-based treatments and 62 % for sole crops. Root + shoot pruning of alnus and the tree mixture increased θ w in the cropping area but had no significant effect in the other tree-based treatments. The results suggest that sesbania and alnus can be planted on smallholdings without compromising water supply to adjacent crops, whereas calliandra decreased water availability despite reducing E s . These results provide a mechanistic understanding of reported effects on crop yield in the same site.

Scheduling water application on drip irrigated sugarcane

Irrigation is necessary in order to produce sugarcane in semiarid south Texas, but water supplies are becoming increasing limited. Drip and sprinkler irrigation systems offer more precise water control than conventional furrow irrigation, but are more expensive. This study was conducted to evaluate four different methods (pan evaporation ( E pan), evapotranspiration (ET), auto-tensiometers, manual tensiometers) for determining the amount of irrigation water to apply, and three different frequencies of water application on sugarcane, in order to make the most efficient use of available water using subsurface drip irrigation. The study was conducted over three sugarcane seasons: the plant crop and two ratoon crops. The amount of water applied based on the different methods varied from year to year, with the ET method prescribing the most water in the first ratoon crop but the least amount in the second ratoon. This was probably caused mostly by differences in annual weather conditions. The more frequently water was applied, the larger amount any method tended to prescribe, since more frequent applications resulted in keeping the soil profile fuller, therefore providing less capacity to store rainfall when it occurred. Number of stress days as determined by calculating a stress coefficient based on ET and soil water balance indicated a large amount of stress in the first ratoon but almost none in the second ratoon crop. Direct soil water monitoring indicated much less stress than the calculated levels. Growth measurements and sugarcane yields showed that the highest water applications resulted in the best responses, regardless of the scheduling method used. All irrigation scheduling methods were effective, prescribing similar amounts of water for a given season. Direct measurement using tensiometers gives the most accurate assessment of field conditions, but is expensive and labor intensive. Automated tensiometers were not very reliable. Pan evaporation and ET are effective once they are properly calibrated by developing appropriate coefficients for a particular region. Pan evaporation has been used for a long time, but it is more difficult to obtain reliable data compared to ET data from automated weather stations.

Perennial wheat: The development of a sustainable cropping system for the U.S. Pacific Northwest

AbstractPerennial wheat offers a new solution to the long-standing problems of soil erosion and degradation associated with conventional annual small-grain cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest region. Using classical breeding methods, new types of wheat have been developed that maintain the key characteristics of annual wheat, but continue to grow after harvest. Following dormancy in the winter, growth is initiated from the roots or crowns in the spring, allowing a crop to be harvested every fall. By retaining constant soil cover over multiple years, wind and water erosion would be dramatically reduced. In addition, the costs associated with annual seeding and tillage would be minimized, and unlike many reduced tillage systems, it is expected that standard seeding equipment would be suitable for stand establishment. Other potential benefits of perennial wheat include improved wildlife habitat, more efficient use of available water, provision of a potent carbon sink, and the possibility of integrating straw retrieval into a small grains cropping system. Past attempts in the first half of the last century failed to develop perennial wheat as a viable crop, primarily because of low yields, and the research was ultimately abandoned. Perennial wheat production may now be viewed as acceptable for highly erodible land or for obtaining carbon sequestration credits. This paper presents an overview of solutions to the obstacles encountered by previous researchers, introduces some of the newly developed perennial wheat lines, and discusses considerations for management practices.

Water control and the maintenance imperative: Evidence from Nepal

Six farmer-managed irrigation systems were examined and compared to three government-managed irrigation systems. Results from these studies indicate that the organizational capacity of farmers' water users' associations to directly manage and maintain the irrigation systems was the most important factor in achieving water control and productive irrigation systems. We have referred to this factor as the ‘maintenance imperative’. The effective water users' associations demonstrated that they were able to: (1) mobilize significant amounts of labor and money on a continuing basis for maintenance and operation, (2) resolve local conflicts over water, (3) allocate and distribute water equitably, (4) enforce rules, and (5) coordinate cropping patterns and planting dates to optimize the efficient use of available water. The farmer-managed systems displayed a large degree of farmer cooperation and satisfaction, even though most of the systems had substantial operation, maintenance, and cost problems.

Rainfall distribution in northeastern Thailand / Sur la distribution de pluie dans le nord-est de Thailande

Abstract Rainfall is the main source of irrigation water in the northeastern part of Thailand where the inhabitants derive their income primarily from farming. In order to improve their economic conditions, the efficient use of available water is essential and this requires a sound understanding of the distribution of rainfall in space and in time. The present study aims at providing basic information on rainfall sequences in the region, such as their amount and their distribution in space and time. Several other statistical properties such as the persistence, the periodicity and the degree of irregularity of rainfall and the transition probabilities between rainy and non-rainy days are presented. An assessment of the availability of water for irrigation is also made.