Good Water Management Research Articles

CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE SOILS FROM THE TIDAL FLAT AREAS OF MUSI BANYUASIN, SOUTH SUMATRA

Tidal flats in the Musi Banyuasin region that cover more than 200,000 ha are the largest area for agricultural development in South Sumatra Province. Only about a half of this has been used for tidal swamp rice fields, therefore, the other half needs to be developed. To obtain a better understanding of their properties for appropriate soil management, soil characteristics of the area need to be studied. To characterize the soil, thirty-four soil samples from seven soil profiles were analyzed for their chemical and mineralogical composition at the laboratories of the Center for Soil and Agroclimate Research and Development. The results indicate that soils from the tidal flat areas have an aquic soil moisture regime, the upper parts of the soils are mostly ripe, and most of the pedons show the presence of sulfidic materials below 65 cm of the mineral soil surface. The soils are classified as Sulfic Endoaquept (P1, P2), Histic Sulfaquent (P3), Typic Sulfaquept (P4), Fluvaquentic Endoaquept (P5), and Sulfic Hydraquent (P6, P7). Mineral composition of the sand fraction is dominated by quartz, while the clay minerals consist of predominantly kaolinite, mixed with small amount of smectite, illite, quartz, and crystoballite. Organic carbon content is high to very high, potential phosphate content of most pedons ranges from very low to medium, while potential potassium content varies from very low to medium in the upper layers and medium to very high in the bottom layers. Phosphate retention of topsoil sample varies from 56 to 97%, and is positively correlated (r2 = 0.73) with aluminum from amorphous materials. Exchangeable cations are dominated by Mg cation, and in all pedons cation exchange capacity values are medium to very high, and seem to be influenced by organic carbon. Specific chemical properties, particularly soil pH and content of exchangeable aluminum exhibit a significant change about 1-2 months after soil samples were taken from the field. Theoretically, interaction between good water management and fertilizer application are among the choices of management to make these soils productive.

CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE SOILS FROM THE TIDAL FLAT AREAS OF MUSI BANYUASIN, SOUTH SUMATRA

Tidal flats in the Musi Banyuasin region that cover more than 200,000 ha are the largest area for agricultural development in South Sumatra Province. Only about a half of this has been used for tidal swamp rice fields, therefore, the other half needs to be developed. To obtain a better understanding of their properties for appropriate soil management, soil characteristics of the area need to be studied. To characterize the soil, thirty-four soil samples from seven soil profiles were analyzed for their chemical and mineralogical composition at the laboratories of the Center for Soil and Agroclimate Research and Development. The results indicate that soils from the tidal flat areas have an aquic soil moisture regime, the upper parts of the soils are mostly ripe, and most of the pedons show the presence of sulfidic materials below 65 cm of the mineral soil surface. The soils are classified as Sulfic Endoaquept (P1, P2), Histic Sulfaquent (P3), Typic Sulfaquept (P4), Fluvaquentic Endoaquept (P5), and Sulfic Hydraquent (P6, P7). Mineral composition of the sand fraction is dominated by quartz, while the clay minerals consist of predominantly kaolinite, mixed with small amount of smectite, illite, quartz, and crystoballite. Organic carbon content is high to very high, potential phosphate content of most pedons ranges from very low to medium, while potential potassium content varies from very low to medium in the upper layers and medium to very high in the bottom layers. Phosphate retention of topsoil sample varies from 56 to 97%, and is positively correlated (r2 = 0.73) with aluminum from amorphous materials. Exchangeable cations are dominated by Mg cation, and in all pedons cation exchange capacity values are medium to very high, and seem to be influenced by organic carbon. Specific chemical properties, particularly soil pH and content of exchangeable aluminum exhibit a significant change about 1-2 months after soil samples were taken from the field. Theoretically, interaction between good water management and fertilizer application are among the choices of management to make these soils productive.

Technical Efficiency and Its Determinants of Rice Production in Cambodia

The present study aims to measure the technical efficiency and establish core factors affecting rice production in Cambodia. A four‐year dataset generated from the central government document “Profile on Economics and Social” of 25 entire provinces between 2012 and 2015 and the stochastic production frontier model (SFA) was applied. The results indicated that the level of output (quantity) of Cambodian rice production varied according to the different level of capital investment in agricultural machineries, total rice actual harvested area, and technical fertilizer application within provinces. Furthermore, evidence revealed that the overall mean efficiency of rice production is 78.4%, which implies that there is still room to further improve technical efficiency given the same level of inputs and technology. More importantly, the findings revealed that irrigation, production techniques and amount of agricultural supporting staff are the most important influencing factors of rice production’s technical efficiency in Cambodia. In conclusion, the present study strongly recommends the development of irrigation systems and good water management practices to be considered and bring about more effective actions by the central government as well as related agencies for improving rice production in Cambodia in addition to capital investment and improving technical skills of supporting staff and rural farmers.

Effect of Gdl(+MPL) Compression on the PEM Fuel Cell Performance

Two components of the PEM fuel cells play a critical role in obtaining a good performance, namely the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the micro porous layer (MPL). The target of the reported investigation was the influence of the required gas diffusion layer compression, during stack assembly, onto PEM fuel cell performance. For developing a fuel cell it is necessary to assembly all the components together in order to ensure a good connection and to reduce the leakage problem, and this is done under a compression load. The compression applied can deform the GDL and modify its thickness, porosity, hydrophobicity and electrical resistance, and these can result in damaging or decreasing the performance of the PEM fuel cell. Also, the GDL may intrude in the flow field channels and can lead in significant disturbance of the reactants flow in the channels and consequently to a drop in the performance. Numerical simulations based on ANSYS software were carried out in order to investigate the effect of the clamping force on the fuel cell performance. Therefore, 4 geometries were considered in our study, by taking into account the uncompressed and compressed GDL and the presence or absence of MPL. Different levels of GDL compression and intrusion were considered and simulated. The 3D multiphase model revealed that the GDL compression and intrusion influence the in-plane gradient in liquid saturation, oxygen concentration, membrane water content, and especially current density profiles. Also, our study showed that inserting a micro porous layer between catalyst layer and GDL can lead to an improvement of the cell performance because it helps ensuring a good water management, reducing liquid saturation.

Achieving food sovereignty through water conservation: A review

Food sovereignty is the rights of every nation to maintain and develop skills in producing basic foods, with respect for cultural and product diversity. The food sovereignty of a nation would be viable provided that the natural resources essential for plant growth are available and one of them is water. However, the increase of water demand far exceeds its availability, thus water shortage for agriculture with, as water is also needed by other organisms. As a tropical country, Indonesia has sufficient water supplies from both rainfall and groundwater. With good water management and conservation strategy, it should suffice the demand. Therefore, save the water movement as part of water sustainability program would highly contribute in achieving sustainable food production hence food sovereignty in the long run.

Pore-Network Modeling of Water and Vapor Transport in the Micro Porous Layer and Gas Diffusion Layer of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

In the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), a micro porous layer (MPL) added between the catalyst layer (CL) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) plays an important role in water management. In this work, by using both quasi-static and dynamic pore-network models, water and vapor transport in the MPL and GDL has been investigated. We illustrated how the MPL improved water management in the cathode. Furthermore, it was found that dynamic liquid water transport in the GDL was very sensitive to the built-up thermal gradient along the through-plane direction. Thus, we may control water vapor condensation only along GDL-land interfaces by properly adjusting the GDL thermal conductivity. Our numerical results can provide guidelines for optimizing GDL pore structures for good water management.

Effect of Herbicide Dose and Water Management on Weed Control Efficiency and Yield Performance of Boro Rice

An experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Salna, Gazipur during November 2011 to May 2012 to determine the effect of pre-emergence herbicide Pretilachlor @ 75%, 100%, 125%, 150%, 175% and 200% of the recommended dose under two water management regime i.e. continuous flooding and field capacity on weed suppression and yield performance of Boro rice cv. BRRIdhan28. One weed free and one control (unweeded) treatment were also imposed for treatment comparison. The experiment was laid down in Split Plot design with three replications. Standard management practices for transplanted rice were followed. Continuous flooding was found to contribute better weed control efficiency than field capacity. At 60 DAT, the highest weed control efficiency of 65.75% was found in the treatment receiving Pretilachlor @ 125% of the recommended dose under continuous flooding and the least (54.76%) was found in the treatment receiving 75% of the recommended dose under field capacity. Continuous flooding contributed to more tillers thanfield capacity, and herbicide up to 125% of the recommended dose enhanced tillering in rice. At 75DAT the highest number of tillers (17.53 hill-1) were found in the plots receiving Pretilachlor @ 125% of the recommended dose under good water management (W1T3), while the lowest (11.10 hill-1) was recorded in W2T6 treatment receiving Pretilachlor @ 200% of the recommended dose under field capacity. The highest tiller mortality (27.90%) was observed in W1T3 treatment, whereas the least (8.06%) was observed in W2T5 treatment receiving the same herbicide @175% of the recommended dose under field capacity. Application of Pretilachlor at recommended dose under continuous flooding contributed to the highest crop dry matter production (1144.60g m-2) thus leading to the highest grain yield of 6.31 t ha-1 being followed by the treatment receiving Pretilachlor @ 125% of the recommended dose under same water management yielding 5.95 t ha-1 along with the highest harvest index of 0.58. Results revealed that Pretilachlor at recommended dose might be considered as viable option for weed management in transplanted Boro rice cultivation for effective weed management and satisfactory grain yield provided that appropriate water management is adopted. Journal of Science Foundation 2014;12(2):39-46DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsf.v12i2.27737

Irrigation regime affected SOC content rather than plow layer thickness of rice paddies: A county level survey from a river basin in lower Yangtze valley, China

While the impacts of farm management practices such as fertilization, tillage and straw return on soil organic carbon dynamics in croplands have been widely studied, the effects of irrigation management in irrigated rice paddies have not yet been widely assessed. Changes in plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content of rice paddies were analyzed using data obtained in a county-level survey of soil fertility conducted in 2005 and 2006 in Guichi County, Anhui Province, China. Both soil thickness and organic carbon content of plow layer showed skewed normal distributions, with their averages of 14.58±3.92cm, and 16.45±6.02g/kg, respectively. The irrigation method was found to have significant influences on both plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content, as the plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content had an inverse response to the irrigation intensity derived from different irrigation methods. The land-level performance of irrigation/drainage infrastructure and the irrigation water sources were detected to have significant effect on plow layer thickness, but little influence on soil organic carbon content. While the capacity of irrigation/drainage infrastructure had a remarkable effect on soil organic carbon content but little impact on plow layer thickness. However, the irrigation condition for surveyed fields was detected to have little effect on both plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content. These results indicated that irrigation management should keep the balance between surface erosion on plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon accumulation. Hence, developing new technique for good irrigation infrastructure and water management in future will help soil organic carbon accumulation as well as improve the soil for enhanced crop growth in rice agriculture.

A Comparative Analysis of Water Governance, Water Management, and Environmental Performance in River Basins

River ecosystems are facing a diversity of threats in many parts of the world. To restore and preserve riverine environments, human societies have established water governance and management responses. However, the means by which a satisfactory environmental state can be achieved in light of different regional contexts is still poorly understood. This article explores whether or not good environmental performance can be achieved through water governance and management in combination with further context factors. To this end, we applied fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to examine data on water governance, water management, and environmental performance from a recent international study together with context data on per capita income, corruption, hydro-climate, and use pressure from other datasets. Results demonstrate that the combination of polycentric governance, high per capita income, and low levels of corruption is sufficient for achieving good water management practice. However, a good environmental state in river basins seems to primarily depend upon the overall level of pressure from human use rather than the quality of water management. This demonstrates that water governance and management should be seen as part of a broader societal transformation towards sustainability that focusses on a reduction of pressures in river basins instead of mitigating their impacts.

Yield and water use efficiency of furrow irrigated potato under regulated deficit irrigation, Atsibi-Wemberta, North Ethiopia

The pressure on availability of water in Tigray regional state is likely to increase as the requirement for food production in couple with rapidly growing of the population is at increasing rate. Hence, improving water productivity using regulated deficit irrigation is important to reduce the water consumption while minimizing adverse effects on the crop yield. This study was conducted in the eastern zone of Tigray regional state, Atsibi Womberta district. The aim of this study was to determine the yield and water use efficiency of potato under deficit irrigation practice in the 2012 growing period. The effect of water deficit or water stress on crop yield and water use efficiencies were evaluated. Guasa variety potato was grown under eight (T1–T8) irrigation treatments. The treatments were replicated three times under completely randomized blocks experimental design. Water was applied to every furrow using watering can with fixed interval and variable depth irrigation scheduling technique was selected. Yield of potato was significantly (p<0.05) affected by water stress (deficit irrigation). The highest yield was found in T1 (18770kg/ha) which was not subjected to water stress (full water requirement) whereas minimum yield of potato was obtained under the fully stressed treatment T8 (7037kg/ha). There was no significant different between the yield of T1 (18770kg/ha) and T6 (14440kg/ha) which was 25% deficit throughout the growing season. According to the result obtained, stressed at the middle stage was affected more the yield of potato as compared to other treatments. This showed that stressing the crop at flowering/middle stage is sensitive to deficit irrigation. Giving 65% of crop water requirement throughout the growing season is better than stressing the crop only at the middle stage. The second sensitive period for water stress is the late crop stage. Crop water use efficiency was not statistically significant. Though it was not significantly different, T6 (2.86kg/m3) and T4 (1.60kg/m3) had the highest and the lowest water use efficiency respectively. This elaborated that applying 75% of crop water requirement has better water use efficiency than optimal or “no stress” irrigation. It can be conclude that using deficit irrigation is a good water management technique to save irrigation water without reducing the yield of potato. For dry land areas like The Tigray regional state of Ethiopia and other similar agro-ecology elsewhere in the world with scarce water and agricultural water management is very poor. The authors of this study would like to recommend farmers, water managers, water use associations and decision makers to use water efficiently using deficit irrigation and increase their agricultural production by expanding irrigable land with the same amount of water in a given irrigation scheme

Characteristics of commercial poultry and spatial distribution of metabolic and behavioural diseases in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to determine the characteristics, types and spread of poultry metabolic and behavioural diseases in Oyo State using a structured questionnaire spread across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state. One hundred commercial farms were randomly selected across the state but only seventy-eight responded. Data were collected on age of farm, number of stocks, types of poultry kept and types of poultry disease experienced and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Coordinates of the farms were captured with the aid of Global Positioning System (GPS) and imported into Geographical Information System (GIS) to produce disease risk maps of the study area. Results revealed that 58.98% of the sampled poultry farms in Oyo State were established between 5 and 10 years ago and were mostly small scale commercial farms (48.72%) with less than five thousand (<5,000) birds. Only 3.84% of the farms possessed more than 120,000 birds, while 83.34% reared chicken, and 53.85% raised layers. The result also revealed that 89.74% of the farms experienced disease occurrence. Heat stress (23.08%) and vent pecking (38.46%) were the major metabolic and behavioural diseases, respectively experienced in Oyo State. The study concluded that majority of the commercial farms were small scale enterprises and layers constituted the highest proportion of chickens reared. Also, Oyo State had moderate to high potential for metabolic and behavioural diseases spread in 23 Local Government Areas while vent pecking and heat stress were the major diseases affecting most of the poultry commercial farms. Commercial poultry farms in Oyo State are enjoined to improve on their management techniques such as appropriate stocking density, good housing design and orientation, good feed and water management, effective structural and operation bio-security, proper hygiene and sanitation for better and efficient production targets. Keywords: Behavioural disease, Commercial poultry, GIS, Metabolic disease, Oyo State

Hydro-Politics of the Tigris and Euphrates Basins

The supply of fresh water is essential to life, socioeconomic development, and political stability in Middle East. Turkey, Syria and Iraq are the main riparian countries in the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Turkey is the riparian hegemon for a long time due to its structural power and dominant river position. Iraq and Syria are the lower countries in the basin and for this reason they always like to ensure the quantity of water required to satisfy their requirements. The conflict between riparian countries is due to several factors. These are: population growth rate and food security, energy security, economic and technological development, political fragmentation, international water laws, water and management availability and public awareness. There have been a number of attempts to find a common ground on water issues between the main three riparian countries since 1920 but no agreement signed yet. Present situation is very bad in Syria and Iraq where thousands of people have no access to water and farmers are leaving their land because of draught. Such situation will definitely raise tension and might lead to war. To avoid this, a mediator that has the capability to bring all countries concerned to the negotiation table is required. In addition, Syria and Iraq are to adopt prudent strategic plan based on resources development theory to ensure good water management and minimum water loses.

DEVELOP AN EMPOWERMENT MODEL FOR POOR FARMERS IN JENEPONTO, SOUTH SULAWESI

The objective of this study is to develop an empowerment model for poor farmers in Jeneponto, South Sulawesi. This study used descriptive method, with three approaches, economics, social and cultural, and institutional approach. Results of this study are: 1) the farmers in Jeneponto have limited knowledge of modern agriculture. 2) most of poor farmers in Jeneponto was not caused by the condition of natural resources. 3) some of agriculture comoditions could enhance optimally with good water management system. 4) low rate of savings caused the low rate investation and productivity. Keyword : farmer empowerment, poverty

Assessing the suitability of saline wastewaters for irrigation of Citrus spp.: Emphasis on boron and specific-ion interactions

Many ground waters and recycled municipal wastewaters contain elevated concentrations of boron (B) and salts but are nonetheless potential irrigation water sources for agricultural production. Unlike most agricultural crops, Citrus spp. is among the most sensitive to B and salinity. Here, an extensive review of the literature from 1928 to present on Citrus spp. tolerance to B and specific ions has been conducted. The overall suitability of such water supplies largely depends upon the salt and B concentration in the irrigation water, irrigation management, rainfall, soil and climatic conditions and orange rootstock. Since salinity and B stresses often occur together, the overall suitability may depend on interactive abiotic stresses as well. The combination and potential interaction of these constituents, combined with the soil and climatic conditions, can affect the overall suitability of B in irrigation water over the long-term. And there is evidence of internal tolerance mechanisms (i.e. B transport/compartmentation; B complexation) present allowing leaves to tolerate higher B concentrations than they would otherwise and that certain amendments can reduce uptake and transport from rootstock to scion. Regardless, new research does not provide any more information to suggest that the existing B tolerance guidelines for orange (0.50–0.75mg/L in the soil solution, Bss) should be adjusted upwards or downwards. The challenge comes in determining the maximum B concentration in the irrigation water (Bw) that would result in these Bss tolerance values. Two steady-state approaches that were used here suggest that the maximum Bw for the protection of orange falls between 0.3 and 0.5mg/L over the long term provided good water management, adequate leaching and no additional stresses are affecting the tree. For lemon, maximum Bw concentrations would be less. The presence of specific ions and ion interactions makes water quality assessment difficult.

Case Studies of Innovative Irrigation Management Techniques

Irrigation is a vital input in the agricultural productivity and agricultural growth. More than 80% of available water resources worldwide as well as in India are being presently utilized for irrigation purposes. However, in India, the average water use efficiency of Irrigation Projects is assessed to be only of the order of 30-35%. There is no doubt that modernization of irrigation system like concrete lining to the inner surface of the open channel; canal automation etc. will save water significantly. But these techniques require huge capital investment, hence uneasy to adopt. On this background it is appropriate to know the innovative, simple, low cost, easy to adopt, water conveyance techniques used in the command of few irrigation projects in Maharashtra. The paper discusses the need to increase the Water Use Efficiencies of existing Irrigation Projects and new projects and the success case studies in detail. The findings show that such pioneering techniques shall be implemented in the command areas of other irrigation projects as and where found techno economically feasible to achieve improvement in crop yield and good water management with high water use efficiency.

Principal Component and Multiple Regression Analyses for the Estimation of Suspended Sediment Yield in Ungauged Basins of Northern Thailand

Predicting sediment yield is necessary for good land and water management in any river basin. However, sometimes, the sediment data is either not available or is sparse, which renders estimating sediment yield a daunting task. The present study investigates the factors influencing suspended sediment yield using the principal component analysis (PCA). Additionally, the regression relationships for estimating suspended sediment yield, based on the selected key factors from the PCA, are developed. The PCA shows six components of key factors that can explain at least up to 86.7% of the variation of all variables. The regression models show that basin size, channel network characteristics, land use, basin steepness and rainfall distribution are the key factors affecting sediment yield. The validation of regression relationships for estimating suspended sediment yield shows the error of estimation ranging from −55% to +315% and −59% to +259% for suspended sediment yield and for area-specific suspended sediment yield, respectively. The proposed relationships may be considered useful for predicting suspended sediment yield in ungauged basins of Northern Thailand that have geologic, climatic and hydrologic conditions similar to the study area.

Sustainable Management and Improvement of Soil Physical Properties and Rice Grain Yield in Degraded Inland Valleys of Southeastern Nigeria

Nigeria is relatively blessed with rain and high potential of inland valleys. The major constraints in the utilization of these inland valleys for sustainable rice based cropping include, poor soil properties maintenance, inadequate weed and water control. In an attempt to replicate the successful Japanese Satoyama watershed management model in the African agro-ecosystems, sawah rice cultivation technology has been introduced to West Africa in the last two decades. This study was conducted in an inland valley at Akaeze, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Southeastern Nigeria, in 2010, 2011 and 2012 cropping seasons, to evaluate the effects of four different tillage specifications and different amendments under sawah water management system on soil properties and rice grain yield. Sawah has been described as an Indo-Malaysian word for padi (Malayan word for paddy) or lowland rice management system comprising bunding, puddling, levelling and good water management through irrigation and drainage. A split- plot in a randomized complete block design was used to evaluate these two factors. The four

Slow-Rusting Resistance in Native Spearmint to Puccinia menthae.

Rust, caused by Puccinia menthae, is often a serious yield-reducing problem on native and Scotch spearmint in south-central Washington State. Rust resistant mint cultivars would reduce a dependence on fungicides for disease management; however, conventional breeding practices are not possible because commercial mint plants are sterile. Mutant Scotch and native spearmint lines induced by irradiation were evaluated for partial resistance to rust. Latent period and number of uredinia per leaf from urediniospore inoculations in the greenhouse and aecial and uredinial development in the field were quantified. Length of latent period, number of uredinia per leaf, incidence of shoots with aecia, and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) for uredinia development all varied significantly among lines and standard cultivars. Length of latent period was significantly longer and number of uredinia per leaf was significantly lower for native spearmint line N87-1 than for most of the other mutant lines, native spearmint, and Scotch spearmint. Line N87-1 had the lowest AUDPC values of all lines and standard cultivars for 3 years in the field. However, line N87-1 had a relatively high incidence of shoots with aecia both of two years in the field. Length of latent period was significantly and negatively correlated with AUDPC 2 of 3 years. Mean incidence of shoots with aecia was not correlated with AUDPC or with length of latent period after urediniospore infection. Rust in native spearmint in south-central Washington State could be satisfactorily managed with slow-rusting resistance when coupled with good irrigation water management and sanitation tactics that limit aecia development on early spring mint foliage.

Identification of Groundwater Level by Using Geoelectrical Resistivity Method at Fincha’a Sugar Estate, Blue Nile Basin, Western Ethiopia

Good water management and improved drainage can minimize yield reductions caused by waterlogging and thus increase profitability. Waterlogging became a very severe problem in some of the irrigated fields of Fincha’a Sugar Estate in the Blue Ni Basin of western Ethiopia. As a result many productive agricultural lands were abandoned. A measurement of geoelectrical resistivity at the selected irrigated fields by using Schlumberger array with the space of potential and current electrode was found to be 2 m. The positions of centre sounding measurements to be investigated were at different points along the traverse line (subsurface area). The objective of this study was to identify the depth of the groundwater table in relation to subsurface lithology. The shallow ground water was identified at the depth of 1.5, 2.06, 3.18 and 2.49 m with resistivity values of 3.76, 5.42, 49.3, and 29.4 Ω (VES 2), (VES 3) and (VES 4) respectively. While the deep ground water table confined on the course range from the depth of 3.96 to 11.6 m with the resistivity value of 3.96 to 11.6 Ω-m.The variation of resistivity values from each position of ground water shows the variation of variation of crack dimension and variation of medium type. It was identified that the selected irrigated fields are under severe to critically waterlogged conditions. Deeper regolith (3.18 below the water table, due to low salinities in the groundwater and coarser textures.

Evaluation of soil and water salinity for irrigation in North-eastern Ethiopia: Case study of Fursa small scale irrigation system in Awash River Basin

For sound land use and water management in irrigated area, knowledge of the chemical composition of soils, water, climate, drainage condition and irrigation methods before action are crucial for sustainability of irrigation projects. The study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties of soils and water for intended irrigation scheme with reference to standard suitability classes. With regard to this, a study was conducted in Awash River Basin at Fursa small scale irrigation scheme in Northeastern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from bore holes of three soil mapping units of the study site across depth and water samples were taken from irrigation water with plastic bottles for analysis of range of physical and chemical properties. The results of the analysis reveal the existence of potential sodicity not only in the soil but also in the irrigation water. The study underlines the need for selection of salt tolerant crops and good water management by using appropriate irrigation methods to sustain productivity of soil in the proposed irrigation site. This has significant contribution to deciding the type of crop to be produced and appropriate irrigation methods for sustainability of soil productivity. Key words: Fursa irrigation scheme, salinity, sodicity, soil analysis, water analysis.