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The magnitude of water-induced disasters is projected to increase in the coming decades. Yet, there is a substantial gap in the understanding of how local knowledge and Indigenous knowledge are employed to respond to climate change water-induced disasters. We examine this gap through a meta-review of literature published between 2014 and 2019 yielding 39 scholarly papers. The meta-review indicates that the literature highlights that marginalized people are facing multiple risks that threaten their ability to produce enough food for consumption, secure water for irrigation, live in sustainable communities, and maintain their health and well-being. Responses are largely incremental, autonomous adjustments, such as livelihood diversification, flood-proofing homes, and soil moisture conservation. Our findings show that there is a clear need to more closely attend to the processes by which local knowledge and Indigenous knowledge can be meaningfully integrated into adaptation to move toward transformative change for long-term climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drip irrigation is a highly efficient method for watering crops, as it delivers water directly to the roots and minimises wastage due to evaporation or runoff. This paper presents the development and implementation of a low- -cost drip irrigation control system that uses both time- and soil sensor-based approaches. The system’s efficiency was compared through a field experiment of melon growing, divided into three categories and four replications using a completely randomised design. The treatments include: T1 [time-based irrigation (TBI)], T2 [soil moisture-based irrigation (SMI)], and T3 [hand watering irrigation system (HWI)]. Results indicated that the TBI technique resulted in faster plant growth compared to the other treatments, as evidenced by increased leaf widths, lengths, numbers, and stem diameter. All irrigation techniques showed significant differences in yield characteristics, with TBI and SMI producing no differences in the first flowering day of female fruit widths, lengths, and weight of melon. However, the HWI treatment resulted in lower fruit length and weight yields. Cost analysis showed that the system is beneficial as a very low-cost device that is affordable, precise, and useful for measuring and controlling irrigation-related parameters for melon cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and utilization of unconventional water resources has become a strategy to alleviate the agricultural water crisis in many countries and regions. To understand the research progress, hot spots, and future trends in the field of unconventional water agricultural irrigation (UWAI), this paper systematically analyzes 6738 publications based on the core database of Web of Science 1990–2023 using the scientific bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica. The results showed that the research on UWAI is always rapidly developing. Soil science, crop science, and bioengineering are the main disciplines involved. Most research on WUAI has occurred in China and the United States. Countries with higher levels of development tend to have more influence. Collaboration among authors is fragmented, and collaboration between authors and states needs to be strengthened. Through keyword analysis, the research hotspots are summarized as follows: (1) The effects of traditional and emerging pollutants brought by unconventional water irrigation on soil physicochemical properties, crop growth, and groundwater quality; (2) the health threats caused by pollutants entering the food chain and groundwater; (3) unconventional water utilization technologies, including rainwater harvesting agriculture, precision agriculture, and urban agriculture. Future research hotspots will focus on the mechanisms of pollutant solute transport and transformation in the water–soil–crop system under non-conventional water irrigation conditions and crop physiological responses. We suggest that the research on traditional and emerging pollutants in unconventional water should be strengthened in the future, and the risk control system of unconventional water irrigation should be improved. International cooperation should be strengthened, especially with poor countries in arid regions, to promote the formation of unified international standards and guidelines for non-conventional water irrigation in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of climate change, periods of drought will occur more frequently. This causes challenges for water use, ranging from limitations on the navigability of water courses, limited availability of water for irrigation and drinking water supply, reduced hydropower production, increasing concentrations of pollutants, deteriorating water quality, and ecosystem degradation. Dealing with droughts, however, is a complex puzzle due to the multi-level governance characteristics of international river basins and the need to meet the freshwater demands of all sectors involved. This increases the need to address drought issues in a coordinated way, along all levels of decision making. Thus far, the way this must be executed has been under-researched. This paper addresses this knowledge gap as it aims to provide design principles for good multi-level drought risk governance in international river basins. In order to meet our aim, we first reviewed literature on multi-level and good governance and established an assessment framework. This framework was applied in a case study on drought risk governance in the international Rhine basin. Policy documents were analyzed and key informants interviewed. We found that although the governance practice in the basin meets most of our framework criteria, differences between the international level, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland also occurred. We have synthesized our findings into a list of 10 design principles for good multi-level drought risk governance, which could function as a starting point for the analysis and improvement of other multi-level drought risk governance practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control heavy metal pollution effectively, prevention of heavy metal accumulations in agricultural soils should be the priority rather than remediation of heavy metal contamination. In this research, papers which contained input and output fluxes of Cd, As, Cr, Hg, and Pb in topsoil (the plough layer) of agricultural lands in Hunan, Zhejiang, the Yangtze River Delta, Hainan, and China as a whole were explored. Fluxes of heavy metal species were recalculated, and future trends of pollution were predicted. Also, cases regarding the application of technologies to control the input and output of heavy metals were analyzed. Results indicated that atmospheric decomposition was the dominant input source of heavy metals in all study sites except Hainan. The relative contributions of fertilizers, irrigation water, and straw returning fluctuated greatly among different sites. Cd pollution in all sites was the most serious, followed by Cr and Pb. In Hunan, Cd has already exceeded the maximum limit value and needs to be controlled urgently. The input of heavy metals from irrigation water, fertilizers, and straw returning could be controlled by proposing more policies to manage their quality and application amounts. The amount of heavy metals absorbed by plants could be increased by cultivating crops with hyperaccumulators and high-biomass plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nóesis: Revista de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Revista Noesis and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The irrigation water requirements of different crops are becoming a pivotal driver for the governance strategies of water allocation and management. This paper estimates the impact of irrigation water requirements on economic value in terms of the yields and gross saleable production of 13 different crops cultivated in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) over the 2010–2020 period by exploiting a generalized propensity score matching approach. Results show that the overall irrigation water requirements affect crops' economic value. There is a causal effect of water irrigation on economic value: positive only for high levels of water irrigation in the case of yields, while it reverses and assumes a concave shape for gross saleable production. However, the effect is mediated by the irrigation water requirements of different crops. In water scarcity conditions, the allocation of water to arboreal crops, given the effect of water irrigation on gross saleable production, is also positive for small quantities of water. This paper can help guide the design of more sustainable water management strategies and agricultural development policies to face climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-judicious use of water at the farm level in traditional irrigation application methods is a present-day concern across the world that can be resolved by enhancing application efficiency through the adoption of advanced irrigation techniques. Sprinkler irrigation is a method that has high application efficiency, which can be further increased when coupled with automation toward precision irrigation. The objectives of this review are to summarize the main aspects of sprinkler and precision irrigation and their development, scope, and future prospects specifically in Asian countries. In this paper, a modified methodology, inspired by PRISMA guidelines, was used to explore the available literature to summarize the existing knowledge in the field. Regarding the technological aspects of the analyzed works, it became evident that sprinkler systems are an efficient method to not only irrigate crops (with 39% water saving) but also for the application of fertilizers with higher efficiency (>35%) and water productivity (>14.1%) compared with gravity irrigation systems. Moreover, this paper highlights the prominent features of precision irrigation for maximizing agricultural productivity. The use of sprinkler irrigation with precision applications using automation with a sensor-based mechanism for field data collection, data transformation, data analysis, and operation of IoT-based automatic solenoid valves can save 20–30% more irrigation water and increase crop yield by 20–27%. An analytical understanding and knowledge of the field were used to draw conclusions that are thought-provoking for scientists, researchers, and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government intervention has become an important measure to restrain groundwater overexploitation. This paper analyzes the effect of three types of government intervention measures, namely, guidance, incentive and constraint, on farmers' groundwater utilization behavior, from the perspective of scale-heterogeneity, using general quantile regression model, by survey data of 1122 households in well irrigation area of north China. The results showed that: (1) the incentive and guiding measures have negative effects on farmers' groundwater usage, while the effect of restrictive measures is not obvious. The guided policy is superior to the incentive measure as to governance effect. (2) With the increase of farmers' land scale, the influence of incentive measures shows a trend of weakening, and the effect of guided measures on groundwater demand reduction of farmers is stronger. When it comes to the different point of water consumption, when at the point level of 0.25, the incentive measures have the most obvious inhibitory effect. With the increase of water consumption of farmers, the guided measures begin to play a core role. The effect of restrictive measures is not obvious with the increase of water consumption. (3) In addition, farmers' irrigation water consumption also is affected by gender, cognition of water resources shortage, ecological cognitive level, acquisition ability of disaster information, village rain conditions, the degree of water rights market development, feelings of water fee increase, irrigated disputes in the village, collective economic level of village. The selection of policy tools is flexible according to the farmers' land scale for groundwater over-extraction control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paddy-rice cultivation using the traditional continuous flooding method requires much water, up to 2500 L, to produce 1 kg of rice. Decreasing water availability is being exacerbated by climate dynamics, i.e., droughts and rainfall variability negatively affecting food security in developing regions, particularly Africa. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) practice is a climate-smart water management strategy that, together with puddling (a critical field preparation process), significantly affects soil hydrological and physicochemical regimes, such as soil water dynamics and oxidation states in paddy fields. However, there are limited reviews on the effects and interaction of the AWD duration on hydrological conditions in the paddy-rice rhizosphere continuum under AWD practice at different rice growth stages. Our review synthesizes key scientific literature to examine water management and hydrological properties of paddy soils under AWD practice with climate change and sheds light on why farmers are skeptical in adopting the practice. To develop this paper, we reviewed scientific information from published journal articles, reliable reports, and our knowledge on paddy-rice cultivation and water management with climate change in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Several studies confirm that AWD practice increases water–rice–crop productivity, yields, and reduces methane emissions. Limitations and challenges of AWD irrigation, including changes in soil structure that influence irrigation water application, variations in hydraulic conductivity caused by the duration and frequency of irrigation cycles, and frequent manual water level (WL) monitoring, are discussed. Opportunities to improve the integration of AWD strategies within government policies, irrigation schemes, and farmer acceptance due to skepticism, limited knowledge, and fear of unreliable water hindering adoption are highlighted. Future research suggestions include the following: (i) long-term measurement of water stress indices using infrared thermometers; (ii) seasonal suitability mapping using NDVI, GIS, and remote sensing; and (iii) application of smart sensors based on the Internet of Things (IoT) to address AWD challenges for precision water management in paddy fields with climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Objective] Non-pressurized mesh filters are often installed in front of pumps to filter sediments and debris. In this paper, we study the influence of different irrigation water sources and backwash device parameters on hydraulic performance of a new network filter. [Method] The water flow rate in the experiment ranged from 120 to 160 m3/h, and the sediment concentration in the water varied from 0.2 to 0.8 g/L. The backwash varied from 1 to 20 m3/h, and the velocity gradient in the filter box changed from 1 to 4 r/min. A multi factor dispersion analysis method was used to analyze the experimental results. [Result] ① The initial sediment concentration had minimal impact on hydraulic performance of the mesh filter, contributing only 0.010 8 to the overall effect. However, the influence of water flow duration on the initial sediment concentration was significant, exceeding 159%. ② The fourth model provided the best fit for the overall regression analysis, with a residual value of 0.804 4, significantly higher than other models; its coefficient of determination R² was 0.986 1. ③ the optimal performance was achieved when flow rate was 120.198 m3/h, velocity was 1.112 r/min, and self-cleaning flow rate was 19.934 m3/h. The associated a minimum energy loss was 16.024 kPa. [Conclusion] The model we proposed can accurately predict the impact of operation conditions and sediment concentration in the water on the performance of the non-pressurized mesh filters. Selecting optimal operation conditions can minimize the energy loss across the filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] A pre-planting border irrigation in spring coupled with a drip irrigation in summer during crops growth season is an irrigation technique to reduce soil salinity and safeguard crops growth in the salt-affected soils in the Hetao Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia. This paper investigates the impact of different combinations of irrigation amounts in the dual irrigations on changes in soil water and salt, as well as the growth of sunflower. [Method] The field experiment compared two spring (S) irrigation amounts: 95 mm and 135 mm, and three summer (W) irrigation amounts: 68, 100 mm and 135 mm. In each treatment, we measured the spatiotemporal changes in soil water and salt, as well as crop growth characteristics. [Result] ① The soil water content in the S135W135 treatment was the highest among all treatments during the experimental period, with the average soil water content and saturation being 17.10% and 75.53%, respectively. The coefficient of variation of soil water content in the S95W135 treatment was 22.40%, the lowest among all treatments. ② Depending on the summer irrigation amount, the desalination rate of the 0-80 cm soil layer under S135 and S95 varied from 32.64% to 50.50% and 21.8% to 38.87%, respectively. Although the spring irrigation amounts did not significantly affect immediate post-irrigation salt content, the S135W100 and S95W135 combinations showed deeper leaching depths and higher desalination rates (40.77% and 33.37%, respectively) than other treatments. ③ Aboveground dry matter production was significantly higher in the S95W135 and S135W100 combinations than in other combinations, surpassing the S135W135 combination by 10.55% and 9.94%, respectively. The S135W100 combination achieved the highest water use efficiency at 21.59%, an increase of 13.03% compared to S135W135. [Conclusion] Reducing spring irrigation by 30% to 95 mm combined with a summer drip irrigation of 135 mm is the most efficient irrigation scheme for sunflower cultivation in the salt-affected soils in the Hetao Irrigation District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Brackish groundwater can be used as a complementary irrigation resource to safeguard crop production in regions lacking freshwater resources. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the salinity of brackish water and soil water content on spatiotemporal variations in soil enzymatic activities, as well as growth and yield of cucumber. [Method] The experiment was conducted in an greenhouse, with the cucumber irrigated by brackish waters with salt concentrations of 5 (E1), 3.5 (E2), 2.5 (E3), 0.5 g/L (E4), respectively. We measured soil matric potential at the depth of 20 cm underneath the drip emitter, such that irrigation was resumed when the matric potential decreased to -15 kPa (L1), -25 kPa (L2) or -35 kPa (L3), respectively. In each treatment, we measured the spatiotemporal changes in activities of urease, alkaline phosphatase and sucrase in the soil, as well as growth and yield of the cucumber. [Result] The activities of all three enzymes decreased vertically with the soil depth and horizontally with the distance from the drip emitters. The three enzymes were most active in the top 0-20 cm soil layer, 0-15 cm away horizontally from the drip emitters. Irrigation with water at salt concentration of 0.5-2.5 g/L improved the alkaline phosphatase activity, with limited effect on the activities of urease and sucrase. Increasing water salinity to 3.5-5 g/L suppressed the activities of all three enzymes. With the decrease in soil matric potential used for irrigation control, the activity of sucrase increased steadily, while the activities of urease and alkaline phosphatase increased first followed by a decrease. Irrigation with water at salt concentration of 3.5-5 g/L significantly inhibited the growth and development of the cucumber, while reducing the soil matric potential used for irrigation control to -35 - -25 kPa improved the cucumber growth and yield. [Conclusion] Irrigating greenhouse cucumber using brackish water with salt concentration of 0.5-2.5 g/L and resuming irrigation whenever the soil matric potential at the depth of 20 cm underneath the drip emitters decreased to -35 - -25 kPa can improve cucumber production without resulting in noticeable soil quality deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Brackish waters including saline groundwater and treated wastewater have been increasingly used as a complimentary irrigation water resource in regions where freshwater is scarce. In the paper we investigate the effect of various concentrations of saltine irrigation water on photosynthetic characteristics of winter jujube. [Method] The experiment was conducted in 2020 in a jujube orchard, with the winter jujubes irrigated by mixtures of saltine groundwater and freshwater at concentrations of 1 (S1), 2 (S2), 3 (S3), 4 (S4) and 5 g/L (S5), respectively. In each treatment, we measured the spaciotemporal changes in soil water and salt, as well as the photosynthetic traits of the jujubes. [Result] Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration and stomatal conductance of the plant leaves varied with irrigation salinity nonlinearly, all peaking in S3 or S4. Compared with other treatments, S3 and S4 reduced the SPAD, maximum fluorescence and maximum quantum efficiency significantly. Compared to S1, S3 and S4 increased the apparent quantum efficiency, maximum net photosynthetic rate, light compensation point, and dark respiration rate, but reduced the light saturation point. These indicate that, although S3 and S4 reduced the range of available light intensity, they improved the physiological activity and efficient photosynthesis of the jujube leaves. [Conclusion] Irrigating the winter jujubes with saline water at concentration of 1-3 g/L during the fruit enlargement period can prevent light reaction inhibition and promote efficient photosynthesis. However, irrigation with water salinity exceeding 4 g/L led to salinity stress, thereby significantly reducing light energy utilization efficiency. To minimize soil salt accumulation and improve growth and development of the winter jujube, maintaining irrigation water salinity around 3 g/L is most beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a dataset of irrigation water withdrawals by crop, county, year, and water source within the United States. We employ a framework we previously developed to establish a companion dataset to our original estimates. The main difference is that we now use the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) variable 'irrigation — total' to partition PCR-GLOBWB 2 hydrology model estimates, instead of 'irrigation — crop' as used in previous estimates. Our findings for Surface Water Withdrawals (SWW), total Groundwater Withdrawals (GWW), and nonrenewable Groundwater Depletion (GWD) are similar to those of prior estimates but now have better spatial coverage, since several states are missing from the USGS 'irrigation — crop' variable that was originally used. Irrigation water use increases in this study, since more states are included and 'irrigation — total' includes more categories of irrigation than 'irrigation — crop'. Notably, irrigation in the Mississippi Embayment Aquifer is now captured for rice and soy. We provide nearly 2.5 million data points with this paper (3,142 counties; 13 years; 3 water sources; and 20 crops). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind‐Diesel Hybrid Systems (WDHSs) integrate wind turbines into diesel power systems, reducing costs and emissions in isolated grids. Due to the no‐load consumption of the Diesel Generators (DGs), fuel savings are only possible when the DGs are shut down. This requires a proper implementation of the frequency control to avoid perturbations because of the wind speed variations. During wind‐only (WO) operation, the Synchronous Machine (SM) generates the isolated grid voltage and the frequency controller varies the energy stored/supplied by an Energy Storage System and consumed by the controllable loads to balance the power. In this paper, a Battery‐based Energy Storage System (BESS) uses Li‐Ion batteries with a Dual Active Bridge (DAB) and a grid‐tie inverter connected to the isolated network. The controllable load is an Irrigation Water Supply System (IWSS), consisting of a pump supplying water to a reservoir tank. The pump is driven by a variable speed drive that uses a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM). The coordinated control of BESS and IWSS gives full priority to the BESS for harnessing the wind potential whereas the IWSS consumes the excess of wind power. The full Wind Diesel Power System (WDPS) is modelled and simulated to validate the proposed system for different case scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational management of water, which is determined by the Framework Directive 2000/60/EC of the EU, is a contractual obligation of the Agricultural Sector of Cyprus, both towards the European Union and the next generations of Cypriot citizens. To make decisions about sustainable water use and improve water use, it is necessary to understand the water use of crops in different water-use areas. Especially in large water projects in Cyprus, there must be a good way to determine the water use of crops so that the correct use of crops can be ensured, thus eliminating problems such as a lack of new information about the crop area and agricultural evaporation, Demand, and water. In most projects, water is managed and supplied based on historical data, and current information is available to determine water demand and availability for large areas. This paper also adds, apart from the clear positive effect of remote sensing and new technologies in crop irrigation, to the emerging need for advisory services for the diffusion of innovation to Cypriot farmers since the estimation of crop water requirements is part of estimating the carbon footprint under the project CARBONICA (EU Funded) for carbon farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cold regions, the low irrigation water temperature is an important factor of low-temperature stress for greenhouse crops. In this paper, an irrigation water-heating system (IWHS) is proposed to increase the water temperature by utilizing the excess heat in the solar greenhouse. The heat-collection capacity of the system was analyzed by screening the IWHS process parameters in a Chinese solar greenhouse, and a warm-water irrigation experiment for lettuce was conducted. The results demonstrated that the water temperature increased with the increase in wind speed, and the increase in daily average water temperature reached the maximum value of 8.6 °C at 4.5 m/s wind speed. When the heat exchanger was installed at a height of 3.0 m, the collector capacity increased by 17.8% and 6.0% compared with the heating capacity at 0 m and 1.5 m, respectively, and the operation termination water temperature was 22.0–32.2 °C and its coefficient of performance (COP) was optimal. Surface darkening of the heat exchanger did not affect the heat-collection capacity of the system. Using the IWHS effectively improved the temperature of lettuce irrigation water in the Chinese solar greenhouse. The increased frequency of warm-water irrigation significantly promoted lettuce growth and increased the average yield per plant by 15.9%. Therefore, IWHS effectively increased the irrigation water temperature in a Chinese solar greenhouse in winter. Improving the system would enhance its economic and application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ogallala Aquifer, a primary irrigation water source in the High Plains region of the United States, is declining, thereby necessitating new water conservation strategies. This paper investigates the impact of mixed wettability on the evaporation dynamics of a 10-µl sessile water droplet placed within simulated soil pores comprised of hydrophobic Teflon beads (CA ∼ 108°) and hydrophilic glass (CA ∼ 41°) beads with 2.38-mm diameters, where homogeneous and heterogenous (i.e., mixed hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) wettability configurations were investigated. Experiments were performed in an environmental chamber where the relative humidity and temperature were 60% ± 0.1% RH and 20 ± 0.4 °C, respectively. Wettability influenced evaporation times, with homogeneous hydrophobic pores (i.e., three Teflon beads) and heterogenous one glass, two Teflon pores having the longest average evaporation times of 40 and 39 min, respectively. Homogeneous hydrophilic pores (i.e., three glass beads) and heterogenous two glass, one Teflon pores exhibited evaporation times of 34 min. Evaporation times for heterogenous combinations trended based on the predominant wettability. Contact angles and the projected length of contact were analyzed from videos to capture pinning and depinning during evaporation. For many cases including hydrophobicity, contact angles were less than 90°, and in some configurations, water would be pinned on a Teflon bead, whereas depinning (i.e., moving) on a glass bead. Stick-slip evaporation was observed, where the evaporating droplet switched between constant contact radius and constant contact area evaporative modes to minimize droplet surface energy. The results suggest wettability alterations in agricultural settings may reduce evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the drivers for adopting irrigation systems with water conservation and saving technologies (WCSTs) by Italian farmers. The agricultural sector in Italy, like in other Mediterranean countries, suffers from water scarcity and water endowment variability. Water resources play a decisive role in agricultural production and in implementing large-scale WCSTs capable of improving the resilience of the whole agricultural sector. This study uses a microeconomic panel data approach to estimate farmers' decisions in adopting (inter-farm) sustainable irrigation technologies and assesses the intensity of (intra-farm) water-saving practices. Our analysis identifies the main determinants of adopting WCSTs for Italian farmers based on different socio-economic, physical, environmental and climatic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to analyse the potato cultivar's response to physiological, biochemical performance, yield parameters and soil physiochemical properties when subjected to quicklime (un)treated acid mine drainage (AMD) irrigation. A randomized design experiment was conducted with five water treatment levels: TW1; TW2; TW3; TW4 to TW5 replicated four times. The results showed that the quicklime treatment increased the pH of the AMD water, reduced the concentration of EC, NO3−, SO42− and ameliorated heavy metals. However, unsafe levels of heavy metals above the maximum permissible (WHO/FAO) levels were found in Pb, Mg and Mo for water (TW4 and TW5), while As, Cd and Cr for soils (ST4 and ST5) respectively. For potato tubers (TT4 and TT5) concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were above the maximum levels. Stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and yield parameters responded positively by increasing significantly on TW4 and TW5 treatments, but negatively (reduced) towards TW2 and TW3 treatments. A higher bioaccumulation factor was obtained for Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Mg ˃ Pb ˃ Mn, which was an indication of the contamination status of soil, with Zn being more concentrated than other metals. The findings indicate that quicklime-treated AMD is usable for potato irrigation with regular monitoring of heavy metal levels and strict observation of water reuse protocols. The use of this large source of ameliorated (AMD) water will go a long way in improving food security in South Africa and/or in countries where agriculture production is around mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green and sustainable development of irrigated agriculture and protec tion of agricultural biodiversity are the inevitable require -ments for the construction of modern irrigated districts in China. However, in order to ensure the efficient utilization of irrigation water, the construction of irrigation channels has been dominated by hard engineering, which has caused the loss and fragmentation of amphibian habitat, and the damage for ecological environment of the irrigation districts. The construction of amphibian corridors in irrigation channels is an important way to improve the connectivity of agricultural landscape and the migration efficiency of frogs in farmland. This paper innovatively applies the hydraulic characteristics of curved channels to the research on ecological channels, builds the curved irrigation channel models, conducts numerical simulation experiment, analyzes the trajectory of frogs at the curved irrigation channels, proposes the design of engineered modifications to allow frogs to escape from field concrete ditches. To evaluate the effects of engineered modification on the effectiveness of frog-ways and the water transfer efficiency of irrigation channels, the paper compares the water flow pattern and calculates the head oss. By carrying out numerical simulation tests, the paper obtains the flow movement law of the concrete-lined irrigation channels with different bend angles, and the flow dynamic axis and velocity distribution are compared. As a result, the slow flow zone and the transverse circulation are found. The locations suitable for amphibian corridors to be built vary when the curvature of the curve changes. The numerical simulation and head loss calculation results show that the amphibian corridors in the bend has no obvious influence on flow pattern and water transfer efficiency, and the head loss in bend is about 3.83X10"4 m, which can ensure the safe and unobstructed water flow. This study is expected to provide a scientific reference and technical support for the ecological reconstruction of end irrigation channel systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates and compares experimental techniques in irrigation systems, focusing on crucial factors such as soil fertility, moisture level, pH level, water availability, and temperature for efficient agriculture and increased food productivity. The proposed method involves transmitting data from sensors (e.g., soil-moisture, pH, temperature, and air moisture) to an IoT platform utilizing LoRa communication protocol, processing it, and utilizing it for developing a fuzzy-control action to determine the optimal irrigation valve opening while also notifying the irrigation water pH. LoRa is a low-power wide area network solution enabling longrange communication with minimal energy consumption. The objective is to create a smart irrigation system for efficient water management in agriculture. The system monitors parameters like soil moisture, ambient temperature, and water pH, utilizing a fuzzy logic controller to regulate irrigation and minimize water wastage. LabVIEW facilitates data processing, valve control, and sensor data acquisition. LoRa is used for data transmission to a data concentrator and then broadcasted to the TTN platform for visualization and analysis. This setup demonstrates the effectiveness of LoRa and the fuzzy logic controller in achieving resourceefficient irrigation practices for sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to understand the success of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the state of Tripura, India, in terms of nature and trend of activities, and the benefits accrued to participating households. The study observes that the number of activities taken up under the scheme increased by more than threefold during the six-year study period, i.e., 2014-15 to 2019-20. The trend growth rate of the number of activities stood at 24.8%. Land development, irrigation and water conservation remained the most prominent works, thereby creating an overwhelming dominance of activities earmarked as public works relating to natural resources management in the state. Creation of rural infrastructure, particularly, building of rural roads and internal streets, was also found to be a premier activity. The work completion rate (WCR) was around 44% in 2014-15, but came down to 7.49% in 2019-20, suggesting strong and significant inter-year differences in the average WCR. We also found statistically significant inter-district variations in WCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Canals in Canada are crucial in providing water for irrigation, preventing droughts and floods, and supporting the Saskatchewan agriculture industry and economy. Unfortunately, filamentous algal blooms occur every summer in Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Canals. These algae are not toxic but a nuisance. They block farmers' pumps and reduce irrigation water flow rates. Currently, the Water Security Agency periodically adds the algaecide Magnacide H. to control the algal blooms, which is costly (i.e., one million dollars per year for the Lake Diefenbaker M1 Irrigation Canal only) and requires effort to dewater the canal to protect fish. Therefore, algae removal before the canal water enters farmer's pumps might be a cost-effective alternative, especially the removal of microalgae during the initial stages of growth in June of each year. This paper has summarized and evaluated algae removal technologies, considering their advantages, disadvantages, and potential solutions for addressing the challenges and limitations associated with these technologies. Five algae removal technologies were identified as promising, which are suspended air flotation (SAF), dissolved air flotation (DAF), hydrodynamic cavitation, spiral blade centrifuge, and coagulation. Among them, SAF seems the most suitable option, while DAF and hydrodynamic cavitation offer eco-friendly advantages. Further research and pilot testing are needed to determine the costeffective and feasible algae removal technology for Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Canals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial contamination in fruits and vegetables cultivated in urban and peri-urban areas constitutes a serious public health risk. This paper investigates bacterial contamination in irrigation water of the Nairobi-Machakos counties interface, Kenya. Sixty-six irrigation water samples were tested for total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Shigella spp. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, BOD, COD, and pH. Results show a high load of bacterial pathogens in all samples except for Salmonella typhi, which tested negative. Based on Kenya's standards and WHO guidelines, the irrigation water samples are unfit for fruit and vegetable irrigation. Urgent and effective measures are required, including regular monitoring, sensitisation, and enforcement of phytosanitary and regulatory measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Price-based irrigation water-conservation policies are often designed as fixed per unit fees. In groundwater commons, however, this approach presupposes that irrigators assign the same value to each unit of water withdrawn, irrespective of the scarcity levels they individually face. This ignores spatial interdependencies in groundwater commons. In this paper, I examine the effect this possible tax structure misspecification has in measuring the performance of such Pigouvian taxes. I model the price of irrigation water as a non-constant marginal cost function dependent on the constant per unit fee and a variable cost-metric measure of scarcity, namely depth-to-water. Using a difference-in-difference econometric framework with irrigation data from San Luis Valley, results show that irrigators' response to the constant marginal fee significantly depends on the scarcity levels individual irrigators face. More importantly, the results suggest that models that overlook the spatial element of scarcity would overestimate irrigators' response to such pumping fee—which can misguide policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the seasonal variations in Pb concentrations and proximate composition of Amaranthus vegetable (Amaranthus hybridus) grown and consumed in Ilorin, Kwara State, Northern-Nigeria using appropriate standard techniques in order to ascertain its suitability for consumption. The results obtained varied with the sampling locations with the mean concentration of the Pb in soil, water and plant ranged from (1.58-82.00mg/kg) soil, (0.11-19.37mg/l) water and (0.00-5.93 mg/kg shoots; 0.67-5.33 mg/kg roots). The values for proximate content showed that moisture content ranged from (6.38-9.99 %), ash content (2.46-6.44 %), crude protein (10.59-18.60%), crude fibre (1.63-2.39%), crude fat (3.09-4.83%) and carbohydrate (64.30-75.30%). The result obtained reveal significant level of contamination of irrigation water and Amaranthus hybridusas most values obtained were above the permissible limits, hence, the vegetable may constitute health hazard for the consumers. The study hence suggests that growing of the edible crops around locations that are Pb polluted should be discouraged. As for the proximate content, the values obtained are indication that all the samples had lower values of protein, fibre, and carbohydrates than the WHO recommended values for suitable dietary intake, though, with a high probability of storage due to their significant low moisture content. This underscores the nutritive value as a viable option for plant base nutrients for consumption, but as option for Pb remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onion is a vital vegetable crop in Ethiopia, with significant economic and health benefits. However, its production trend is not consistent, with periods of increase and decrease; and its productivity in the country falls far below its potential. As a result, farmers are not yet fully benefited from onion production. Thus, this study was initiated to identify the factors influencing onion production in the Raya Kobo District of Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia. Data was collected from 189 onion-producing farmers through household surveys, and both descriptive and econometric techniques were used for analysis. The study found significant variation in onion production among farmers, with lower levels compared to national and international averages. Factors such as gender, education level, experience, labor force, land size, access to extension services, irrigation water, land plough frequency, and fertilizer availability positively impact onion production. However, excessive fertilizer use was found to have a negative effect. The study also identified challenges faced by farmers, including input shortages, high costs, diseases, labor issues, soil infertility, and storage knowledge gaps. The study recommends policymakers and stakeholders to utilize these findings to develop effective policies and interventions that can enhance onion production, benefiting farmers and improving the overall onion production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of conventional supply-based mechanisms, in which the allocation of irrigation water entitlement for individual farmers is determined by their specific water requirements, has resulted in the inefficiency of economic processes and the squandering of water resources. This paper introduces a new dynamic bi-objective equity framework within an irrigation system. The framework aims to minimize the disparity of water supply per net benefit at the upper level and optimize the disparity of water shortage at the lower level. In order to obtain a feasible and satisfactory outcome, the study considers the use of fuzzy goal programming and Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IBPSO) to analyze the initial data gathered from Sistan Basin, a real arid area in Iran. The uncertainty surrounding inflow, planting area, and irrigation coefficient has presented potential challenges for the irrigation process. As a result, new adaptation measures are being explored to mitigate the effects of these challenges. The following study examines the equity of the irrigation system under various scenarios in light of the anticipated deterioration of climatic patterns in the coming years, and offers constructive insights. The final results indicate that watermelon has the highest water consumption, whereas grapes exhibit lower sensitivity to water availability. The adoption of adaptation strategies, such as transitioning from water-intensive and low-value watermelon cultivation to alternative crops like wheat, could significantly enhance water conservation efforts in arid and semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: As an important grain-producing area and the most populous plain area in China, the groundwater resources in the North China Plain are seriously exploited for agricultural irrigation and domestic water use, and it is of great ecological significance and socio-economic value to accurately monitor the changes of groundwater storage in the region and continuously recharge and restore the groundwater. Methods: The gravity satellite data were used to invert the groundwater storage changes in the North China Plain, and compared and analyzed with the hydrological model, precipitation information, South-North water transfer project and groundwater well information, and proposed a method to integrate shallow groundwater storage changes and deep groundwater changes to obtain the contribution of total groundwater. Re⁃ sults: The results show that: (1) Both gravity satellite and global land data assimilation system model estimated water storage changes in the North China Plain exhibit obvious seasonal characteristics. (2) The correlation coefficients between the gravity satellite inversions and the shallow groundwater well estimations are consistent in terms of interannual variability, multi-year trend variability and seasonal variability, with correlation coefficient greater than 0.8. (3) Considering the contribution of deep groundwater, the estimated results of integrating shallow and deep groundwater well information and the gravity satellite inversions are in better agreement than those using only shallow groundwater, and indicate that shallow groundwater is the main variation of groundwater storage change. (4) From 2003 to 2017, groundwater in the North China Plain is in a long-term deficit state, with a gravity satellite estimated groundwater deficit rate of-1.3± 0.6 cm/a. From 2018 to 2020, the gravity satellite estimated groundwater deficit rate is −1.9±0.7 cm/a, which is almost consistent with the total groundwater deficit rate of -1.8±0.8 cm/a during the same period taking into account the deep groundwater; the groundwater trend in 2021 is increasing, and the growth rate of gravity satellite inversion is 12.7±1.8 cm/a, which is more consistent with the total ground-water well estimation in the same period. The correlation coefficient is 0.98, and the weighted fused total groundwater storage change is more consistent than that estimated by using only shallow groundwater. (5) Precipitation and North-South water transfer project have a direct impact on water storage changes in the North China Plain, making a significant contribution to the mitigation of groundwater storage deficits and groundwater restoration. Conclusions: The research method in this paper provides a new way to accurately observe groundwater storage changes in the North China Plain, and provides reliable verification of gravity satellite monitoring results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waves generated by winds can transport a large amount of energy across the oceans with little loss. This paper explores the satellite-based data to assess the wave energy potential of Kenitra- Atlantic coastal area (Morocco), with an overall purpose of supporting the plans for developing and using wave energy, and provide guidance about the appropriate applications of wave energy of the Kenitra coastal area. Kenitra is important harbour and industrial city in Morocco. Various indexes, including the temporal distributions of wave parameters and wave energy fluxes, the occurrence of the effective significant wave height and wave energy flux, the variability and frequency of the wave status, were calculated from satellite measured weekly wave data, covering about 3 years (June 2019-November 2022) period. Results indicated that the area is characterized by moderate energy compared to South Africa, the most energetic site in the continent, with average wave significant wave of 1.6 ± 0.7, average wave period of 8.4 ± 2.4 s, average wave energy flux of 11.7 ± 14.0 kW m-1 and with the rate of variability of 28-45%. High energy above the threshold (> 10kW m-1) for viable electricity production, applying turbines directly powered by waves, occurs only during the northern hemisphere winter (December-March). Hence, for off shore Kenitra, the study recommends other applications for wave energy other than electricity production through wave powered turbines, such as, reverse osmosis membrane-based electricity production technology, desalination, irrigation and water pumping for marine culture, mini-hydro and recreational. Subsequently, future studies may focus on the socio-economic viability of these wave energy applications and on developing other low energy demanding applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of water and its rational management in crop irrigation is important for sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly with the appearance of the effects of climate change in these regions. The paper reports a study of the impact of using water from fish farming in the irrigation of pepper crops grown in greenhouses under salinity conditions. The results obtained show that the use of fish water in irrigation improves the vegetative growth of plants and their fruit yields. It also has a beneficial effect on the soil by increasing its level of organic matter, total Nitrogen and other nutrients. The value that this work adds is the conservation of the soil by improving its quality and the reduction of water pollution by reusing this wastewater in irrigation. The reduced use of synthetic fertilisers facilitates the application of organic farming. These advantages benefit the environment and consumers of the crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid regions characterized by large variations in groundwater salinity, the data derived from irrigation and domestic water supply wells may exhibit bias, reflecting an overall lower salinity than the true aquifer distribution. This bias stems from the decommissioning, non-use, or disrepair of wells that are frequently sources of higher salinity readings, rendering them unavailable for sampling. Baseflow-fed streams, agricultural drains, seeps, springs issuing into agricultural drains, and randomly located test hole samples tend to manifest higher averages and ranges of salinity when compared to supply wells. Agricultural drain flows, springs, and test holes, if sampled following recommended guidelines, are less susceptible to such bias. This study presents a case of groundwater bias identified through an initial water well sampling program in El Paso (Texas, USA). Subsequent rounds of sampling, incorporating drain samples, spring samples, and test hole samples, revealed a more comprehensive understanding of the salinity dynamics. The dataset not only highlights the existence of bias but also provides evidence for a combined geological and agricultural origin of salinity. Additionally, it demonstrates that drain sampling in an earlier study did not accurately depict a primary salinity source due to incomplete analysis of the data. Recommendations are outlined to mitigate bias, emphasizing the importance of sample control from baseflow-fed drains, springs, water wells, and test hole samples. The study also infers the upwelling of saline groundwater from deeper formations in the study area, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of groundwater salinity dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In order to study the irrigation uniformity of alfalfa under subsurface drip irrigation and propose a reasonable irrigation quota, this paper uses the method of field experiment, 3 irrigation quotas (20, 25, 30 mm) for subsurface drip irrigation, 2 drip irrigation belts for burial depth (10, 20 cm), and 2 drip irrigation belt dripper flow rates (1.38, 2.0 L/h) are used to study the research, the effects of drip irrigation belt dripper flow, burial depth of drip irrigation belt, alfalfa growth period on irrigation uniformity, and effects of different water treatments on alfalfa plant height and yield. The drip irrigation belt dripper flow has a relatively large influence on the drip irrigation uniformity. Increasing the drip irrigation dripper flow can improve the drip irrigation uniformity coefficient. Under the same drip irrigation belt dripper flow, the burial depth of drip irrigation belt of 10 cm and 20 cm has no significant effect on the uniformity coefficient of drip irrigation. The effect of alfalfa turning green period and flowering period, jointing period and branching period on the irrigation uniformity coefficient is not significant. When the water consumption is 456.69 mm, the hay yield of alfalfa is the largest, which is 12 847.78 kg/hm2. Considering the production factors such as water saving, high yield and high efficiency, it is suggested that the irrigation quota of subsurface drip irrigation of alfalfa in Ordos Otuokeqianqi Area is 25 mm, and the irrigation water is 12 to 14 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important tool for water management in irrigation areas and basic hardware support for digital irrigation area construction, measurement and control facilities can effectively help managers accurately grasp the water source and real-time water consumption of users, and can also provide a forceful guarantee for water fee collection, total water consumption control and quota management in irrigation areas. Taking the measurement and control gate in Ningxia Huanghuang irrigation area as an example, this paper systematically analyzes its application status summarizes and condenses the main results from the aspects of improving the management level of irrigation area consolidating the results of confirming practical water rights, and improving the transparency of water fee collection, puts forward the key problems in application from the aspects of equipment hardware level planning and design operation and maintenance and it puts forward relevant opinions and suggestions on the selection and design of measurement and control facilities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the Changshui Pond Irrigation System in Jiaxing City as the research object, and establishes a simulation model of water cycle process in irrigation system based on system dynamics, which can be applied to the simulation analysis of return flow and the calculation of irrigation water use from multiple scales based on the introduction of irrigation water regression coefficient. The results show that through the calibration and verification of the model, the simulated water volume of any typical pump station is basically consistent with the actual monitored water volume, with the absolute value of the relative error lower than 15%. Also, the simulated water level change process of the river network is basically consistent with the actual monitored water level process. The model can better reflect the water conversion process in irrigation system and provide support for the statistical work of irrigation water use in irrigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the further question of whether water-related environmental innovations affect water stress in three main sectors such as agriculture, industry and services. The sample consists of 30 OECD countries for the period 2000–2019. This paper employs the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) with fixed effects to analyze the effects of water-related innovative activities across different quantiles of water stress for all three sectors separately. The empirical results indicate that water-related innovations positively affect water stress in the agricultural sector in the lower and middle quantiles, while it has a negative effect in the middle and higher quantiles for the services sector and the higher quantiles for the industrial sector. These findings reveal nuanced effects of water-related innovations on water stress across sectors. Furthermore, the study suggests that while innovations in the industrial and services sectors can mitigate water stress beyond a certain threshold level, the agricultural sector appears to benefit comparatively less from such innovations. These findings underscore the importance of complementing water-related innovations with appropriate regulatory measures, to address informal practices such as losses and leakages in agricultural irrigation. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insights for policy makers to formulate targeted environmental policies and strategies, especially in the context of climate change adaptation, thereby enabling a more effective allocation of resources to mitigate water stress within each sector. • The relationship water-related environmental innovations affect water stress in three main sectors. • Water-related environmental innovations are closely related to water stress. • Environmental innovations has an important nonlinear role for water stress. • Environmental innovation has different impacts depending the level of water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Economic Irrigation Water Productivity (EIWP) as an indicator for on-farm irrigation decision-making is of utmost importance in addressing the challenges posed by poor policies in managing agricultural water use, particularly in water-scarce basins. Various modeling systems are available for quantifying crop actual evapotranspiration (ET a) and biomass needed for measuring the economic output obtained from each unit of irrigation water utilized. The difference in ET a and biomass estimates between the modeling systems could translate into a difference in EIWP outcomes, which influences the basin-wide irrigation water management. In this paper we examine the influence of selecting different ET a and biomass models, particularly the hybrid single-source energy balance HSEB, the Global Field-Scale Crop Yield and ET Mapper in Google Earth Engine GYMEE, and FAO's WaPOR V2, on evaluating EIWP on a basin-wide level. The method includes combining remote sensing and economic data to compare variability in ET a , biomass, and EIWP values derived from HSEB, GYMEE, and WaPOR. The approach is demonstrated with field survey data from the upper hydrologic unit of Lebanon's largest catchment, the Litani River Basin, in its three productive districts Baalbak, Zahleh, and West Bekaa for the year 2021. Field-scale mean monthly ET a and biomass estimates for all crops, obtained from both models, are very comparable. On a district level, the results reveal a reasonable model agreement for the four crops in the estimation of ET a with moderate to strong correlation (0.75 < r < 0.95). WaPOR consistently produces slightly higher mean ET a values for potato, wheat, and table grapes when compared to HSEB. Both models reasonably agree when estimating biomass for the four crops with high correlation (r > 0.9). Contrary to the ET a results, the GYMEE model consistently estimates slightly higher mean biomass values for all crops compared to WaPOR. The EIWP values produced by both models consistently indicate that potato holds the highest EIWP across all districts, followed by onion, table grapes, and wheat. The mean district HSEB-GYMEE model derived EIWPs are slightly higher than those derived from the WaPOR model for most crops. For EIWP obtained from HSEB-GYMEE, mean EIWP for potato is 12 times higher than that of wheat. As for that obtained from WaPOR, mean EIWP for potato is 10 times higher than that of wheat. The paper establishes a basis for future research on the application of remote sensing models in addressing water-stressed and socioeconomically challenged basins, with the potential to inform strategic irrigation management decisions based on model selection. ● WAPOR and HSEB models compared for ET and Economic Water Productivity. ● Model choice significantly impacts EIWP outcomes, affecting water management. ● Comparative analysis of ET and biomass enhances policy precision. ● Potato leads in EIWP across districts, optimizing water resource use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation is an important adaptation strategy to cope with climate change which reduces vulnerability to water stress and improves crop productivity to feed millions. There is evidence of crop yield stagnation in many developing countries, and irrigation efficiency is claimed to increase crop productivity. Therefore, this paper uses data envelopment analysis to evaluate the farmer's productivity through technical efficiency (TE), i.e., the relationship between resource inputs and outputs of 513 paddy farmers in Eastern India. The results show that the farms are, on average operating at 14% TE, leaving a considerable scope to improve up to 86% to reach the optimal level. A significant difference is observed between irrigated and rain-fed paddy farmers, such that10% of the irrigated farms achieved efficiency scores over 40% and only 2% of rain-fed farms achieved the same. The tobit and beta fit regression models are estimated to find out the factors that influence the TE. Both surface water and groundwater sources of irrigation are used as predictors, along with other socio-demographic factors. Access to surface water irrigation is identified to be a significant determinant of farm efficiency, however, surface water irrigation, such as canal irrigation, is accessible only to farmers living on plain land. Farmers living on highlands need to explore other sources of irrigation practices, such as drip and sprinkler, that can increase TE and farm productivity. Therefore, this paper calls for government intervention to provide extensive training and facilities for these micro-irrigation practices. • Data Envelopment analysis was estimated to derive the paddy efficiency among the tribal villages of eastern India. • The DEA estimates show that average Technical efficiency in the study region is much below the national average. • Irrigated farmers are more efficient than the rain-fed farmers. Surface irrigation is the dominate factor. • Rain-fed paddy cultivators' farm efficiency would improve by 6.5%, if they had irrigated. • Semi-mountainous regions with little access to surface irrigation must explore micro-irrigation practices such as drips and sprinklers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various water-saving irrigation (WSI) practices (e.g., dry cultivation, intermittent irrigation, controlled irrigation, shallow-wet irrigation, and rain-gathering irrigation) have been applied to rice cultivation mitigate water scarcity in China. However, in previous studies, these WSI practices have shown different water savings and yield increases, mainly due to different application conditions. A meta-analysis was applied to investigate the responses of the actual evapotranspiration (ET act), irrigation water (IW), rice yield (Y), and water productivity (WP) to WSI practices in different conditions, and 956 data sets were selected from 108 published papers. The results showed that, compared to traditional flood irrigation, rain-gathering irrigation decreased ET act and IW by 25.41 % and 55.7 % respectively, and increased WP greatly by 14.26 % while having a slight decrease in Y. Except for dry cultivation, all WSI practices increased WP by 4.72–14.26 % compared to traditional flood irrigation. The effects of different soil qualities on rice water consumption and production vary; medium soils with high organic content and a pH below 6.5 are better for rice growth. As for rice seasons, WSI practices had the least impact on ET act in middle rice, with an average reduction of 5.84 %, followed by early rice (–12.66 %) and late rice (–18.81 %). Higher mean annual temperature and more precipitation led to more Y under WSI practices. Differences in the effects of mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation on WP were not significant. Our meta-analysis provides more insight into the effects of water-saving irrigation practices on rice water consumption, yield, and water productivity at various experimental sites. In general, there is considerable variation in the responses of Y and WP to different water-saving irrigation practices, and more evaluation of aspects such as rice seasons, soil properties, and meteorological conditions is needed for optimizing WSI in practice. • Water consumption and yield of rice varied with water-saving irrigation practices. • Intermittent irrigation was superior in increasing yield and water productivity. • Lower pH favors rice growth but increases water consumption. • Early rice has the highest yield and late rice has the highest water productivity. • More mean annual precipitation and higher temperature led to more yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water demand forecasting plays a crucial role in the efficient planning and management of water distribution systems, particularly in regions facing complex climatic and irrigation dynamics. Fluctuations in water demand occur across both seasonal and sub-seasonal timeframes, driven by diverse factors including weather variations and irrigation management choices. Traditionally, irrigation water demands have been forecasted separately for these two temporal scales, using only subsets of factors most relevant to each specific temporal scale. Sub-seasonal water demands are, however, influenced by annual decisions. This is particularly true in large, complex water systems with extensive water trade and diverse climate conditions. For such systems, a sub-seasonal scale forecast with consideration of annual influencing factors could add significant value to operational management. This paper presents an empirical approach to disaggregate the annual allocation water use for irrigation to a monthly time scale for seven inter-connected regions of the southern Murray-Darling Basin (sMDB), Australia. First, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify the crop coefficient (K c) values for the crops grown in the sMDB throughout their growth cycles. Following this, a set of monthly K c values were adopted for nine irrigation activities. Subsequently, the annual allocation water use was disaggregated into monthly volumes using within year proportion of crop water requirement, calculated from reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficients for the seven regions in the sMDB. Finally, the results of the disaggregation approach were compared against the diversion data matched to each region. The disaggregated allocation water use aligns well with the monthly diversion volume. Based on this approach, a monthly water demand forecast model accounting for annual and monthly influencing factors could be developed. • Monthly water demand forecasts face challenges, including annual crop type decisions. • Extending the annual model to a monthly scale bridges the gap in forecasting. • Applied to southern Murray-Darling Basin, it dissects allocation water use monthly. • Results reveal alignment between allocation use and monthly diversions. • Correlation is stronger during high-water demand seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A New Framework for Effective Prediction of Long- and Short-Term Reservoir Levels. • A new method for extracting internal and external factors affecting water level. • A new method for obtaining an optimal time window with interpretability. • A new model that captures spatial properties in data. • Interpretation of prediction results using SHAP. The fluctuation of water levels in agricultural irrigation reservoirs is extremely important for effective planning and allocation of irrigation water resources by agricultural producers, and can be predicted using time-series neural networks. However, existing time-series models fail to capture the spatial characteristics in the input data. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis and extraction of internal and external factors that effectively influence water level changes in the dataset prior to model training, and the methods for determining optimal window values lack interpretability and scientific validity. Therefore, we propose a deep time-series water level prediction framework based on internal and external influencing factors. The framework includes three key components: a Data Preprocessing method based on Internal and External influencing factors (DPIE), a Time-series Window Parameter Optimization method based on Fast Fourier Transform (FTOM), and a CNN-SSA-GRU deep time-series model (CSG), which improve predictive performance in terms of input data quality, optimal time-series window value, and model structure respectively. Comparative experiments and ablation studies conducted on the test set demonstrate that the collaborative combination of these three components significantly enhances the accuracy of water level prediction. Multi-step prediction comparison experiments prove the framework's significant advantage in predicting water levels for multiple days ahead. Additionally, this paper uses the SHAP tool to analyze the interpretability of the decision-making process in the model's predictive results. In summary, this framework can assist agricultural producers in more effectively planning and allocating irrigation water resources and also provides a thought exploration and reference for water level prediction problems in other aquatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn (Zea mays L.) is a major irrigated crop in the Texas High Plains (THP). Inadequate precipitation, declining groundwater resources, and inevitable seasonal drought in the area have led to a greater number of studies on crop hybrids, water regimes, and other yield-enhancing techniques. A four-year field study was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar fungicide timing on corn grain yield, grain moisture, and grain test weight under different irrigation regimes. A fungicide containing QoI + DMI was applied to four to six corn hybrids each year at various growth stages (V5, R1, and V5 + R1). For all years, corn plants were grown under three irrigation regimes to meet the seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) requirements of 50% (I50), 75% (I75), and 100% (I100). Hybrid response to the timing of fungicide application and irrigation regime was not consistent over the years. However, in 2 of the 4 years, timing of fungicide application resulted in yield differences among the hybrids, especially at I75 and L100. For those years, the fungicide applied at R1 resulted in a higher grain yield, grain moisture, and grain test weight followed by the fungicide applied at V5 + R1. Results showed that hybrids reacted differently to the foliar fungicide based on the availability of water under disease-free conditions. This study further revealed that irrigation water could be reduced from I100 to I75 with a limited (5.6% in 2011, 11.3% in 2012, 1.3% in 2013, and 0.3% in 2014) yield penalty in the THP region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soybean industry in Canada is seeking opportunities to expand cultivation due to economic and environmental benefits of growing soybean. Climate projections indicate that soybean expansion into Saskatchewan would be possible with the increases in the available crop heat units under a future warmer climate; however, crop water availability could limit yields. Using a crop growth model, we simulated soybean yields within the Canadian Regional Agricultural Model regions in Saskatchewan for the near-term (2030s), mid-term (2050s), and distant future (2070s) periods under different climate scenarios. Soybean yields were simulated without water stress (potential yield), with water stress (rainfed yield), and under full and partial irrigation scenarios. Irrigation water needs were estimated under the irrigation scenarios and irrigation water availability was discussed. Our results suggest that reasonable and likely more profitable yields (∼2000–2500 kg ha−1) can be achieved under rainfed conditions in the Black soil zone neighbouring Manitoba but soybean production would be less favourable in the Dark Brown soil zone and least favourable in the Brown soil zone. Northeastern regions in the Black soil zone were found to be suitable for growing soybean cultivars in the maturity group (MG) 0 in the distant future and MG 00 in the mid-term under the medium–high greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Soybean would still not be suitable in the northwestern region. Our results indicate that regions in central Saskatchewan requiring 120–170 mm of irrigation are more likely to benefit from the proposed Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study assessed the impact of using irrigation water contaminated with Azithromycin (AZM) residues on the biomass and antioxidant compounds of purple corn; for this purpose, the plants were cultivated under ambient conditions, and the substrate used consisted of soil free from AZM residues, mixed with compost in a ratio of 1:1 (v/v). The experiment was completely randomized with four replications, with treatments of 0, 1, 10, and 100 μg/L of AZM. The results indicate that the presence of AZM in irrigation water at doses of 1 and 10 μg/L increases the weight of dry aboveground biomass, while at an amount of 100 μg/L, it decreases. Likewise, this study reveals that by increasing the concentration of AZM from 1 to 10 μg/L, total polyphenols and monomeric anthocyanins double, in contrast, with an increase to 100 μg/L, these decrease by 44 and 53%, respectively. It has been demonstrated that purple corn exposed to the antibiotic AZM at low doses has a notable antioxidant function in terms of DPPH and ORAC. The content of flavonols, phenolic acids, and flavanols increases by 57, 28, and 83%, respectively, when the AZM concentration is from 1 to 10 μg/L. However, with an increase to 100 μg/L, these compounds decrease by 17, 40, and 42%, respectively. On the other hand, stem length, root length, and dry weight of root biomass are not significantly affected by the presence of AZM in irrigation water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]