IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v289y2023ics0378377423003657.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Simulating drip irrigation in large-scale and high-resolution ecohydrological models: From emitters to the basin

Author

Listed:
  • Han, Feng
  • Zheng, Yi
  • Zhang, Ling
  • Xiong, Rui
  • Hu, Zhaoping
  • Tian, Yong
  • Li, Xin

Abstract

Drip irrigation is deemed as a solution to the water conflict between agricultural and ecological needs in arid regions, but assessing hydrological impacts of drip irrigation remains challenging. This study developed a new approach to simulating drip irrigation at a basin scale, with the configuration of irrigation system explicitly represented and the emitter-scale wetted soil volume directly modeled, and incorporated the approach into HEIFLOW, a fully distributed and physically based ecohydrological model. The improved model, named HEIFLOW-drip, was used to study the potential implementation of drip irrigation in the Zhangye basin in Northwest China. Due to the recycling effect of irrigation return flow, the basin-scale water-saving efficiency (WSE) of drip irrigation fully implemented in the irrigated farmlands is 16.8%, less than half of its field-scale WSE (36.5%). This discrepancy indicates that accounting the water saved in fields may lead to notable overestimation of the basin-wide water saving by drip irrigation in basins with strong surface water-groundwater interactions. If fully implemented, drip irrigation would significantly alter the regional water balance, increasing the stream outflow by approximately 30%, while causing a decline in groundwater level. This tradeoff can be alleviated by tuning the management parameters of drip irrigation, which can achieve a synergistic effect of increasing the streamflow while preventing dramatic groundwater depletion. Another effective strategy is to implement drip irrigation in part of the basin. Given the intricate impacts of drip irrigation on hydrological processes, the determination of the scale and location of drip irrigation should be thought through at the basin level. Further analyses indicate the importance of proper management of the water saved by drip irrigation, which is crucial to prevent the paradox of irrigation efficiency. The findings of this study have great implications for addressing the complex water-food-ecosystem nexus in arid endorheic river basins.

Suggested Citation

  • Han, Feng & Zheng, Yi & Zhang, Ling & Xiong, Rui & Hu, Zhaoping & Tian, Yong & Li, Xin, 2023. "Simulating drip irrigation in large-scale and high-resolution ecohydrological models: From emitters to the basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:289:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003657
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108500
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423003657
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108500?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jonas Jägermeyr & Amandine Pastor & Hester Biemans & Dieter Gerten, 2017. "Reconciling irrigated food production with environmental flows for Sustainable Development Goals implementation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, August.
    2. Wang, Yahui & Li, Sien & Qin, Shujing & Guo, Hui & Yang, Danni & Lam, Hon-Ming, 2020. "How can drip irrigation save water and reduce evapotranspiration compared to border irrigation in arid regions in northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    3. van der Kooij, Saskia & Zwarteveen, Margreet & Boesveld, Harm & Kuper, Marcel, 2013. "The efficiency of drip irrigation unpacked," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 103-110.
    4. Zhang, Zhidong & Zheng, Yi & Han, Feng & Xiong, Rui & Feng, Lian, 2021. "Recovery of an endorheic lake after a decade of conservation efforts: Mediating the water conflict between agriculture and ecosystems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    5. Muhammad Umair & Tabassum Hussain & Hanbing Jiang & Ayesha Ahmad & Jiawei Yao & Yongqing Qi & Yucui Zhang & Leilei Min & Yanjun Shen, 2019. "Water-Saving Potential of Subsurface Drip Irrigation For Winter Wheat," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Carole Dalin & Yoshihide Wada & Thomas Kastner & Michael J. Puma, 2017. "Groundwater depletion embedded in international food trade," Nature, Nature, vol. 543(7647), pages 700-704, March.
    7. Al-Ogaidi, Ahmed A.M. & Wayayok, Aimrun & Rowshon, M.K. & Abdullah, Ahmed Fikri, 2016. "Wetting patterns estimation under drip irrigation systems using an enhanced empirical model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 203-213.
    8. Keller, Andrew & Keller, Jack & Seckler, David, 1996. "Integrated water resource systems: Theory and policy implications," IWMI Research Reports 52730, International Water Management Institute.
    9. Zhou, Xinyao & Zhang, Yongqiang & Sheng, Zhuping & Manevski, Kiril & Andersen, Mathias N. & Han, Shumin & Li, Huilong & Yang, Yonghui, 2021. "Did water-saving irrigation protect water resources over the past 40 years? A global analysis based on water accounting framework," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kilic, Murat, 2020. "A new analytical method for estimating the 3D volumetric wetting pattern under drip irrigation system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    2. Lankford, Bruce A., 2023. "Resolving the paradoxes of irrigation efficiency: Irrigated systems accounting analyses depletion-based water conservation for reallocation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    3. Pronti, A. & Zegarra, E. & Vicario, D. Rey & Graves, A., 2024. "Global exports draining local water resources: Land concentration, food exports and water grabbing in the Ica Valley (Peru)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Min Cui & Jizhou Zhang & Xianli Xia, 2022. "The Relationship between Child Rearing Burden and Farmers’ Adoption of Climate Adaptive Technology: Taking Water-Saving Irrigation Technology as an Example," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Ehsan Qasemipour & Farhad Tarahomi & Markus Pahlow & Seyed Saeed Malek Sadati & Ali Abbasi, 2020. "Assessment of Virtual Water Flows in Iran Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Giuliani, Nicola & Aguzzoni, Agnese & Penna, Daniele & Tagliavini, Massimo, 2023. "Estimating uptake and internal transport dynamics of irrigation water in apple trees using deuterium-enriched water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    7. Kumar, M. Dinesh & Singh, O.P. & Samad, Madar & Purohit, Chaitali & Didyala, Malkit Singh, 2009. "Water productivity of irrigated agriculture in India: potential areas for improvement," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    8. Caldera, Upeksha & Breyer, Christian, 2020. "Strengthening the global water supply through a decarbonised global desalination sector and improved irrigation systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    9. Forough Jafary & Chris Bradley, 2018. "Groundwater Irrigation Management and the Existing Challenges from the Farmers’ Perspective in Central Iran," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, January.
    10. Jayanta Das & A. T. M. Sakiur Rahman & Tapash Mandal & Piu Saha, 2021. "Exploring driving forces of large-scale unsustainable groundwater development for irrigation in lower Ganga River basin in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7289-7309, May.
    11. Ghahroodi, E. Mokari & Noory, H. & Liaghat, A.M., 2015. "Performance evaluation study and hydrologic and productive analysis of irrigation systems at the Qazvin irrigation network (Iran)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 189-195.
    12. Florian Humpenöder & Alexander Popp & Carl-Friedrich Schleussner & Anton Orlov & Michael Gregory Windisch & Inga Menke & Julia Pongratz & Felix Havermann & Wim Thiery & Fei Luo & Patrick v. Jeetze & J, 2022. "Overcoming global inequality is critical for land-based mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    13. Bastiaanssen, W. G. M. & Ahmad, Mobin-ud-Din & Tahir, Z., 2003. "Upscaling water productivity in irrigated agriculture using remote-sensing and GIS technologies," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    14. Rulli, Maria Cristina & Casirati, Stefano & Dell’Angelo, Jampel & Davis, Kyle Frankel & Passera, Corrado & D’Odorico, Paolo, 2019. "Interdependencies and telecoupling of oil palm expansion at the expense of Indonesian rainforest," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 499-512.
    15. Barker, Randolph & Dawe, D. & Inocencio, A., 2003. "Economics of water productivity in managing water for agriculture," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    16. Xiukang Wang, 2022. "Managing Land Carrying Capacity: Key to Achieving Sustainable Production Systems for Food Security," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-21, March.
    17. Zhang, Tibin & Zou, Yufeng & Kisekka, Isaya & Biswas, Asim & Cai, Huanjie, 2021. "Comparison of different irrigation methods to synergistically improve maize’s yield, water productivity and economic benefits in an arid irrigation area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    18. Kumar, M. Dinesh & Sharma, Bharat R. & Singh, O.P., 2009. "Water saving and yield enhancing micro-irrigation technologies: how far can they contribute to water productivity in Indian agriculture?," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    19. McCartney, Matthew P. & Whiting, L. & Makin, Ian & Lankford, B. A. & Ringler, C., 2019. "Rethinking irrigation modernisation: realising multiple objectives through the integration of fisheries," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 70(9):1201-.
    20. Anna Herzberger & Min Gon Chung & Kelly Kapsar & Kenneth A. Frank & Jianguo Liu, 2019. "Telecoupled Food Trade Affects Pericoupled Trade and Intracoupled Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:289:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003657. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.