IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v289y2023ics0378377423004018.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The potential of a coordinated system of gates for flood irrigation management in paddy rice farm

Author

Listed:
  • Zoffoli, Giovanni
  • Gangi, Fabiola
  • Ferretti, Gianni
  • Masseroni, Daniele

Abstract

Rice is one of the most important staple foods in the world. In Europe, Italy is the main producer of rice, with almost all production concentrated in the northeast of the country. Traditionally, rice is grown in fields that are flooded from before planting until just before harvest. This water management technique requires a great deal of labour for farmers who have to manually adjust the inlet and outlet gates to maintain a constant ponding water level in the fields, especially when there is fluctuation of water supply at the farm inlet, for example as a result of rainfall. In addition, the practice of flood irrigation is very water-intensive. New technologies based on remotely and automatically controlled gates are being studied to increase the efficiency of this irrigation method. The objective of this work is to explore the potential of a coordinated and intelligent system of gates for efficient farm irrigation management and ponding water level maintenance. Based on information and measurements from a real case study consisting of a 40-hectare paddy rice farm located in northern Italy, where automatic gates and water level sensors were placed at strategic points of the farm canals and fields, respectively, a proportional-integral (PI) and a non-linear model predictive control (NMPC) of water levels were implemented and compared through modelling and simulation experiments. The results show that the proportional-integral control reproduces the actions that the farmer uses when faced with situations of surplus of water in the fields or a shortage of water in the farm canal. In particular, the general coordination of the gates is lost, and the individual binomial field-gate prevails as an independent system in the farmer's operation. Conversely, non-linear predictive control coordinates the gate operation to obtain a uniform ponding water level in the fields when there is a shortage of water, or significant water conservation when there is an excess of water as a result of rainfall. In conclusion, a nonlinear predictive control model seems to be a suitable strategy to advance irrigation management in rice farms, allowing rice farmers to continue the tradition of flooding while increasing its performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Zoffoli, Giovanni & Gangi, Fabiola & Ferretti, Gianni & Masseroni, Daniele, 2023. "The potential of a coordinated system of gates for flood irrigation management in paddy rice farm," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:289:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423004018
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423004018
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108536?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. Masseroni, Daniele & Moller, Peter & Tyrell, Reece & Romani, Marco & Lasagna, Alberto & Sali, Guido & Facchi, Arianna & Gandolfi, Claudio, 2018. "Evaluating performances of the first automatic system for paddy irrigation in Europe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 58-69.
    2. Cesari de Maria, Sandra & Rienzner, Michele & Facchi, Arianna & Chiaradia, Enrico Antonio & Romani, Marco & Gandolfi, Claudio, 2016. "Water balance implications of switching from continuous submergence to flush irrigation in a rice-growing district," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 108-119.
    3. Rejesus, Roderick M. & Palis, Florencia G. & Rodriguez, Divina Gracia P. & Lampayan, Ruben M. & Bouman, Bas A.M., 2011. "Impact of the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) water-saving irrigation technique: Evidence from rice producers in the Philippines," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 280-288, April.
    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. Garbero, Alessandra & Songsermsawas, Tisorn, 2016. "Impact of modern irrigation on household production and welfare outcomes: Evidence from the PASIDP project in Ethiopia," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235949, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Paudel, G. & Krishna, V. & McDonald, A., 2018. "Why some inferior technologies succeed? Examining the diffusion and impacts of rotavator tillage in Nepal Terai," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277149, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Li, Cheng & Luo, Xiaoqi & Wang, Naijiang & Wu, Wenjie & Li, Yue & Quan, Hao & Zhang, Tibin & Ding, Dianyuan & Dong, Qin’ge & Feng, Hao, 2022. "Transparent plastic film combined with deficit irrigation improves hydrothermal status of the soil-crop system and spring maize growth in arid areas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    4. George Frisvold & Charles Sanchez & Noel Gollehon & Sharon B. Megdal & Paul Brown, 2018. "Evaluating Gravity-Flow Irrigation with Lessons from Yuma, Arizona, USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-27, May.
    5. Rusike, J. & Mahungu, N.M. & Lukombo, S.S. & Kendenga, T. & Bidiaka, S.M. & Alene, A. & Lema, A. & Manyong, V.M., 2014. "Does a cassava research-for-development program have impact at the farm level? Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 193-204.
    6. Silva, João Vasco & Reidsma, Pytrik & Lourdes Velasco, Ma. & Laborte, Alice G. & van Ittersum, Martin K., 2018. "Intensification of rice-based farming systems in Central Luzon, Philippines: Constraints at field, farm and regional levels," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 55-70.
    7. 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).
    8. Devkota, Krishna Prasad & Yadav, Sudhir & Humphreys, E. & Kumar, Akhilesh & Kumar, Pankaj & Kumar, Virender & Malik, R.K. & Srivastava, Amit K., 2021. "Land gradient and configuration effects on yield, irrigation amount and irrigation water productivity in rice-wheat and maize-wheat cropping systems in Eastern India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    9. Naveen Adusumilli & Rowell Dikitanan & Hua Wang, 2019. "Effect of Cost-Sharing Federal Programs on Adoption of Water Conservation Practices: Results from Propensity Score Matching Approach," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 6(01), pages 1-16, July.
    10. M. MEHEDI HASAN & Md. ABDUR RASHID SARKER & JEFF GOW, 2016. "Assessment Of Climate Change Impacts On Aman And Boro Rice Yields In Bangladesh," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(03), pages 1-21, August.
    11. Alauddin, Mohammad & Rashid Sarker, Md. Abdur & Islam, Zeenatul & Tisdell, Clement, 2020. "Adoption of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation as a water-saving technology in Bangladesh: Economic and environmental considerations," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    12. Xu, Baoli & Shao, Dongguo & Fang, Longzhang & Yang, Xia & Chen, Shu & Gu, Wenquan, 2019. "Modelling percolation and lateral seepage in a paddy field-bund landscape with a shallow groundwater table," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 87-96.
    13. Jovanovic, N. & Pereira, L.S. & Paredes, P. & Pôças, I. & Cantore, V. & Todorovic, M., 2020. "A review of strategies, methods and technologies to reduce non-beneficial consumptive water use on farms considering the FAO56 methods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    14. Ye, Qing & Yang, Xiaoguang & Dai, Shuwei & Chen, Guangsheng & Li, Yong & Zhang, Caixia, 2015. "Effects of climate change on suitable rice cropping areas, cropping systems and crop water requirements in southern China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 35-44.
    15. Pitak Ngammuangtueng & Napat Jakrawatana & Pariyapat Nilsalab & Shabbir H. Gheewala, 2019. "Water, Energy and Food Nexus in Rice Production in Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-21, October.
    16. Lv, Yuping & Xu, Junzeng & Yang, Shihong & Liu, Xiaoyin & Zhang, Jiangang & Wang, Yijiang, 2018. "Inter-seasonal and cross-treatment variability in single-crop coefficients for rice evapotranspiration estimation and their validation under drying-wetting cycle conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 154-161.
    17. Matthew Champness & Leigh Vial & Carlos Ballester & John Hornbuckle, 2023. "Evaluating the Performance and Opportunity Cost of a Smart-Sensed Automated Irrigation System for Water-Saving Rice Cultivation in Temperate Australia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, April.
    18. Jaenam Lee, 2022. "Evaluation of Automatic Irrigation System for Rice Cultivation and Sustainable Agriculture Water Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-12, September.
    19. Xu, Baoli & Shao, Dongguo & Tan, Xuezhi & Yang, Xia & Gu, Wenquan & Li, Haoxin, 2017. "Evaluation of soil water percolation under different irrigation practices, antecedent moisture and groundwater depths in paddy fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 149-158.
    20. Masseroni, Daniele & Moller, Peter & Tyrell, Reece & Romani, Marco & Lasagna, Alberto & Sali, Guido & Facchi, Arianna & Gandolfi, Claudio, 2018. "Evaluating performances of the first automatic system for paddy irrigation in Europe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 58-69.

    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:s0378377423004018. 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.