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The effect of salinity on water productivity of wheat under deficit irrigation above shallow groundwater

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  • Gowing, J.W.
  • Rose, D.A.
  • Ghamarnia, H.

Abstract

Saline groundwater is often found at shallow depth in irrigated areas of arid and semi-arid regions and is associated with problems of soil salinisation and land degradation. The conventional solution is to maintain a deeper water-table through provision of engineered drainage disposal systems, but the sustainability of such systems is disputed. This shallow groundwater should, however, be seen as a valuable resource, which can be utilised via capillary rise (i.e. sub-irrigation). In this way, it is possible to meet part of the crop water requirement, even where the groundwater is saline, thus decreasing the need for irrigation water and simultaneously alleviating the problem of disposing of saline drainage effluent. Management of conditions within the root zone can be achieved by means of a controlled drainage system. A series of lysimeter experiments have permitted a detailed investigation of capillary upward flow from a water-table controlled at shallow depth (1.0 m) under conditions of moderately high (5 mm/day) evaporative demand and with different levels of salinity. Experiments were conducted on a wheat crop grown in a sandy loam soil. Groundwater salinity was held at values from 2 to 8 dS/m while supplementary (deficit) irrigation was applied at the surface with salinity in the range 1-4 dS/m. Our experiments show that increased salinity decreased total water uptake by the crop, but in most treatments wheat still extracted 40% of its requirement from the groundwater, similar to the proportion reported for non-saline conditions. Yield depression was limited to 30% of maximum when the irrigation water was of relatively good quality (1 and 2 dS/m) even with saline groundwater (up to 6 dS/m). Crop water productivity (grain yield basis) was around 0.35 kg/m3 over a wide range of salinity conditions when calculated conventionally on the basis of total water use, but was generally above 1.0 kg/m3 if calculated on the basis of irrigation input only.

Suggested Citation

  • Gowing, J.W. & Rose, D.A. & Ghamarnia, H., 2009. "The effect of salinity on water productivity of wheat under deficit irrigation above shallow groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 517-524, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:96:y:2009:i:3:p:517-524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ayars, J.E. & Christen, E.W. & Hornbuckle, J.W., 2006. "Controlled drainage for improved water management in arid regions irrigated agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 86(1-2), pages 128-139, November.
    2. Zwart, Sander J. & Bastiaanssen, Wim G. M., 2004. "Review of measured crop water productivity values for irrigated wheat, rice, cotton and maize," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 115-133, September.
    3. Konukcu, F. & Gowing, J.W. & Rose, D.A., 2006. "Dry drainage: A sustainable solution to waterlogging and salinity problems in irrigation areas?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(1-2), pages 1-12, May.
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    3. Wenjuan Chen & Mingsi Li & Qinglin Li, 2023. "The Influence of Winter Irrigation Amount on the Characteristics of Water and Salt Distribution and WUE in Different Saline-Alkali Farmlands in Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Wu, Yao & Liu, Tingxi & Paredes, Paula & Duan, Limin & Pereira, Luis S., 2015. "Water use by a groundwater dependent maize in a semi-arid region of Inner Mongolia: Evapotranspiration partitioning and capillary rise," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 222-232.
    5. Xie, Tao & Liu, Xinhui & Sun, Tao, 2011. "The effects of groundwater table and flood irrigation strategies on soil water and salt dynamics and reed water use in the Yellow River Delta, China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(2), pages 241-252.
    6. Ghamarnia, Houshang & Jalili, Zahra, 2014. "Shallow saline groundwater use by Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) in the presence of surface water in a semi-arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 89-100.
    7. Ghamarnia, Houshang & Gholamian, Mohsen, 2013. "The effect of saline shallow ground and surface water under deficit irrigation on (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in semi arid condition," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 29-37.
    8. Liu, Meihan & Paredes, Paula & Shi, Haibin & Ramos, Tiago B. & Dou, Xu & Dai, Liping & Pereira, Luis S., 2022. "Impacts of a shallow saline water table on maize evapotranspiration and groundwater contribution using static water table lysimeters and the dual Kc water balance model SIMDualKc," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    9. Qiang Liu & Hongwei Xu & Xingmin Mu & Guangju Zhao & Peng Gao & Wenyi Sun, 2020. "Effects of Different Fertilization Regimes on Crop Yield and Soil Water Use Efficiency of Millet and Soybean," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, May.
    10. Gao, Xiaoyu & Bai, Yining & Huo, Zailin & Xu, Xu & Huang, Guanhua & Xia, Yuhong & Steenhuis, Tammo S., 2017. "Deficit irrigation enhances contribution of shallow groundwater to crop water consumption in arid area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 116-125.
    11. Ghamarnia, Houshang & Khodaei, Erfan, 2016. "Evidence on shallow groundwater use by edible green vegetables such as Solanum pseudoca psicum, Ocimum basilicum and Lepidium sativum in a semi-arid climate condition," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 198-210.
    12. Xue, Jingyuan & Guan, Huade & Huo, Zailin & Wang, Fengxin & Huang, Guanhua & Boll, Jan, 2017. "Water saving practices enhance regional efficiency of water consumption and water productivity in an arid agricultural area with shallow groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 78-89.

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