Optimal Irrigation Scheduling for Summer Maize Crop: Based on GIS and CROPWAT Application in Hetao District; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

Net Irrigation Water Requirement was estimated using GIS and CROPWAT software. The study aims to develop an optimal irrigation scheduling in summer, to increase crop yield under water scarcity conditions. The proportion of rainwater evaporated over year 2008 “868.6 mm/dec” was used to compare with the water requirements of the maize crop “734.1 mm/dec” The results showed deficits ranging between 30.7 mm/month and 200.8 mm/month, for the period between April and September. In addition, there was uneven distribution of precipitation and an irregular basis during the agricultural year (2000-2008). The ET0 was between 0.47mm and 3.08mm, and net irrigation water requirement was 833.4 mm for the maize crop. On refilling soil to field capacity with irrigation at critical depletion, 70% field efficiency was achieved which correspond to optimal condition, while adapting fixed interval per stage gave a yield reduction of about 2.5 %. Keywords: Evapotranspiration; ArcGIS; CROPWAT; Optimal Irrigation Scheduling; Cor

Yellow River Studies News Letter Vol.4

I. Water Resources Managements in the Fen River Basin ……………… 2II. Development of a Model for Assessment of Irrigation Management Performance and application to Hetao Irrigation District in the Yellow River basin …………………………………… 8III. Land cover classification over the Yellow River domain using satellite data………………………………………………………15IV. List of related meeting …………………………………………………2

Innovation Issues in Water, Agriculture and Food

In a worldwide context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and man-made water scarcity, and less-participatory water governance, agriculture faces the great challenge of producing enough food for a continually increasing population. In this line, this book provides a broad overview of innovation issues in the complex water–agriculture–food nexus, thus also relative to their interconnections and dependences. Issues refer to different spatial scales, from the field or the farm to the irrigation system or the river basin. Multidisciplinary approaches are used when analyzing the relationships between water, agriculture, and food security. The covered issues are quite diverse and include: innovation in crop evapotranspiration, crop coefficients and modeling; updates in research relative to crop water use and saving; irrigation scheduling and systems design; simulation models to support water and agricultural decisions; issues to cope with water scarcity and climate change; advances in water resource quality and sustainable uses; new tools for mapping and use of remote sensing information; and fostering a participative and inclusive governance of water for food security and population welfare. This book brings together a variety of contributions by leading international experts, professionals, and scholars in those diverse fields. It represents a major synthesis and state-of-the-art on various subjects, thus providing a valuable and updated resource for all researchers, professionals, policymakers, and post-graduate students interested in the complex world of the water–agriculture–food nexus

Sustainable Water Management and Wetland Restoration Strategies in Northern China

This book depicts the results of a research project in northern China, where an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers from Italy, Germany and China has applied a broad range of methodology in order to answer basic and applied research questions and derive comprehensive recommendations for sustainable water management and wetland restoration. The project primarily focused on ecosystem services, e.g. the purification of water and biomass production. In particular, the ecosystem function and use of reed (Phragmites australis) and the perception as well as the value of water as a resource for Central Asia's multicultural societies was analysed

Sustainable Water Management and Wetland Restoration Strategies in Northern China

This book depicts the results of a research project in northern China, where an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers from Italy, Germany and China has applied a broad range of methodology in order to answer basic and applied research questions and derive comprehensive recommendations for sustainable water management and wetland restoration. The project primarily focused on ecosystem services, e.g. the purification of water and biomass production. In particular, the ecosystem function and use of reed (Phragmites australis) and the perception as well as the value of water as a resource for Central Asia's multicultural societies was analysed

Review of soil salinity assessment for agriculture across multiple scales using proximal and/or remote sensors

Mapping and monitoring soil spatial variability is particularly problematic for temporally and spatially dynamic properties such as soil salinity. The tools necessary to address this classic problem only reached maturity within the past 2 decades to enable field- to regional-scale salinity assessment of the root zone, including GPS, GIS, geophysical techniques involving proximal and remote sensors, and a greater understanding of apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and multi- and hyperspectral imagery. The concurrent development and application of these tools have made it possible to map soil salinity across multiple scales, which back in the 1980s was prohibitively expensive and impractical even at field scale. The combination of ECa-directed soil sampling and remote imagery has played a key role in mapping and monitoring soil salinity at large spatial extents with accuracy sufficient for applications ranging from field-scale site-specific management to statewide water allocation management to control salinity within irrigation districts. The objective of this paper is: (i) to present a review of the geophysical and remote imagery techniques used to assess soil salinity variability within the root zone from field to regional scales; (ii) to elucidate gaps in our knowledge and understanding of mapping soil salinity; and (iii) to synthesize existing knowledge to give new insight into the direction soil salinity mapping is heading to benefit policy makers, land resource managers, producers, agriculture consultants, extension specialists, and resource conservation field staff. The review covers the need and justification for mapping and monitoring salinity, basic concepts of soil salinity and its measurement, past geophysical and remote imagery research critical to salinity assessment, current approaches for mapping salinity at different scales, milestones in multi-scale salinity assessment, and future direction of field- to regional-scale salinity assessment

Deserts and Desertification

A desert is an ecosystem in an arid zone in which sand dunes cover the land and sandstorms often occur. Although desert vegetation is sparse, it plays an important role in ecosystem structure and function. Desertification is one of the most severe environmental problems today. Land desertification can be controlled through many measures, such as eco-villages, eco-agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and the combination of engineering and biology. This edited volume provides new insights into the pattern of desert ecosystems and the progress of desertification control. It is a useful resource for researchers in ecology, forestry, and land desertification control

River Ecological Restoration and Groundwater Artificial Recharge

Three of the eleven papers focused on groundwater recharge and its impacts on the groundwater regime, in which recharge was caused by riverbed leakage from river ecological restoration (artificial water replenishment). The issues of the hydrogeological parameters involved (such as the influence radius) were also reconsidered. Six papers focused on the impact of river ecological replenishment and other human activities on river and watershed ecology, and on groundwater quality and use function. The issues of ecological security at the watershed scale and deterioration of groundwater quality were of particular concern. Two papers focused on water resources carrying capacity and water resources reallocation at the regional scale, in the context of the fact that ecological water demand has been a significant topic of concern. The use of unconventional water resources such as brackish water has been emphasized in the research in this issue