Evapotranspiration and water use of full and deficit irrigated cotton in the Mediterranean environment in northern Syria

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important industrial and summer cash crop in Syria and many other countries in the arid areas but there are concerns about future production levels, given the high water requirements and the decline in water availability. Most farmers in Syria aim to maximize yield per unit of land regardless of the quantity of water applied. Water losses can be reduced and water productivity (yield per unit of water consumed) improved by applying deficit irrigation, but this requires a better understanding of crop response to various levels of water stress. This paper presents results from a 3-year study (2004-2006) conducted in northern Syria to quantify cotton yield response to different levels of water and fertilizer. The experiment included four irrigation levels and three levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer under drip irrigation. The overall mean cotton (lint plus seed, or lintseed) yield was 2502 kg ha-1, ranging from 1520 kg ha-1 under 40% irrigation to 3460 kg ha-1 under 100% irrigation. Mean water productivity (WPET) was 0.36 kg lintseed per m3 of crop actual evapotranspiration (ETc), ranging from 0.32 kg m-3 under 40% irrigation to 0.39 kg m-3 under the 100% treatment. Results suggest that deficit irrigation does not improve biological water productivity of drip-irrigated cotton. Water and fertilizer levels (especially the former) have significant effects on yield, crop growth and WPET. Water, but not N level, has a highly significant effect on crop ETc. The study provides production functions relating cotton yield to ETc as well as soil water content at planting. These functions are useful for irrigation optimization and for forecasting the impact of water rationing and drought on regional water budgets and agricultural economies. The WPET values obtained in this study compare well with those reported from the southwestern USA, Argentina and other developed cotton producing regions. Most importantly, these WPET values are double the current values in Syria, suggesting that improved irrigation water and system management can improve WPET, and thus enhance conservation and sustainability in this water-scarce region.Drip irrigation Production functions Water productivity Nitrogen application

Modelagem da infiltração de água no solo sob condições de estratificação utilizando-se a equação de Green-Ampt Modeling of water infiltration in soil under stratified conditions using the Green-Ampt equation

A infiltração de água no solo é um dos mais significantes processos do ciclo hidrológico. A equação de Green-Ampt (GA) é bastante utilizada na modelagem da infiltração; entretanto, diversos autores alertam para a necessidade de adequação de seus parâmetros de entrada (umidade de saturação (tetas); condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado (K0) e potencial matricial na frente de umedecimento (psi). Neste sentido, avaliou-se a aplicabilidade do modelo de GA, assim como as diversas proposições de adequação de K0 e psi, em um Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo sob condições de estratificação. Determinaram-se a infiltração acumulada (I), a taxa de infiltração (Ti) e as características físicas do perfil necessárias para a aplicação do modelo. Foram feitas simulações com base na combinação de seis metodologias para a determinação de psi e três para a condutividade hidráulica da zona de transmissão (Kw), verificando-se que as combinações seguintes simularam bem o processo de infiltração: Kw igual a 0,5 K0 associado a psi determinado com base na umidade inicial do solo (psi (tetai)); Kw igual à taxa de infiltração estável (Tie) associado a psi igual à média entre psi (tetai) e psi relativo à umidade de saturação de campo (psi (tetaw)); e Kw igual a K0 associado a psi calculado com base na textura e porosidade do solo (psi(textura)) e Kw igual à Tie associado a psi(textura).<br>Soil water infiltration is one of the most important processes of the hydrological cycle. The Green and Ampt equation (GA) is quite used to simulate the infiltration process, however, several authors showed the necessity of some adaptations in the GA parameters: saturation moisture (thetas), hydraulic conductivity (K0) and mean suction in the wetting front (psi). An evaluation was made of the GA model and of the several correction propositions of K0 and psi, applied in a stratified Red-Yellow Latosol. A soil box filled with soil material belonging to three horizons of the studied soil was used. The accumulated infiltration (I), infiltration rate (Ti), as well as the physical characteristics of the profile needed for the application of the model were determined. Simulations based on the combination among six methodologies for the determination of psi was made and three for the determination of hydraulic conductivity in the transmission zone (Kw). The following combinations simulated well the infiltration process: Kw equal to 0,5 K0 associated to psi relative to the initial moisture content (psi(thetai)); Kw equals to the stable infiltration rate (Tie) associated to psi equal to the mean among psi (thetai) and psi relative to the saturation field moisture (psi (thetaw)); Kw equal to K0 associated to psi calculated with base in the texture and porosity of the soil and Kw equal to Tie associated to psi calculated on the basis of texture and porosity of the soil