Submit to Water Review for Water Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 26502

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pedro Gavilán

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Research Area of Agriculture and Environment, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Centre “Alameda del Obispo”, 14080 Córdoba, Spain;
Interests: agrometeorology; crop water requirements; irrigation scheduling; extension

Dr. David Lozano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Research Area of Agriculture and Environment, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Centre “Alameda del Obispo”, 14080 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: hydraulics; irrigation engineering; agricultural water management; automation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The relentless growth of the human population, the rise in the general living standards, and the need for water to maintain the long-term sustainability of the environment and the ecosystem, are straining water resources all over the world. Furthermore, climate change threatens to create a crisis, especially in arid and semi-arid area, due to the predicted reduction in water resources and to the increase in agricultural water demand.

Agriculture is the largest water-use sector worldwide, accounting for about 70% of water withdrawals from rivers and aquifers and 90% of consumptive water uses. The development of irrigated agriculture has boosted agricultural yields and contributed to price stability, making it possible to feed the world’s growing population. However, irrigation is facing increasing competition from the domestic and industrial sectors as the pressure on water resources increases, to the point that in many regions it is becoming a threat to the environment. Irrigation performance assessment is needed to evaluate the potential for improvement.

In this sense, this Special Issue encourages the submission of both basic research papers and application-oriented contributions for improving a sustainable irrigation management. Potential topics in sustainable irrigation management areas include but are not limited to the following: optimise hydraulics systems behaviour, meteorological forecasts for planning irrigation, saving water techniques, irrigation scheduling optimisation, groundwater management, effective management of salts, soil salinity, and shallow groundwater and water footprint. Other emerging fields are welcome, such as Big data, Artificial intelligence, new communication systems (LoraWan, Sigfos) and advanced sensing technologies oriented to sustainable irrigation management in agriculture.

Dr. Pedro Gavilán
Dr. David Lozano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

irrigated agriculture
irrigation scheduling
groundwater management
meteorological forecasts for planning irrigation
water footprint
irrigation engineering
irrigation performance assessment

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

15 pages, 3834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Treated Wastewater Reuse in Drip Irrigation under Different Pressure Conditions

by Naji K. Al-Mefleh, Samer Talozi and Khaled Abu Naser

Water 2021, 13(8), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081033 - 9 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2535

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the influence of treated wastewater (TWW) on the hydraulic performance of drip irrigation emitters. A field experiment was conducted in order to test two types of online emitters, a low pressure (LP) and a standard pressure (SP), at different working pressures (0.25 bar, 0.50 bar, and 1.00 bar) using TWW. The emitters were initially evaluated in the laboratory and the field for the discharge exponent (X), discharge coefficient (Kd), average emitter discharge (Q_avg), coefficient of variation (CV), distribution uniformity (DU), the mean discharge ratio (Dra), and the main degree of clogging (DC). The main effect of the emitters on the hydraulic parameters of irrigation performance was not significant, while the operational pressure and operational time of irrigation had a significant effect. For the LP emitter, the average emitter discharge was 7.6, 7.7, and 7.8 Lh⁻¹ at 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 bar, respectively. For the SP emitter, the average emitter discharge was 7.6, 7.8, and 7.8 Lh⁻¹ at 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 bar, respectively. The EU values for the LP and SP emitters varied from low to moderate at 0.25 bar, as the EU values at 0.50 and 1.00 bar were considered high for both emitter types. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 5871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Factors Influencing Effective Utilization Coefficient of Irrigation Water in the Manas River Basin

by Lili Yang, Tong Heng, Guang Yang, Xinchen Gu, Jiaxin Wang and Xinlin He

Water 2021, 13(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13020189 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2989

Abstract

The factors influencing the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water are not understood well. It is usually considered that this coefficient is lower in areas with large-scale irrigation. With this background, we analyzed the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water using the analytic hierarchy process using data from 2014 to 2019 in Shihezi City, Xinjiang. The weights of the influencing factors on the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water in different irrigation areas were analyzed. Predictions of the coefficient’s values for different years were made by understanding the trends based on the grey model. The results show that the scale of the irrigation area is not the only factor determining the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water. Irrigation technology, organizational integrity, crop types, water price management, local economic level, and channel seepage prevention are the most critical factors affecting the effective use of irrigation water. The grey model prediction results show that the effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation water will continuously increase and reach 0.7204 in 2029. This research can serve as a reference for government authorities to make scientific decisions on water-saving projects in irrigation districts in terms of management, operation, and investment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 3407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Integration of Multivariate Statistical Approaches, Hyperspectral Reflectance, and Data-Driven Modeling for Assessing the Quality and Suitability of Groundwater for Irrigation

by Mosaad Khadr, Mohamed Gad, Salah El-Hendawy, Nasser Al-Suhaibani, Yaser Hassan Dewir, Muhammad Usman Tahir, Muhammad Mubushar and Salah Elsayed

Water 2021, 13(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13010035 - 27 Dec 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3192

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture in arid regions necessitates that the quality of groundwater be carefully monitored; otherwise, low-quality irrigation water may cause soil degradation and negatively impact crop productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of groundwater samples collected from the wells in the quaternary aquifer, which are located in the Western Desert (WD) and the Central Nile Delta (CND), by integrating a multivariate analysis, proximal remote sensing data, and data-driven modeling (adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and support vector machine regression (SVMR)). Data on the physiochemical parameters were subjected to multivariate analysis to ease the interpretation of groundwater quality. Then, six irrigation water quality indices (IWQIs) were calculated, and the original spectral reflectance (OSR) of groundwater samples were collected in the 302–1148 nm range, with the optimal spectral wavelength intervals corresponding to each of the six IWQIs determined through correlation coefficients (r). Finally, the performance of both the ANFIS and SVMR models for evaluating the IWQIs was investigated based on effective spectral reflectance bands. From the multivariate analysis, it was concluded that the combination of factor analysis and principal component analysis was found to be advantageous to examining and interpreting the behavior of groundwater quality in both regions, as well as predicting the variables that may impact groundwater quality by illuminating the relationship between physiochemical parameters and the factors or components of both analyses. The analysis of the six IWQIs revealed that the majority of groundwater samples from the CND were highly suitable for irrigation purposes, whereas most of the groundwater from the WD can be used with some limitations to avoid salinity and alkalinity issues in the long term. The high r values between the six IWQIs and OSR were located at wavelength intervals of 302–318, 358–900, and 1074–1148 nm, and the peak value of r for these was relatively flat. Finally, the ANFIS and SVMR both obtained satisfactory degrees of model accuracy for evaluating the IWQIs, but the ANFIS model (R² = 0.74–1.0) was superior to the SVMR (R² = 0.01–0.88) in both the training and testing series. Finally, the multivariate analysis was able to easily interpret groundwater quality and ground-based remote sensing on the basis of spectral reflectance bands via the ANFIS model, which could be used as a fast and low-cost onsite tool to estimate the IWQIs of groundwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospects for the Future

by Prasanna Venkatesh Sampath, Gaddam Sai Jagadeesh and Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati

Water 2020, 12(10), 2738; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102738 - 30 Sep 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5076

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely impacting food and nutrition security and requires urgent attention from policymakers. Sustainable intensification of agriculture is one strategy that attempts to increase food production without adversely impacting the environment, by shifting from water-intensive crops to other climate-resistant and nutritious crops. This paper focuses on the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh by studying the impact of shifting 20% of the area under paddy and cotton cultivation to other crops like millets and pulses. Using FAO’s CROPWAT model, along with monsoon forecasts and detailed agricultural data, we simulate the crop water requirements across the study area. We simulate a business-as-usual base case and compare it to multiple crop diversification strategies using various parameters—food, calories, protein production, as well as groundwater and energy consumption. Results from this study indicate that reduced paddy cultivation decreases groundwater and energy consumption by around 9–10%, and a calorie deficit between 4 and 8%—making up this calorie deficit requires a 20–30% improvement in the yields of millets and pulses. We also propose policy interventions to incentivize the cultivation of nutritious and climate-resistant crops as a sustainable strategy towards strengthening food and nutrition security while lowering the environmental footprint of food production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 3720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Pulse Drip Irrigation Duration on Water Distribution Uniformity

by David Lozano, Natividad Ruiz, Rafael Baeza, Juana I. Contreras and Pedro Gavilán

Water 2020, 12(8), 2276; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12082276 - 13 Aug 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5078

Abstract

Developing an appropriate irrigation schedule is essential in order to save water while at the same time maintaining high crop yields. The standard procedures of the field evaluation of distribution uniformity do not take into account the effects of the filling and emptying phases of the irrigation system. We hypothesized that, in sloping sandy soils, when short drip irrigation pulses are applied it is important to take into account the total water applied from the beginning of irrigation until the emptying of the irrigation system. To compute distribution uniformity, we sought to characterize the filling, stable pressure, and emptying phases of a standard strawberry irrigation system. We found that the shorter the time of the irrigation pulse, the worse the distribution uniformity and the potential application efficiency or zero deficit are. This effect occurs because as the volume of water applied during filling and emptying phases increases, the values of the irrigation performance indicators decrease. Including filling and emptying phases as causes of non-uniformity has practical implications for the management of drip irrigation systems in sloping sandy soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2100 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Distribution Uniformity and Fertigation Volume on the Bio-Productivity of the Greenhouse Zucchini Crop

by Juana I. Contreras, Rafael Baeza, Francisca Alonso, Gema Cánovas, Pedro Gavilán and David Lozano

Water 2020, 12(8), 2183; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12082183 - 3 Aug 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3016

Abstract

Greenhouse horticultural crops are characterized by high levels of efficiency and productivity of irrigation water and nutrients applied. However, these indices may be affected by poor distribution uniformity of fertigation (DU). Different previous prospective studies show that there is a significant percentage of facilities with a low level of DU. However, there is no precise relationship between DU and the efficiency and productivity of water and fertilizers. This relationship may be affected by different factors, especially by the irrigation dose. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of the distribution uniformity of fertigation and the fertigation volume (FV) on the bio productive parameters and efficiency of water and nutrient use of the zucchini crop. The trial was developed in a greenhouse located in La Mojonera (Almería), on sanded soil. The greenhouse was equipped with an automated fertigation installation. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with six treatments and three repetitions. The established treatment was a combination of two factors: distribution uniformity and fertigation volume. Three levels of DU were established: 100%, 75% and 50% approximately and two levels of fertigation volume: FV100% and FV70%. Volume of water and nutrients applied, soil matric potential (SMP), yield, biomass and efficiency in the water and nutrients use were determined. The maximum efficiency in the use of water and nutrients was obtained with a DU of 100% or 75% and a fertigation volume of FV70%, but this fertigation volume reduced the bio-productive parameters of the crop such as yield. The maximum yield and biomass were obtained with the volume of fertigation of 100% (FV100%), and with a DU of 100% or 75%. DU50% level reduced all bio-productive parameters, reducing yield by 45%, as well as the water use efficiency (WUE) and nutrient efficiency with any level of fertigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 5115 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperTechnical Note

Improvement of Strawberry Irrigation Sustainability in Southern Spain Using FAO Methodology

by Pedro Gavilán, Natividad Ruiz, Luis Miranda, Elsa Martínez-Ferri, Juana I. Contreras, Rafael Baeza and David Lozano

Water 2021, 13(6), 833; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13060833 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3468

Abstract

Irrigation sustainability is particularly important in the vicinity of Doñana National Park (Huelva, Spain), where Europe’s most important wetland area coexists with a profitable strawberry irrigation activity. In this paper, an innovation and technology transfer project was laid out. The project was promoted by the Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), belonging to the Regional Government of Andalusia. The main objective of the project was to contribute to the sustainability of the complex ecological, productive, and social system of this region. The project was focused on the rational use of water resources. Experimentation, demonstration, technology transfer, and training activities were carried out, involving public administrations, companies, and private farms. The project was carried out in collaboration with strawberry companies covering a total surface area of 1900 hectares. Irrigation application efficiency and irrigation water productivity increased by 66% and there was also a significant increase in water saving (44%), without resulting production losses. The success of the activity was based on the implication of farmers in experimentation assignments. During a five-year time span, irrigation trials took place on several farms. This fact allowed a progressive improvement of irrigation management by farmers based on confidence in the experimental work results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainable Irrigation Management in Agriculture

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI