A new technique in cultivation by installing membrane sheet below the crop’s root zone was helped to save irrigation water in the root zone, less farm losses, increasing the field water use efficiency and water productivity. In this paper, the membrane sheet was installed below the root zone of zucchini during the summer growing season 2017 in open field.  This research was carried out in a private field in Babil governorate at Sadat Al Hindiya Township reached 72 km from Baghdad. Surface trickle irrigation system was used for irrigation process. Two treatment plots were used, treatment plot T1 using membrane sheet and treatment plot T2 without using the membrane sheet. The applied irrigation water, time of irrigation, soil moisture contents before irrigation were calculated and recorded daily for the two treatments plots. Values of crop yield, Field water use Efficiency and economic water productivity were discussed and compared between the plots. The obtained results indicate that field water use efficiency for the two plots, T1 and T2 were: 6.04 and 4.64 kg/m3, respectively.  The increasing value in field water use efficiency (FWUE) of plot T1 comparing with plot T2 was 30.2 %. Additionally, the value of economic water productivity of zucchini crop for plots T1 and T2 was: 20514.1 and 15031.7 ID/m3, respectively. The increasing value of the Economic water productivity (EWP) of plot T1 comparing with plot T2 was 36.5 %. The value of water saving in plot T1 was 16.7%. The reduction in frequency of irrigation at T1 was 12 %.            zucchini, water use efficiency, membrane sheet, and economic water productivity.

Utilizing the modern technologies in agriculture such as subsurface water retention techniques were developed to improve water storage capacities in the root zone depth. Moreover, this technique was maximizing the reduction in irrigation losses and increasing the water use efficiency. In this paper, a polyethylene membrane was installed within the root zone of okra crop through the spring growing season 2017 inside the greenhouse to improve water use efficiency and water productivity of okra crop. The research work was conducted in the field located in the north of Babylon Governorate in Sadat Al Hindiya Township seventy-eight kilometers from Baghdad city. Three treatments plots were used for the comparison using surface trickle irrigation system: Polyethylene sheet (SWRT) was used in plot T1, controlled irrigation in plot T2 and uncontrolled irrigation in plot T3. Irrigation quantities, time of irrigation, soil water contents were measured for all treatments plots. The results indicated that water use efficiency for the three experimental plots, T1, T2, and T3 were: 2.43, 1.94 and 0.98 kg/m3, respectively.  The increasing value in water use efficiency of T1 plot compared with T2 and T3 plots were 25 and 148 %, respectively. Additionally, the water productivity of okra crop for T1, T2, and T3 plots was: 12800.9, 8744.8, and 4736.3 ID/m3, respectively. The increasing value of the water productivity of T1 compared with plots T2 and T3 was 46 and 170 %, respectively. From this study, the benefit of using membrane sheet below the soil surface resulted in an increase in the value of yield, water use efficiency and water productivity. Moreover, saving water and reduced the water losses by deep percolation were resulted.   

Recently, water quantity is decreasing due to high temperatures in summer and reducing the water quotas of Euphrates River in Iraq from the neighboring countries. These factors may increase turbidity and concentration of elements in Euphrates River especially near Alhindya Barrage, Babylon Governorate, Iraq. Thus, Euphrates River may not be valid for drinking and irrigation purposes in upstream of Alhindya Barrage. The aim of this study was to investigate the water quality upstream of Alhindya Barrage, Euphrates River, using Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI). The comparison of water quality was investigated in the years of 2008 and 2009 according to data availability. Statistical analysis were performed on measured flowrates and indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between measured flowrates for 2008 and 2009. The results showed that the CWQI of 2008 was 94 which is good to excellent water quality, compared to CWQI of 79 for 2009. This was due to reduction in mean water quantity from 370m3/s of 2008 to 213m3/s of 2009. The global warming phenomenon is the main reason for dry seasons and low rainfall intensity and caused bad water quality.

This study aimed to identify the hydrologic characteristics and investigate the effect of hydrological flow changes for the Adhaim tributary by updating the information of watershed hydrology and examined the possibility of changing the spillway dam from being ungated to a controlled gated spillway to reduce the impact of water releases on the Tigris River and Baghdad City during the flood season. In addition, an attempt is made to store as much water as possible to benefit the summer growing season by supplying water to irrigation projects downstream of Adhaim Dam. The results indicated that if the gates were installed at the level of 135 m above sea level, flood waves with a probability of 1/100 can be controlled and safely flow to the Tigris River at ~200 m3/s. The gates would also increase the capacity of the Adhaim reservoir. Different options for controlling the gated spillway are suggested, and the designers can choose one of them.

During the last five decades, a huge amount of water pollutants has been recorded in all water resources around the world. Therefore, the water quality has become an important indicator affecting the vitality and productivity of plants, which requires an effective technique to monitor all these pollutants. The main objective of this study is to assess the validity of groundwater for wells located within the boundaries of the Green Belt area in Karbala city/Iraq for irrigation of palm and olive trees. Whereas, the use of saline groundwater as an alternative to available fresh water will promote the sustainable development of water resources. The technique of Water Quality Index (WQI) is a reliable and widely used tool for assessing water quality for various sources, including groundwater. In this study, the Canadian water quality index (CWQI) model was applied to provide a database for planning and monitoring the quality of groundwater in wells located in the study area. Groundwater samples were taken from these wells and tested to find seven parameters which were; pH, CL, Mg, HCO3, EC, Na and Ca. The CWQI values of groundwater for the studied wells ranged from 30 to 35. According to the CWQI scale, the groundwater of all wells is classified as poor water. Therefore, the groundwater of all wells in the study area must be treated before it is used for the purpose of irrigation of palm and olive trees. This study concluded that to ensure good irrigation management in the study area, future changes of groundwater in the study area must be monitored.