Estimation of groundwater use by crop production simulated by DSSAT‐wheat and DSSAT‐maize models in the piedmont region of the North China Plain

Abstract

Abstract:Sustainable water use is in serious crisis in the piedmont region of the Taihang Mountains in the North China Plain, owing to rapid groundwater drawdown. Estimating the water requirement for agriculture, the biggest user of groundwater, will be helpful in understanding groundwater decline. Through the use of DSSAT-3Ð5 wheat and maize models, we assessed water use in winter wheat and maize, two staple crops in the region, in [1987][1988][1989][1990][1991][1992][1993][1994][1995][1996][1997][1998][1999][2000][2001]. Trends between groundwater change and simulated agricultural water use were compared. The results showed that groundwater decline was sensitive to simulated crop water requirement and irrigation requirement. According to regression analysis, 100 mm of water requirement by cultivated land (mainly wheat and maize) resulted in about 0Ð64 m of groundwater decline. This relationship might be useful in understanding the regional water balance and to help decision-makers control groundwater decline through controlling crop water use or through long-distance water transfer. The study demonstrated the usefulness of using the DSSAT model for estimating crop water use and the effectiveness of clarifying the reason for groundwater decline using the simulation results of water use.

Calibration and Validation of CERES-Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Model for Simulating Fertilizer Application Rates in Management Zones

“…However, the value of P5 was acceptable because study area, cultivar and climate were different (Wang et al, 2012). The kernel number coefficient (G1) was found to be 15 k/g which is closer to value reported by Yang et al (2006) for semiarid climatic conditions in Northern China.…”

“…The photoperiod coefficient (P1D) was set to be 60% as reported by Saseendran et al (2004) for semiarid climate of Eastern Colorado. The literature values of grain filling duration (P5) ranged from 332 to 690 GDDo (Saseendran et al, 2004;Nakayama et al, 2006;Yang et al, 2006;Rezzouq et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2012). The P5 value for this study was adjusted to be 650 GDDo.…”

Regional Water Balance Based on Remotely Sensed Evapotranspiration and Irrigation: An Assessment of the Haihe Plain, China

“…As 70% of irrigation comes from groundwater, the groundwater table has declined drastically over several decades. According to the report from Yang et al [33], an approximate 100-mm irrigation application in cultivated land leads to about a 640-mm groundwater decline. However, groundwater recharge is not sufficiently met by precipitation.…”

Crop Models as Decision Support Systems in Crop Production

“…Results of the study indicated, that both, N and water could be reduced by about half of the typical application rates without a strong reduction in yield. Yang et al (2006) used the CERES-Wheat and CERES-Maize models to estimate agricultural water use and its impact on ground water depletion in the piedmont region of the NCP. The results showed a strong correlation between the agricultural water use and the ground water depletion.…”