Hydrochemical Characteristic of Groundwater and Its Impact on Crop Yields in the Baojixia Irrigation Area, China

Abstract

While irrigated crops produce much higher yields than rain-fed crops, the ionic components of irrigation water have important effects on crop yield. Groundwater is widely used for irrigation in the Baojixia irrigation area in China. The chemical characteristics and water quality of groundwater in the Baojixia irrigation area were analyzed and evaluated to study the impact of groundwater quality on crop yield. Results showed cations in the groundwater to mainly be Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, whereas the anions are mainly HCO3−, SO42−, and Cl−. Water-rock interaction and cation exchange were identified as the main factors affecting hydrogeochemical properties from west to east. The study found salinity and alkalinity of groundwater in the western region of the study area to be low, and therefore suitable for irrigation. Groundwater in the eastern part of the study area was found to have a medium to high salinity and alkalinity, and is therefore not recommended for long-term irrigation. The groundwater irrigated cultivation of wheat and corn in the research area over 2019, for example, would have resulted in a drop in the annual crop output and an economic loss of 0.489 tons and 0.741 × 104 yuan, respectively. Irrigation using groundwater was calculated to result in the cumulative loss of crop yields and an economic loss of 49.17 tons and 80.781 × 104 yuan, respectively, by 2119. Deterioration of groundwater quality will reduce crop yields. It is recommended that crop yields in the study area be increased by strengthening irrigation water management and improving groundwater quality.

Impact of land use/land cover changes on water quality and human health in district Peshawar Pakistan

“…Electrical conductivity is essential for the assessment of the water quality of a particular area. It acts as a baseline for measuring other water quality parameters as conductivity measures dissolved ionic concentration 46 . A significant variation in the conductivity value indicates a change in water quality or inclusion of some contaminants or indicates that the area is affected by some source of pollution 47 .…”

Distribution of Nitrate Content in Groundwater and Evaluation of Potential Health Risks: A Case Study of Rural Areas in Northern China

“…Combining the analysis results, it can be concluded that the main reason for the change in water quality at the sampling point is that agriculture or mining activities lead to the increase of nitrate concentration in the area, so the water quality index is low. In addition, the oxidation and leaching process of pyrite and coal clean waste will also affect the chemical properties of the diving groundwater [ 7 , 10 ].…”

“…It is the concentration of sodium relative to calcium and magnesium. Calculated according to the following standard formula [ 7 , 39 ]: …”

“…Groundwater is an important resource for human survival, and it is also an important consumable for industrial development such as coal mining in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Environmental pollution of groundwater and deterioration of water quality continue to occur because of long-term coal mining [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Groundwater is an important part of the hydrological cycle and plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and geochemistry [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Impact of Spatio-Temporal change in landuse/landcover on Groundwater Quality and Human Health; A case study of District Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

“…Electrical Conductivity is essential for the assessment of the water quality of a particular area. It acts as a baseline for measuring other water quality parameters as conductivity measures dissolved ionic concentration (Feng et al 2020). A significant variation in the conductivity value indicates a change in water quality or inclusion of some contaminants or indicates that the area is affected by some source of pollution (Dawson et al 2019).…”