Irrigation evaluation and simulation at the Irrigation District V of Bardenas (Spain)

Fruit production development is resulting in large commercial orchards with improved water management standards. While the agronomic and economic benefits of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) have long been established, the local variability in soils and climate and the irrigation system design limits its practical applications. This paper uses a case study approach (a 225 ha stone fruit orchard) to unveil limitations derived from environmental spatial variability and irrigation performance. The spatial variability of soil physical parameters and meteorology in the orchard was characterized, and its implication on crop water requirements was established. Irrigation depths applied during 2004-2009 were analysed and compared with crop water requirements under standard and RDI strategies. Plant water status was also measured during two irrigation seasons using stem water potential measurements. On-farm wind speed variability amounted to 55%, representing differences of 17% in reference evapotranspiration. During the study seasons, irrigation scheduling evolved towards deficit irrigation; however, the specific traits of RDI in stone fruits were not implemented. RDI implementation was limited by: 1) poor correspondence between environmental variability and irrigation system design; 2) insufficient information on RDI crop water requirements and its on-farm spatial variability within the farm; and 3) low control of the water distribution network.

Section: Soil Physical Propertiessupporting

confidence: 66%

Limitations to adopting regulated deficit irrigation in stone fruit orchards: a case study

Zapata

Nerilli

Martı́nez-Cob

et al. 2013

“…Therefore, given the ionic relationships and the speciation-solubility results, it can be deduced that the study zone is undergoing a process of calcite precipitation, as evidenced by the presence of petrocalcic in the soils (Lecina et al, 2005), dissolution of gypsum and halite, and cation exchange processes.…”

Section: Hydrochemical Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity contamination response to changes in irrigation management. Application of geochemical codes

García-Garizábal¹,

Gimeno

Auqué

et al. 2014

Salinity contamination caused by irrigation has been widely studied but the analysis of geochemical processes regarding agronomic variables has not adequately been considered yet. The research presented here analyzes the influence of changes in irrigation management on salinity contamination, through the use of geochemical modeling techniques, in an agricultural basin during the hydrological year of 2001 and within the period 2005-2008. The results indicate that the changes implemented in irrigation management reduced the masses of salts exported in 72%, although water salinity increased by 25% (this salinity level does not restrict its use for irrigation). The different ionic ratios in drainage water, the results of the salinity balances, and the results of geochemical calculations (mass balances and speciation-solubility) indicate, mainly, precipitation of calcite, dissolution of gypsum and halite and cation exchange. The salt contamination index decreased from approximately 70% to levels close to those presented in modern irrigation areas, indicating that the changes in irrigation management were effective. Petrocalcic genesis and punctual sodification of soils can constitute an agroenvironmental problem that requires adequate management of irrigation and drainage considering future modernization of irrigation areas.

“…Given the geological materials constituting the aquifer and the information collected in Custodio and Llamas (1983), an effective porosity of 25% and permeability of 150 m d -1 were estimated. The average recharging of each cell was calculated independently for the four seasons of the year (autumn, winter, spring and summer) based on average precipitation data (National Institute of Meteorology, El Bayo: 1961 and of irrigation volumes (CR-V: 1999(CR-V: -2003 corrected by the average irrigation efficiency of the area (50%; Causapé, 2003;Lecina et al, 2005). The model takes into account filtrations from the Bardenas Canal estimating in its cells some additional recharges of 864 m 3 d -1 (Ebro Basin Authority).…”

Section: Simulation Of the Current Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation agriculture and groundwater. The case of Miralbueno aquifer (Spain)

Valenzuela¹

2008

A great number of flood irrigation districts which have low irrigation efficiency due to the high permeability of their soils cannot undertake a generalised changeover to pressurized irrigation systems in the short term. This work seeks to study the effects which the changeover of the irrigation system in the Irrigation District Nº V of Bardenas (Spain) would have on the hydric regime of the Miralbueno aquifer; also to evaluate different alternatives to improve water management based on the use of groundwater. For this, a model of the aquifer was made with the help of the Modflow 2000 software and different scenarios were simulated. The results indicate that generalised conversion to pressurized irrigation systems will cause a decrease in the average phreatic level (1.20 m) and in the volume of water drained by the ditches (49% less). Until this measure is taken, the irrigation efficiency of the agrarian system could be increased notably by intensifying the reuse of groundwater by means of: a) the construction of intercepting drainages to reuse groundwater in flood irrigation again, and b) the construction of appropriately distributed wells for drip irrigation of the current area of vegetables.