IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v211y2019icp178-189.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of irrigation uniformity on yield response and production economics of maize in a semiarid zone

Author

Listed:
  • Nascimento, A.K
  • Schwartz, R.C.
  • Lima, F.A
  • López-Mata, E.
  • Domínguez, A.
  • Izquiel, A.
  • Tarjuelo, J.M
  • Martínez-Romero, A

Abstract

Optimized irrigation scheduling to better match applied water to crop requirements can reduce the consumptive use of water and energy, improve water use efficiency, and increase gross profit margin. However, the distribution uniformity of applied irrigation can modify the way reduced water applications influence field-averaged performance, especially for crops sensitive to water stress as maize, in which the most sensitive stages are those related with reproduction and grain formation. We evaluated the effect of irrigation uniformity on the yield and profitability of maize (Zea Mays L.) in Albacete, Spain in two adjacent sectors equipped with a solid set sprinkler irrigation system of a field managed according to FAO-56 methodology throughout the growing season to maximize grain yield without water stress (Sector S1) or irrigation scheduling determined by an experienced producer (Sector S2). Irrigation uniformity was evaluated using catch cans in both fields and grain yield was harvested within zones exhibiting 75% (Z1), 100% (Z2), and 125% (Z3) of area-averaged volume applications throughout the year. The average coefficient of uniformity (CU) in both sectors (S1 and S2) was 83.5%, and the net amount of applied irrigation water totaled 709 mm in S1 and 832 mm in S2. Average grain yield in sector S2 approached the maximum expected yield of 18.4 Mg ha−1 and exhibited no significant differences in yield among zones. In contrast, sector S1 exhibited significant yield differences (p < 0.05) among zones with a measured yield in Z3 of 18.5 Mg ha−1 and a yield reduction of 1.6 Mg ha−1 and 4.0 Mg ha−1 in Z2 and Z1, respectively. Consequently, the area-averaged yield in S1 was 8% less than in S2. This last treatment was positively influenced by a higher amount of irrigation water supplied to the crop (17%), which decreased the effect of low CU (83.5%). The grain yields simulated by MOPECO for each monitoring zone within the sectors exhibited similar magnitude and trends. Because of these yield differences and the relatively low cost of irrigation water, area averaged gross margin in S1 was 18% less compared with S2. Simulations with MOPECO over a range of CU’s demonstrated that improved irrigation uniformity increased area-averaged yields and gross margin when following S1 instead of S2 strategy. The main innovations of this work were to quantify the effect of irrigation uniformity on the gross margin of a maize crop, and to highlight that in arid and semiarid areas with water scarce conditions, it is a better strategy to improve the irrigation uniformity than supply a higher amount of irrigation water to mask the lack of uniformity.

Suggested Citation

  • Nascimento, A.K & Schwartz, R.C. & Lima, F.A & López-Mata, E. & Domínguez, A. & Izquiel, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M & Martínez-Romero, A, 2019. "Effects of irrigation uniformity on yield response and production economics of maize in a semiarid zone," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 178-189.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:211:y:2019:i:c:p:178-189
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.09.051
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377418315129
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.09.051?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Molden, David J. & Sakthivadivel, Ramasamy & Perry, Christopher J. & de Fraiture, Charlotte & Kloezen, Wim H., 1998. "Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems," IWMI Research Reports 44581, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Domínguez, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & de Juan, J.A. & López-Mata, E. & Breidy, J. & Karam, F., 2011. "Deficit irrigation under water stress and salinity conditions: The MOPECO-Salt Model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(9), pages 1451-1461, July.
    3. Ortíz, J.N. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & de Juan, J.A., 2009. "Characterisation of evaporation and drift losses with centre pivots," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1541-1546, November.
    4. Tarjuelo, J. M. & Ortega, J. F. & Montero, J. & de Juan, J. A., 2000. "Modelling evaporation and drift losses in irrigation with medium size impact sprinklers under semi-arid conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 263-284, April.
    5. Domínguez, A. & Martínez, R.S. & de Juan, J.A. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M., 2012. "Simulation of maize crop behavior under deficit irrigation using MOPECO model in a semi-arid environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 42-53.
    6. English, Marshall & Raja, Syed Navaid, 1996. "Perspectives on deficit irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Domínguez, A. & de Juan, J.A. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez, R.S. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2012. "Determination of optimal regulated deficit irrigation strategies for maize in a semi-arid environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 67-77.
    8. Molden, D. J. & Sakthivadivel, R. & Perry, C. J. & de Fraiture, C. & Kloezen, W. H., 1998. "Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems," IWMI Research Reports H022308, International Water Management Institute.
    9. Krupnik, Timothy J. & Shennan, Carol & Settle, William H. & Demont, Matty & Ndiaye, Alassane B. & Rodenburg, Jonne, 2012. "Improving irrigated rice production in the Senegal River Valley through experiential learning and innovation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 101-112.
    10. López-Mata, E. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & de Juan, J.A. & Ballesteros, R. & Domínguez, A., 2010. "Effect of irrigation uniformity on the profitability of crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 190-198, December.
    11. Karam, F. & Amacha, N. & Fahed, S. & EL Asmar, T. & Domínguez, A., 2014. "Response of potato to full and deficit irrigation under semiarid climate: Agronomic and economic implications," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 144-151.
    12. Domínguez, A. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Leite, K.N. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & de Juan, J.A. & López-Urrea, R., 2013. "Combination of typical meteorological year with regulated deficit irrigation to improve the profitability of garlic growing in central spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 154-167.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Domínguez, Alfonso & Schwartz, Robert C. & Pardo, José J. & Guerrero, Bridget & Bell, Jourdan M. & Colaizzi, Paul D. & Louis Baumhardt, R., 2022. "Center pivot irrigation capacity effects on maize yield and profitability in the Texas High Plains," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    2. Pan Tang & Chao Chen & Hong Li, 2020. "Improving Water Distribution Uniformity by Optimizing the Structural Size of the Drive Spoon Blades for a Vertical Impact Sprinkler," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-13, September.
    3. López-Mata, E. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Orengo-Valverde, J.J. & Pardo, J.J. & Domínguez, A., 2019. "Irrigation scheduling to maximize crop gross margin under limited water availability," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Fernández, J.E. & Alcon, F. & Diaz-Espejo, A. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Cuevas, M.V., 2020. "Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pardo, J.J. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Léllis, B.C. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Domínguez, A., 2020. "Effect of the optimized regulated deficit irrigation methodology on water use in barley under semiarid conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    2. Karam, F. & Amacha, N. & Fahed, S. & EL Asmar, T. & Domínguez, A., 2014. "Response of potato to full and deficit irrigation under semiarid climate: Agronomic and economic implications," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 144-151.
    3. Léllis, B.C. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Schwartz, R.C. & Pardo, J.J. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Domínguez, A., 2022. "Effect of the optimized regulated deficit irrigation methodology on water use in garlic," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    4. López-Mata, E. & Orengo-Valverde, J.J. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Domínguez, A., 2016. "Development of a direct-solution algorithm for determining the optimal crop planning of farms using deficit irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 173-187.
    5. López-Mata, E. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Orengo-Valverde, J.J. & Pardo, J.J. & Domínguez, A., 2019. "Irrigation scheduling to maximize crop gross margin under limited water availability," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    6. Domínguez, A. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Leite, K.N. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & de Juan, J.A. & López-Urrea, R., 2013. "Combination of typical meteorological year with regulated deficit irrigation to improve the profitability of garlic growing in central spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 154-167.
    7. Pardo, J.J. & Domínguez, A. & Léllis, B.C. & Montoya, F. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2022. "Effect of the optimized regulated deficit irrigation methodology on quality, profitability and sustainability of barley in water scarce areas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    8. Martínez-Romero, A. & Martínez-Navarro, A. & Pardo, J.J. & Montoya, F. & Domínguez, A., 2017. "Real farm management depending on the available volume of irrigation water (part II): Analysis of crop parameters and harvest quality," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 58-70.
    9. Martínez-Romero, A. & López-Urrea, R. & Montoya, F. & Pardo, J.J. & Domínguez, A., 2021. "Optimization of irrigation scheduling for barley crop, combining AquaCrop and MOPECO models to simulate various water-deficit regimes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    10. Lima, F.A. & Córcoles, J.I. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2019. "Model for management of an on-demand irrigation network based on irrigation scheduling of crops to minimize energy use (Part II): Financial impact of regulated deficit irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 44-54.
    11. Leite, K.N. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Domínguez, A., 2015. "Distribution of limited irrigation water based on optimized regulated deficit irrigation and typical metheorological year concepts," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 164-176.
    12. López-Urrea, R. & Domínguez, A. & Pardo, J.J. & Montoya, F. & García-Vila, M. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2020. "Parameterization and comparison of the AquaCrop and MOPECO models for a high-yielding barley cultivar under different irrigation levels," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    13. Domínguez, A. & Martínez-Navarro, A. & López-Mata, E. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2017. "Real farm management depending on the available volume of irrigation water (part I): Financial analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 71-84.
    14. Martínez-Romero, A. & Domínguez, A. & Landeras, G., 2019. "Regulated deficit irrigation strategies for different potato cultivars under continental Mediterranean-Atlantic conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 164-176.
    15. Léllis, B.C. & Carvalho, D.F. & Martínez-Romero, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Domínguez, A., 2017. "Effective management of irrigation water for carrot under constant and optimized regulated deficit irrigation in Brazil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 294-305.
    16. Domínguez, A. & de Juan, J.A. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez, R.S. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2012. "Determination of optimal regulated deficit irrigation strategies for maize in a semi-arid environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 67-77.
    17. Sánchez-Virosta, A & Léllis, B.C & Pardo, J.J & Martínez-Romero, A & Sánchez-Gómez, D & Domínguez, A, 2020. "Functional response of garlic to optimized regulated deficit irrigation (ORDI) across crop stages and years: Is physiological performance impaired at the most sensitive stages to water deficit?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    18. Domínguez, Alfonso & Schwartz, Robert C. & Pardo, José J. & Guerrero, Bridget & Bell, Jourdan M. & Colaizzi, Paul D. & Louis Baumhardt, R., 2022. "Center pivot irrigation capacity effects on maize yield and profitability in the Texas High Plains," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    19. Pardo, J.J. & Sánchez-Virosta, A. & Léllis, B.C. & Domínguez, A. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2022. "Physiological basis to assess barley response to optimized regulated deficit irrigation for limited volumes of water (ORDIL)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    20. Schwartz, Robert C. & Domínguez, Alfonso & Pardo, José J. & Colaizzi, Paul D. & Baumhardt, R. Louis & Bell, Jourdan M., 2020. "A crop coefficient –based water use model with non-uniform root distribution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:211:y:2019:i:c:p:178-189. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.