IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v194y2017icp78-89.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water saving practices enhance regional efficiency of water consumption and water productivity in an arid agricultural area with shallow groundwater

Author

Listed:
  • Xue, Jingyuan
  • Guan, Huade
  • Huo, Zailin
  • Wang, Fengxin
  • Huang, Guanhua
  • Boll, Jan

Abstract

Improving the efficiency of water consumption and water productivity is the key approach to satisfy sustainable water resource supply and food demand. As effective measures, water saving practices are implemented in arid and semi-arid regions. For areas with shallow groundwater, water used for irrigation is not entirely consumptively used. The majority of irrigation water infiltrations below the root zone are stored in shallow groundwater. This can be reused as groundwater based evapotranspiration (ETg) at the regional scale. Thus, actual regional efficiency of water consumption (REWC) based on all water within the hydrological system is greater than based on consumptive use only. Accurately evaluating the response of REWC and regional water productivity (RWP) to water saving practices is essential due to the complexity of the hydrological system. In this study, regional ETg and regional evapotranspiration (ET) of the past 20 years were reproduced in a typical arid irrigation district with shallow groundwater based on the water balance method. Furthermore, REWC and RWP were estimated to investigate the impact of water saving practices to regional water use. Simulation results show that groundwater is a significant water source of regional ET in arid regions with a shallow aquifer and contributes more than 16% of regional ET for the irrigation district. Water saving practice implementation enhances the contribution of groundwater to ET. After water saving practices implementation, annual REWC and RWP have been improved by 0.07 and 0.1kg/m3, respectively. Furthermore, negative correlation between REWC and I+P (the total water supply including rainfall and irrigation water diversion) and positive correlation between RWP and REWC demonstrate that water saving practices can reduce the non-beneficial water losses by evaporation and enhance productivity by a lower groundwater table. Overall, shallow groundwater plays an important role to enhance REWC and RWP and the contribution of groundwater to regional water use needs to be considered as part of a reasonable water saving strategy towards a sustainable agricultural system.

Suggested Citation

  • Xue, Jingyuan & Guan, Huade & Huo, Zailin & Wang, Fengxin & Huang, Guanhua & Boll, Jan, 2017. "Water saving practices enhance regional efficiency of water consumption and water productivity in an arid agricultural area with shallow groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 78-89.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:194:y:2017:i:c:p:78-89
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2017.09.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377417302913
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.09.003?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. Talebnejad, R. & Sepaskhah, A.R., 2015. "Effect of deficit irrigation and different saline groundwater depths on yield and water productivity of quinoa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 225-238.
    2. Rao, Sajjan Singh & Tanwar, Suresh Pal Singh & Regar, Panna Lal, 2016. "Effect of deficit irrigation, phosphorous inoculation and cycocel spray on root growth, seed cotton yield and water productivity of drip irrigated cotton in arid environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 14-25.
    3. Xu Xu & Guanhua Huang & Zhongyi Qu & Luis Pereira, 2011. "Using MODFLOW and GIS to Assess Changes in Groundwater Dynamics in Response to Water Saving Measures in Irrigation Districts of the Upper Yellow River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(8), pages 2035-2059, June.
    4. Molden, David & Oweis, Theib & Steduto, Pasquale & Bindraban, Prem & Hanjra, Munir A. & Kijne, Jacob, 2010. "Improving agricultural water productivity: Between optimism and caution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 528-535, April.
    5. Mermoud, A. & Tamini, T.D. & Yacouba, H., 2005. "Impacts of different irrigation schedules on the water balance components of an onion crop in a semi-arid zone," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 77(1-3), pages 282-295, August.
    6. Xu, Xu & Huang, Guanhua & Qu, Zhongyi & Pereira, Luis S., 2010. "Assessing the groundwater dynamics and impacts of water saving in the Hetao Irrigation District, Yellow River basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 301-313, December.
    7. Qiuhong Tang & Heping Hu & Taikan Oki & Fuqiang Tian, 2007. "Water Balance within Intensively Cultivated Alluvial Plain in an Arid Environment," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(10), pages 1703-1715, October.
    8. Yu, Ruihong & Liu, Tingxi & Xu, Youpeng & Zhu, Chao & Zhang, Qing & Qu, Zhongyi & Liu, Xiaomin & Li, Changyou, 2010. "Analysis of salinization dynamics by remote sensing in Hetao Irrigation District of North China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(12), pages 1952-1960, November.
    9. Gowing, J.W. & Rose, D.A. & Ghamarnia, H., 2009. "The effect of salinity on water productivity of wheat under deficit irrigation above shallow groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 517-524, March.
    10. Deng, Xi-Ping & Shan, Lun & Zhang, Heping & Turner, Neil C., 2006. "Improving agricultural water use efficiency in arid and semiarid areas of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(1-3), pages 23-40, February.
    11. Seckler, D. & Molden, D. & Sakthivadivel, R., 2003. "The concept of efficiency in water resources management and policy," IWMI Books, Reports H032634, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Liu, Zhongyi & Chen, Hang & Huo, Zailin & Wang, Fengxin & Shock, Clinton C., 2016. "Analysis of the contribution of groundwater to evapotranspiration in an arid irrigation district with shallow water table," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 131-141.
    13. Goncalves, J.M. & Pereira, L.S. & Fang, S.X. & Dong, B., 2007. "Modelling and multicriteria analysis of water saving scenarios for an irrigation district in the upper Yellow River Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-3), pages 93-108, December.
    14. Immerzeel, W.W. & Gaur, A. & Zwart, S.J., 2008. "Integrating remote sensing and a process-based hydrological model to evaluate water use and productivity in a south Indian catchment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 11-24, January.
    15. Jhorar, R.K. & Smit, A.A.M.F.R. & Roest, C.W.J., 2009. "Assessment of alternative water management options for irrigated agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(6), pages 975-981, June.
    16. Blanke, Amelia & Rozelle, Scott & Lohmar, Bryan & Wang, Jinxia & Huang, Jikun, 2007. "Water saving technology and saving water in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 139-150, January.
    17. Changsen Zhao & Bing Shen & Lingmei Huang & Zhidong Lei & Heping Hu & Shixiu Yang, 2009. "A Dissipative Hydrological Model for the Hotan Oasis (DHMHO)," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(6), pages 1183-1210, April.
    18. Perry, Chris, 2011. "Accounting for water use: Terminology and implications for saving water and increasing production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(12), pages 1840-1846, October.
    19. Jiang, Yao & Xu, Xu & Huang, Quanzhong & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2015. "Assessment of irrigation performance and water productivity in irrigated areas of the middle Heihe River basin using a distributed agro-hydrological model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 67-81.
    20. Ghamarnia, Houshang & Jalili, Zahra, 2014. "Shallow saline groundwater use by Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) in the presence of surface water in a semi-arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 89-100.
    21. Perry, Chris & Steduto, Pasquale & Allen, Richard. G. & Burt, Charles M., 2009. "Increasing productivity in irrigated agriculture: Agronomic constraints and hydrological realities," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1517-1524, November.
    22. Karam, Fadi & Lahoud, Rafic & Masaad, Randa & Kabalan, Rabih & Breidi, Joelle & Chalita, Claude & Rouphael, Youssef, 2007. "Evapotranspiration, seed yield and water use efficiency of drip irrigated sunflower under full and deficit irrigation conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 213-223, June.
    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. Xiao, Xue & Xu, Xu & Ren, Dongyang & Huang, Quanzhong & Huang, Guanhua, 2021. "Modeling the behavior of shallow groundwater system in sustaining arid agroecosystems with fragmented land use," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    2. Hou, Chenli & Tian, Delong & Xu, Bing & Ren, Jie & Hao, Lei & Chen, Ning & Li, Xianyue, 2021. "Use of the stable oxygen isotope method to evaluate the difference in water consumption and utilization strategy between alfalfa and maize fields in an arid shallow groundwater area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    3. Kelley, Jason & Olson, Bailey, 2022. "Interannual variability of water productivity on the Eastern Snake Plain in Idaho, United States," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    4. Wen, Yeqiang & Shang, Songhao & Rahman, Khalil Ur & Xia, Yuhong & Ren, Dongyang, 2020. "A semi-distributed drainage model for monthly drainage water and salinity simulation in a large irrigation district in arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    5. Shaojian Chen & Yuanyuan Cao & Jun Li, 2021. "The Effect of Water Rights Trading Policy on Water Resource Utilization Efficiency: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, May.
    6. Lina Mi & Juncang Tian & Jianning Si & Yuchun Chen & Yinghai Li & Xinhe Wang, 2020. "Evolution of Groundwater in Yinchuan Oasis at the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River after Water-Saving Transformation and Its Driving Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.
    7. Quan, Hao & Wu, Lihong & Ding, Dianyuan & Yang, Zhenting & Wang, Naijiang & Chen, Guangjie & Li, Cheng & Dong, Qin'ge & Feng, Hao & Zhang, Tibin & Siddique, Kadambot H.M., 2022. "Interaction between soil water and fertilizer utilization on maize under plastic mulching in an arid irrigation region of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    8. Liu, Meihan & Paredes, Paula & Shi, Haibin & Ramos, Tiago B. & Dou, Xu & Dai, Liping & Pereira, Luis S., 2022. "Impacts of a shallow saline water table on maize evapotranspiration and groundwater contribution using static water table lysimeters and the dual Kc water balance model SIMDualKc," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    9. Wang, Donglin & Feng, Hao & Li, Yi & Zhang, Tibin & Dyck, Miles & Wu, Feng, 2019. "Energy input-output, water use efficiency and economics of winter wheat under gravel mulching in Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 354-366.
    10. Sun, Guanfang & Zhu, Yan & Ye, Ming & Yang, Jinzhong & Qu, Zhongyi & Mao, Wei & Wu, Jingwei, 2019. "Development and application of long-term root zone salt balance model for predicting soil salinity in arid shallow water table area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 486-498.
    11. Zhao, Tianxing & Zhu, Yan & Ye, Ming & Yang, Jinzhong & Jia, Biao & Mao, Wei & Wu, Jingwei, 2022. "A new approach for estimating spatial-temporal phreatic evapotranspiration at a regional scale using NDVI and water table depth measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    12. Gao, Xiaoyu & Huo, Zailin & Xu, Xu & Qu, Zhongyi & Huang, Guanhua & Tang, Pengcheng & Bai, Yining, 2018. "Shallow groundwater plays an important role in enhancing irrigation water productivity in an arid area: The perspective from a regional agricultural hydrology simulation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 43-58.
    13. Zhang, Xiaoxing & Guo, Ping & Zhang, Fan & Liu, Xiao & Yue, Qiong & Wang, Youzhi, 2021. "Optimal irrigation water allocation in Hetao Irrigation District considering decision makers’ preference under uncertainties," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    14. Zhou, Qing & Zhang, Yali & Wu, Feng, 2021. "Evaluation of the most proper management scale on water use efficiency and water productivity: A case study of the Heihe River Basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(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. Liu, Meihan & Paredes, Paula & Shi, Haibin & Ramos, Tiago B. & Dou, Xu & Dai, Liping & Pereira, Luis S., 2022. "Impacts of a shallow saline water table on maize evapotranspiration and groundwater contribution using static water table lysimeters and the dual Kc water balance model SIMDualKc," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    2. Miao, Qingfeng & Rosa, Ricardo D. & Shi, Haibin & Paredes, Paula & Zhu, Li & Dai, Jiaxin & Gonçalves, José M. & Pereira, Luis S., 2016. "Modeling water use, transpiration and soil evaporation of spring wheat–maize and spring wheat–sunflower relay intercropping using the dual crop coefficient approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 211-229.
    3. Lina Mi & Juncang Tian & Jianning Si & Yuchun Chen & Yinghai Li & Xinhe Wang, 2020. "Evolution of Groundwater in Yinchuan Oasis at the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River after Water-Saving Transformation and Its Driving Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Xu, Xu & Huang, Guanhua & Sun, Chen & Pereira, Luis S. & Ramos, Tiago B. & Huang, Quanzhong & Hao, Yuanyuan, 2013. "Assessing the effects of water table depth on water use, soil salinity and wheat yield: Searching for a target depth for irrigated areas in the upper Yellow River basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 46-60.
    5. Pereira, Luis S. & Cordery, Ian & Iacovides, Iacovos, 2012. "Improved indicators of water use performance and productivity for sustainable water conservation and saving," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 39-51.
    6. Xu Xu & Guanhua Huang & Zhongyi Qu & Luis Pereira, 2011. "Using MODFLOW and GIS to Assess Changes in Groundwater Dynamics in Response to Water Saving Measures in Irrigation Districts of the Upper Yellow River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(8), pages 2035-2059, June.
    7. Yan, Nana & Wu, Bingfang & Perry, Chris & Zeng, Hongwei, 2015. "Assessing potential water savings in agriculture on the Hai Basin plain, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 11-19.
    8. Li, Xiaolin & Tong, Ling & Niu, Jun & Kang, Shaozhong & Du, Taisheng & Li, Sien & Ding, Risheng, 2017. "Spatio-temporal distribution of irrigation water productivity and its driving factors for cereal crops in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 55-63.
    9. Ghahroodi, E. Mokari & Noory, H. & Liaghat, A.M., 2015. "Performance evaluation study and hydrologic and productive analysis of irrigation systems at the Qazvin irrigation network (Iran)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 189-195.
    10. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    11. Guanfang Sun & Yan Zhu & Zhaoliang Gao & Jinzhong Yang & Zhongyi Qu & Wei Mao & Jingwei Wu, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Patterns and Key Driving Factors of Soil Salinity in Dry and Wet Years in an Arid Agricultural Area with Shallow Groundwater Table," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, August.
    12. Li, Jiang & Mao, Xiaomin & Li, Mo, 2017. "Modeling hydrological processes in oasis of Heihe River Basin by landscape unit-based conceptual models integrated with FEFLOW and GIS," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 338-351.
    13. Zhao, Tianxing & Zhu, Yan & Ye, Ming & Yang, Jinzhong & Jia, Biao & Mao, Wei & Wu, Jingwei, 2022. "A new approach for estimating spatial-temporal phreatic evapotranspiration at a regional scale using NDVI and water table depth measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    14. 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).
    15. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," IWMI Books, Reports H046807, International Water Management Institute.
    16. Jinglin Zhang & Wei Zhang & Dongsheng Li & Xueliang Chen & Wei Zhang, 2022. "Regime Shifts in the Hexi Oases over the Past Three Decades: The Case of the Linze Oasis in the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-13, December.
    17. Xu, Hang & Song, Jianfeng, 2022. "Drivers of the irrigation water rebound effect: A case study of Hetao irrigation district in Yellow River basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    18. Lecina, S. & Isidoro, D. & Playán, E. & Aragüés, R., 2010. "Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1663-1675, October.
    19. Huang, Qiuqiong & Wang, Jinxia & Li, Yumin, 2017. "Do water saving technologies save water? Empirical evidence from North China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-16.
    20. Xiong, Lvyang & Jiang, Yao & Li, Xinyi & Ren, Dongyang & Huang, Guanhua, 2023. "Long-term regional groundwater responses and their ecological impacts under agricultural water saving in an arid irrigation district, upper Yellow River basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 288(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:194:y:2017:i:c:p:78-89. 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.