.
Photos courtesy of NRCS Irrigation Page
|
|
|
| 1. Unit outline
and aims
|
4. Unit reading list |
| 2. Outline of
lecture titles:
Lecture titles from weeks 1-10. |
5. Comments on webpage |
| 3. Useful websites | 6. Unit Assessment |
| 7. example: irrigation scheduling | 8. Past exam papers |
.
.
Photos courtesy of NRCS Irrigation Page
Unit outline and aims for AG843 Crop Water Relations and Irrigation
There is an increasing use of water for the irrigation of agricultural crops, and the possibility of irrigation has greatly enhanced production and food stability in many tropical and semi-tropical countries. In this module, students will be provided with an understanding of the physical and physiological principles of water supply and utilisation by crops. These principles are used to illustrate the basis of irrigation management, and the characteristics of a variety of irrigation systems are compared.
At the end of this module you will be able to:
Week1 Soil water
dynamics
LS
WK2 Water
uptake by plants
LS
WK3 Reference crop evapotranspiration MD
WK4 Crop coefficients and actual evapotranspiration MD
WK5 Synthesis of soil and crop water relations LS
WK6 Irrigation scheduling and sources of water for irrigation JAF
WK7
Irrigation Methods I: Surface and sub-surface irrigation
JAF
examples of surface irrigation
WK8 CANCELLED JAF
WK9 Irrigation
Methods II: Overhead Irrigation.
JAF
examples of overhead irrigation
WK 10 Soil water conservation and module synthesis (ppt.file) JAF
LS: Dr Lester Simmonds, Dept
of Soil Science
email: asssimmo@rdg.ac.uk
MD: Dr. Mike Dennett, Dept
of Agricultural Botany
email: m.d.dennett@rdg.ac.uk
JAF: Dr John Finn, Dept
of Agriculture.
email: j.a.finn@rdg.ac.uk
Course-work and further details will be distributed in week 5.
CROPWAT:
A computer program for irrigation planning and management.
CROPWAT is a decision support system developed by the Land and Water
Development Division of FAO.
See Doorenbos and Kassam (1979) and/or Doorenbos and Pruitt (1977)
for basis of calculations used in CROPWAT (see References).
Revised
FAO Methodology for Crop Water Requirements
In the early 1970's, FAO developed a practical procedure to estimate
crop water requirements, which has become a widely accepted standard, in
particular for irrigation studies. Since the publication of the methodology
as FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No24, new concepts and advances in
research made a review and revision necessary.
Special
Issue of Experimental Biology on water deficits and plant growth
- J. Exp. Bot. Vol. 51(350) Sept. 2000: Turgor, Cell Growth
and Leaf Development; Root Function and Adaptatio; Synthesis and Functions
of ABA; Whole Plant Integration and Agriculture Exploitation
Guidelines
for Planning Irrigation and Drainage Investment Projects
FAO INVESTMENT CENTRE TECHNICAL PAPER SERIES NO. 11, 1996
Agricultural
Investment to Promote Improved Capture and use of Rainfall in Dryland
Farming
FAO INVESTMENT CENTRE TECHNICAL PAPER SERIES NO. 10, 1995
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service provides a very impressive selection of photos of various irrigation methods.
The Irrigation Association
As the irrigation industry's organization, they "represent professionals
who channel their expertise toward a common goal -efficient irrigation.
Conservation, the quality & quantity of water, is our mission."
See in particular the page about their water
management committee.
See a short Encarta article about irrigation.
The International Commission
on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) is dedicated to enhancing the
worldwide supply of food and fibre for all people by improving water and
land management and the productivity of irrigated and drained lands through
appropriate management of water, environment and application of irrigation,
drainage and flood management techniques.
Surface irrigation: furrows (left) and gated pipe (right). Photos
courtesy of NRCS Irrigation Page.
Reading list for CROP WATER RELATIONS AND IRRIGATION
Recommended reading
Irrigation
Kay M (1986). Surface irrigation systems and practice. 631.7-KAY (2 copies).
Barrow C (1987). Water resources in the tropics. 631.70913-BAR
Doneen LD and Westcot (1984). Irrigation practice and water management. Folio 631.6-FAO I Rev 1.
Doorenbos J and Kassam AH (1979). Yield responses to water. FAO. Folio631.6-FAO.
Doorenbos J and Pruitt WO (1977). Guidelines for predicting crop water requirements. FAO Drainage Paper 24. Folio 631.6-FAO/24 (2 copies).
Hargrove WL (1988). Cropping strategies for efficient use of water and nitrogen. 631.5-CRO (2 copies).
Hillel D (1997). Small-scale irrigation for arid zones. 631.7-HIL.
KellerJ and BliesnerRD (1990). Sprinkle and trickle irrigation. 631.7-KEL.
Penman HL (1986). Scientific aspects of irrigation schemes. Folio 631.7-SCI.
Soil water reading list
"Soil Science: Methods and applications". Author - D.L.Rowell (See chapters on "Water in soil" and "Availability of water" written by Dr Simmonds and closely linked to lecture material.) Published by Longmans.
Other useful general texts on soil physics are:
Soil Physics. T.J. Marshall and J.W. Holmes. Published by Cambridge
University Press.
"Fundementals of Soil Physics" and "Applications of Soil Physics". Both by D. Hillel, published by Academic Press.
General reading
Human appropriation of renewable fresh water. 1996. Postel, Daily and Ehrlich. Science 271: 785- 788.
How many people can the Earth support? Joel E. Cohen. See especially Chapter 14 (Water: a Case Study) for a consideration of water availability as a limiting factor to human population growth.
Threats to the World’s Water. Maurits la Riviere. Scientific American,
September 1989. Pp 48-55.
Additional reading
Edwards CA, Madden P, Millar R, and House G (1991). Sustainable
Agricultural Systems, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Iowa, USA
Special
Issue of Experimental Biology on water deficits and plant growth
