Effects of a suspended shade cloth cover on water quality of an agricultural reservoir for irrigation

J.F. Maestre-Valero, V. Martínez-Alvarez, B. Gallego-Elvira and P. Pittaway

Agricultural Water Management, 2011, vol. 100, issue 1, 70-75

Abstract: Water availability and quality are two fundamental factors for agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluates the effects of a water-permeable, Suspended Shade Cloth Cover (SSCC), on the quality of water stored in an on-farm Agricultural Water Reservoir (AWR). Water quality (water temperature, electrical conductivity, chlorophyll-a concentration, dissolved oxygen concentration and water turbidity) and environmental (evaporation, rainfall, wind speed and solar radiation) parameters were measured over a 2-year period in a typical AWR located in south-eastern Spain. In the first year, the AWR remained uncovered and the behaviour was quasi-isothermal. In the second year, installing a SSCC induced a thermal gradient in the water that reached a maximum temperature difference of 12°C during summer. The lack of turbulence under the cover and the reduction in photosynthesis (95% reduction of chlorophyll-a) reduced the concentration of dissolved oxygen to 1.5mgL−1, and turbidity from 40NTU at installation to less than 1NTU. The positive balance between rainfall and evaporation during the second year reduced the electrical conductivity of the water by 8.2%. The improvement in water quality associated with the installation of a SSCC increases the efficiency of drip irrigation systems by reducing the water filtering requirements, the likelihood of emitter clogging, and the risk of irrigation-induced salinity.

Keywords: Small dams; Drip irrigation; Electrical conductivity; Chorophyll-a; Dissolved oxygen concentration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:100:y:2011:i:1:p:70-75

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2011.08.020

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