Subsurface irrigation with ceramic emitters: Evaluating soil water effects under multiple precipitation scenarios

Yaohui Cai, Pute Wu, Xiaodong Gao, Delan Zhu, Lin Zhang, Zhiguang Dai, Henry Wai Chau and Xining Zhao

Agricultural Water Management, 2022, vol. 272, issue C

Abstract: China's Loess Plateau is the optimal and largest region of growing apple trees in the world. Subsurface irrigation with ceramic emitters (SICE) is an energy-efficient and water-saving approach for fruit trees in arid and semi-arid regions. Climate change, which is shifting annual precipitation regimes, is challenging the existing irrigation scheduling. However, little is known about how annual precipitation change affect the irrigation scheduling with SICE. Therefore, simulations with HYDRUS-2D and validation experiments in apple orchard were used to study the effects of the event- and annual-scale precipitation and ceramic hydraulic conductivity of emitter (CHC) on soil water dynamics. Results indicated that annul precipitation slightly affected the irrigation volume, however precipitation events had a significant effect on emitter discharge; the outflow was 22.7% and 49.7% lower in soil than in air with CHC of 0.017 and 0.077 m d−1. There was a significant positive correlation among CHC, irrigation volume and deep percolation. Precipitation and CHC both have a significant effect on the soil water content in apple orchards, the average SWCs of wet year were 17.8%− 24.7% higher than normal and dry year, the average SWC was 0.154 and 0.191 cm3 cm−3 with emitter hydraulic conductivities of 0.017 and 0.077 m d−1, respectively, in 2010. SICE could provide a stable soil water environment for apple trees in different precipitation years. Apple trees could be continuously irrigated by SICE until July, and irrigation could be stopped when the average SWC exceeds 0.20 cm3 cm−3 after July in Loess Plateau. This work may assist orchard managers in adapting their orchards by SICE to meet apple growth under future climate change conditions.

Keywords: Hydrus; Climate change; Irrigation; Apple (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:272:y:2022:i:c:s0378377422003985

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107851

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