Improving the Water-Use Efficiency and the Agricultural Productivity: An Application Case in a Modernized Semiarid Region in North-Central Mexico

Julián González-Trinidad, Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira, Carlos Bautista-Capetillo, Laura Ávila Dávila and Cruz Octavio Robles Rovelo
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Julián González-Trinidad: Campus Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira: Campus Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Carlos Bautista-Capetillo: Campus Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Laura Ávila Dávila: Campus Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Cruz Octavio Robles Rovelo: Campus Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: The increasing population demands a greater quantity of food. In order to satisfy the world’s demand, one of the main challenges worldwide consists of modernizing the current irrigation systems. This research shows an experience carried out in a modernized irrigation module in Central-North Mexico following these objectives: to evaluate the impact of the modernization of the irrigation module, to analyze the agricultural productivity, and to assess a group of parameters related with the agricultural production (system conduction and distribution efficiencies, water productivity, among others) and the water volumes after and before the modernization. After a drought period, a methodology was performed in commercial parcels in 2013 to increase the yield of different crops. Some of the activities were: soil leveling, estimation of the soil properties (field capacity, wilting point, bulk density, pH, and organic matter), optimum fertilization applications, use of a model to scheduling irrigation, measure volumes extracted at the parcel level. With the modernization and the method used, around 1800 and 2000 m 3 ha −1 were saved with respect to the initial granted volume by the Comisión Nacional del Agua and increase in the global efficiency was also achieved (from 55% to 85%). All crop yields increased, i.e., for corn from 2.5 kg/m 3 to 3.8 kg/m 3 . The impact of modernization accompanied with an effective operation allowed a significant increase of the crop yield and water productivity. Despite a controlled distribution of water being carried out, future research should contemplate free water demand scenarios and automation irrigation for improving the module operation.

Keywords: increased water productivity; modernized irrigation module; semiarid area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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