Flexible delivery schedules to improve farm irrigation and reduce pressure on groundwater: a case study in southern Italy |
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| Authors: | Daniele Zaccaria Ines Oueslati Christopher M U Neale Nicola Lamaddalena Michele Vurro Luis S Pereira |
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| Institution: | (1) Division of Land and Water Resources Management, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-IAMB), Via Ceglie, 9, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy;(2) Department of Biological and Irrigation Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4105, USA;(3) Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque (IRSA), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via De Blasio, 5, 70125 Bari, Italy;(4) Agricultural Engineering Research Center, Institute of Agronomy, Technical University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | This study was conducted on an irrigated area of southern Italy to analyze the current operation of a large-scale irrigation
delivery system and the effects of the operation procedures on crop irrigation management and aquifer salinity increase. The
area is characterized by relatively high levels of groundwater salinity in the summer that are probably due to intensive groundwater
pumping by farmers during periods of peak irrigation demand, with the resulting seawater intrusion. Two alternative delivery
schedules, namely the rotation delivery schedule and the flexible delivery schedule, referred to as RDS and FDS, respectively,
were simulated using a soil-water balance model under different combinations of crop, soil and climatic conditions. The first
set of simulations concerned the farm irrigation management constrained by the rotational delivery used by the local water
management organization. The second scenario simulated the farm irrigation schedule most commonly used by growers in the area
for maximizing crop yields. Based on crop irrigation management under RDS and FDS, two alternative operational scenarios were
also developed at the scheme level and then compared for evaluation. Winter and summer salinity maps of the aquifer were developed
by interpolating salinity measurements of the groundwater samples collected during the 2006 irrigation season. From these
maps, a close relationship can be inferred among delivery schedule, aquifer exploitation and salinity increase, which justifies
the need for implementing FDS that might reduce the groundwater demand for irrigation. |
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