Integrating rainwater harvesting with supplemental irrigation into rain-fed spring wheat farming

• Published in: Soil & tillage research Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 429 - 437
• Main Authors: Xiao, Guoju, Zhang, Qiang, Xiong, Youcai, Lin, Miaozi, Wang, Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; China; dryland farming; Efficiency of water saving supplemental irrigation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; furrow irrigation; furrows; General agronomy. Plant production; irrigation; Irrigation. Drainage; plastic film; rain; Rain-fed spring wheat; Rainwater harvesting; row covers; Semiarid region of China; semiarid zones; soil ridges; soil water deficit; spring wheat; Supplemental irrigation; Triticum aestivum; water use; China; Asia; Efficiency of water saving supplemental irrigation; Rainwater harvesting; Semiarid region of China; Rain-fed spring wheat; Supplemental irrigation; Monocotyledones; Water harvesting; Rainfed agriculture; Water conservation; Cereal crop; Geographical division; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Rain water; Spermatophyta; Soil science; Triticum aestivum; Farming
• ISSN: 0167-1987; 1879-3444
• DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2006.06.001

A field experiment was conducted at the Haiyuan Experimental Station (36°34′N, 105°39′E), in a semiarid region of China, from 2000 to 2003 for rain-fed spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum) production to maximize the utilization of low rainfall. This paper reports the two field cultivations of rainwater harvesting with a sowing in the furrow between film-covered ridges (SFFCR), and with a sowing in the holes on film-covered ridges (SHFCR). At the same time, the periods and indices of supplemental irrigation during the whole growth stage of rain-fed spring wheat were also studied. The periods of supplemental irrigation included the three-leaf stage (irrigated once), the elongation stage to flowering stage (irrigated twice), and the flowering stage to filling stage (irrigated once). The indices of supplemental irrigation during the whole growth stage of rain-fed spring wheat must reach over 59 and 40 mm in order to realize the 2250 and 2000 kg ha −1 yield, respectively. This research also presented such a concept of efficient water saving supplemental irrigation, which was considered as a new index of water saving irrigation. The experimental result showed that the efficiency of water saving supplemental irrigation of field cultivation with SFFCR was 5.5–5.8%, and with SHFCR was 9.4–9.6%. The efficiency of water saving supplemental irrigation of field cultivation with SHFCR was improved by 40.4% in comparison with SFFCR. Consequently, in this region, the integration of rainwater harvesting and supplemental irrigation can play a crucial role in the improvement of rain-fed spring wheat yields and water use.