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Quantifying yield and water productivity gaps in an irrigation district under rotational delivery schedule

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Abstract

Removal of irrigation network limitations under a rotational delivery schedule has been focused on improving infrastructures without paying sufficient attention to improving management. We developed a methodology to assess the yield and water productivity gaps in the Río Dulce irrigation system, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. The AquaCrop model was used to determine the potential and attainable yields of maize and cotton under different water management scenarios. Actual yields and irrigation practices were determined by field surveys and farmers interviews. The AquaGIS tool facilitated the assessment of the spatial and temporal variations in yield using a daily climatic database of 26 years. The average yield gap (potential minus actual) amounted to 6 t ha−1 in maize and 2 t ha−1 in cotton. The average water productivity gap was 7 kg ha−1 mm−1 in maize and 2 kg ha−1 mm−1 in cotton. By a more effective use of the rotational delivery schedule, the yield gap could be partially closed, in particular if associated with other agronomic practices, namely nitrogen fertilization. The approach demonstrated the potential of combining field data collection with the use of AquaCrop to quantify the yield and WP gaps, and to propose management recommendations for closing the gaps.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been funded by: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA, Argentina); Programa Cooperativo para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Agroalimentario y Agroindustrial del Cono sur (PROCISUR); and Fondo Regional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (FONTAGRO). Special thanks to Carmen Ruz, (IAS-CSIC) for her skilled support. E. Fereres acknowledges his long-term friendship with his colleague Prof. L. Nijensohn, who carried out the original soil feasibility studies of the Río Dulce area in the late 1960s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero, Jujuy 850, 4200, Santiago del Estero, Argentina

    G. Angella, J. M. López, G. Barraza, R. Salgado, S. Prieto Angueira & P. Tomsic

  2. Facultad de Agronomía y Agroindustrias, Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero, Av. Belgrano (S) 1912, 4200, Santiago del Estero, Argentina

    G. Angella & S. Prieto Angueira

  3. Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus Universitario de Rabanales, 14014, Córdoba, Spain

    M. García Vila & E. Fereres

  4. Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Alameda del Obispo s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain

    E. Fereres

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  1. G. Angella
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  2. M. García Vila
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  3. J. M. López
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  4. G. Barraza
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  5. R. Salgado
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  6. S. Prieto Angueira
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  7. P. Tomsic
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  8. E. Fereres
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Correspondence to G. Angella.

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Communicated by V. Sadras.

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Angella, G., García Vila, M., López, J.M. et al. Quantifying yield and water productivity gaps in an irrigation district under rotational delivery schedule. Irrig Sci 34, 71–83 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-015-0486-0

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