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Sprinkler evaporation losses in alfalfa during solid-set sprinkler irrigation in semiarid areas

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Abstract

Gross sprinkler evaporation losses (SELg) can be large and decrease irrigation application efficiency. However, it is not universally established how much of the SELg contributes to decrease the crop evapotranspiration during the sprinkler irrigation and how much are the net sprinkler losses (SELn). The components of SEL were the wind drift and evaporation losses (WDEL) and the water intercepted by the crop (IL). The gross WDEL (WDELg) and evapotranspiration (ET) were measured simultaneously in two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plots, one being irrigated (moist, MT) and the other one not being irrigated (dry, DT). Catch can measurements, mass gains, and losses in the lysimeters and micrometeorological measurements were performed to establish net WDEL (WDELn) during the irrigation and net IL (ILn) after the irrigation as the difference between ETMT and ETDT. Also, equations to estimate ILn and net sprinkler evaporation losses (SELn) were developed. ILn was strongly related to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). SELn were 8.3 % of the total applied water. During daytime irrigations, SELn was 9.8 % of the irrigation water and slightly less than WDELg (10.9 %). During nighttime irrigations, SELn were slightly greater than WDELg (5.4 and 3.7 %, respectively). SELn was mainly a function of wind speed.

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Notes

  1. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this article is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the CITA-DGA or the CSIC or the ARS-USDA of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.

Abbreviations

ai:

After irrigation

AMRE:

Average magnitude of relative error

CV:

Coefficient of variation

d1:

Large nozzle diameter (mm)

d2:

Small nozzle diameter (mm)

D C :

Discharge coefficient (=0.98)

di:

During irrigation

DT:

Dry treatment

E :

Coefficient of efficiency

EF:

Water application efficiency (%)

EP:

Effective precipitation (mm)

ETo :

Reference evapotranspiration (mm)

ETc :

Crop evapotranspiration (mm)

ETDT :

Evapotranspiration rate of the dry treatment plot (mm h−1)

ETMT :

Evapotranspiration rate of the moist treatment plot (mm h−1)

g :

Gravity acceleration (ms−2)

H :

Nozzle height (m)

I cc :

Irrigation depth collected in the catch can (mm)

I g :

Gross irrigation depth (mm)

I lcc :

Irrigation depth collected in the lysimeter (mm)

I lq :

Irrigation application for the lowest quarter of the field (mm)

I lys :

Irrigation depth recorded by the lysimeter (mm)

IL:

Intercepted losses (% or mm)

ILg :

Gross intercepted losses (% or mm)

ILn :

Net interception losses (% or mm)

IS:

Similarity index

k :

Total irrigation duration (h)

K c :

Crop coefficient

MAE:

Mean average error

MSE:

Mean square error

m :

Time after irrigation event considered to compute the ILn (h)

MT:

Moist treatment

NIR:

Net irrigation requirements (mm)

P :

Pressure at the nozzle (kPa)

Pred [0.25]:

The level of prediction to 25 %

Q :

Sprinkler flow rate (ls−1)

R 2 :

Coefficient of determination

RH:

Air relative humidity (%)

S :

Area irrigated by one sprinkler (m2)

SEL:

Sprinkler evaporation losses (mm or %)

SELn :

Net sprinkler evaporation losses (mm or %)

T :

Air temperature (ºC)

TV:

Canopy temperature (ºC)

t :

Operating time of the irrigation event (s, h)

WDEL:

Wind drift and evaporation losses (%)

WDELg :

Gross wind drift and evaporation losses (%)

WDELn :

Net wind drift and evaporation losses (%)

U :

Wind speed (ms−1)

VPD:

Vapor pressure deficit (kPa)

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Acknowledgments

The authors sequence in this paper follows the “first-last-author-emphasis” norm. This research was funded by the MCINN of the Government of Spain through grants AGL2007-66716-C03-01/02, AGL2010-21681-C03-01/03; the European Commission through grant QUALIWATER (INCO-CT-2005-015031) and by the FPI-MINECO PhD grants program. The authors would like to thank the support provided by Dr. José Cavero (CSIC-EEAD), Dr. Daniel Isidoro (CITA-DGA), Dr. Steven Evett, and Dr. Judy Tolk (USDA-ARS) at Bushland, TX. Thanks are particularly due to the CITA/CSIC field staff and technicians: Miguel Izquierdo, Jesus Gaudó, Juan Manuel Acín, Pilar Paniagua, Ricardo Santolaria, and Eva Medina. We are also thankful for the comments by the reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Agrifood Research and Technology Center of Aragón (CITA-DGA), Soil and Irrigation, Zaragoza, Spain

    Talel Stambouli & José Maria Faci

  2. Estación Experimental Aula Dei, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEAD-CSIC), Agua y Suelo, Zaragoza, Spain

    Antonio Martínez-Cob & Nery Zapata

  3. Conservation and Production Research Laboratory (CPRLARS-USDA), Soil and Water Resources Management Unit, Bushland, TX, USA

    Terry Howell

Authors
  1. Talel Stambouli
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  2. Antonio Martínez-Cob
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  3. José Maria Faci
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  4. Terry Howell
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Correspondence to Talel Stambouli.

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Communicated by J. Kijne.

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Stambouli, T., Martínez-Cob, A., Faci, J.M. et al. Sprinkler evaporation losses in alfalfa during solid-set sprinkler irrigation in semiarid areas. Irrig Sci 31, 1075–1089 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-012-0389-2

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