Evaluating the Efficiency of Clay Reservoirs for the use of Unconventional Waters in Subsurface Irrigation

Authors

10.22052/deej.2020.9.28.1

Abstract

Introduction: As Iran faces limited water resources, it should take the use of unconventional waters into account in its drought management. In many countries, including Iran, conventional water is relatively scarce. However, should water, soil, and plants be appropriately managed, there would be significant saline water sources for irrigation purposes. Together with reducing salinity and refining polluted waters, subsurface irrigation is now considered as an increasingly important tool in improving the quality of unconventional waters. In this system, besides the application of subsurface irrigation, water is used at lower volumes and pressures, and soil and plant contamination are minimized, and thus, concerns regarding the use of wastewater in specific plant irrigation are reduced to some extent. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the efficiency of clay reservoirs in subsurface irrigation as a way to manage unconventional waters properly. It should be noted that such reservoirs are formed when saline and polluted waters with different concentrations are used
 
Material and Method: having been conducted at the lands of Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, this study investigated the possibility of making use of unconventional waters for subsurface irrigation through clay reservoirs. To this end, an experiment was performed with three replications, using random sampling. Some 50 cm×50 cm (width and depth) planting pits were drilled with a 2 m distance from each other. The clay reservoirs were made in 4.7-liter size, and solutions were prepared with their salinity concentrations being 4, 8, and 32 ds/m, and nitrate and phosphate concentrations being 5, 50, and 100 mg/L and 5, 30, 60 mg/L, respectively. The output of nitrate and phosphate was measured by UV spectrophotometry, and the electrical conductivity output was measured by an electrical conductivity meter. The depletion percentage of conventional water, saline water with different concentrations, and water with varying nitrate and phosphate concentrations were also measured over time. Moreover, the data analysis was performed in SPSS 22.0 Software.
 
Result: The results of the study showed that the difference between nitrate and phosphate concentration of clay reservoirs before and after the irrigation was 1.1, 0.8, and 2 mg/l and 1, 0.8, and 1.1 mg/l at concentrations of 5, 10, and 50 mg/l, respectively. The difference in sodium chloride concentration before and after the irrigation was 0.7, 0.7, and 1.4 ds/m at concentrations of 4, 8, and 32 dS/m, respectively, so the difference was not significant statistically (P>0.05). The depletion percentage in the control reservoir was higher than water polluted with nitrate and phosphate and the reservoirs filled with saline water.
 
Discussion and conclusion: The advancement of the wetting front increased with decreasing salinity levels of the pitchers' water. Salt concentration in the soil with pitcher irrigated by saline water was found to be minimum near the pitcher and maximum at the periphery of the wetted zone around the pitcher. One reason for a decrease in the flow rate with an increase in salt concentration could be the increase in the aqueous viscosity with concentration. It could, thus, be concluded that the rate of depletion partly decreases with increasing salinity and the amount of nitrate and phosphate in irrigation water over time, which was not noticeable and was attributed to the higher viscosity of saline water and the water contaminated with nitrate and phosphate. Should those responsible for developing water resources in Iran do not seek logical solutions for using other water resources, such as using low-quality water, the country would face serious problems. As water resources are limited, using unconventional waters would be very useful in drought management. Therefore, it seems that changing the policies regarding water management and arranging for the application of this irrigation method could help relevant Iranian officials manage the country's water crisis efficiently. In the last two decades, subsurface clay irrigation has been implemented in parts of the country. The use of saltwater and wastewater in this method would open new windows for the use of unconventional waters. As a result, pottery depletion is a suitable way to meet the plants' water needs, provided that proper filtration and acceptable irrigation water quality are used

Keywords


. Abedi, M.J., Neyrizi, S., Ebrahimi Birang, N., Maherani, M., Mehrdadi, N. and Khaledi, H., 2002. Use of saline waters in sustainable agriculture. Irrigation System Working Group on the Farm of the National Irrigation and Drainage Committee of Iran, Publication Number 69. 2. Anonymous, 2015. Meteorological statistics of Isfahan province in the years 1951-2010. 3. Bekhradi Pour, K. and Ghasemieh, H., 2012. Use of unconventional waters in water crisis management (Case study: Kashan plain), Water crisis conference in Kashan plain, Kashan University, Iran. (In Persian). 4. Blaylok, A.D., 1994. Soil salinity, Salt tolerance and growth potential of horticultural and landscape plants. Department of plant, Soil and Sciences College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming. 5. Datta, P.S., Deb, D.L. and Tyagi, S.K., 1997. Assessment of groundwater contamination from fertilizers in Delhi area based on 18O, NO3- and K+ composition. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 27(3-4): 249-62. 6. Dorta-Santos, M., Tejedor, M., Jiménez, C. Hernández-Moreno, J.M., Palacios-Díaz, M.P. and Díaz, F.J., 2015. Evaluating the sustainability of subsurface drip irrigation using recycled wastewater for a bioenergy crop on abandoned arid agricultural land. Ecological engineering, 79, 60-68. 7. Eskandari, M., 2012. Feasibility on the use of unconventional waters (waste water) in irrigation using nanotechnology. Jahad Daneshgahi, Tarbiat Modares University. 117 pages, (In Persian). 8. Fooladmand, H.R., 2010. Principles of irrigation. Navid Publications, Shiraz. 224 pages. (In Persian). 9. Ghorbani-Vaghei, H., Bahrami, H.A., Alizadeh, P. and Nasiri, F., 2011. Hydraulic characteristics of porous clay capsules and its effect on soil moisture distribution. Journal of Water Research in Agriculture, 9 (5), 131-140, (In Persian). 10. Ghorbani-Vaghei, H., Bahrami, H.A., Alizadeh, P., Nasiri, F. and Mahallati, Z., 2010. Improving physical and hydraulic properties of porous clay capsules from a subsurface point source. Twin International Conference on Geotechnical and Geo-Environmental Engineering CUM (7th) Ground Improvement Techniques. June 23-25. Seoul. Korea. 11. Gupta, S.K., 2002. Meeting Challenge of the Water Shortage: Rainwater Conservation in Land Reclamation Programs. ISCO Conference, 2 (17), 446-451. 12. Hejazi, S.M., 2014. subsoilirrigation.ir/fa/articles-fa/66-subsoilirrigation-fa1. 13. Keller, J., 2002. New Irrigation Technologies for Smallholders. Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, 1 (26), 1-5. 14. Khasi, M. and Kochakzadeh, M., 2010. Impact of irrigation with refined wastewater on cotton plant characteristics. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 41(2):229-235. (In Persian). 15. Majidi, E., Zarei, GH., Keshavarz, A. and Hejazi, S.M., 2009. Assessment of possibility of subsurface clay pipe irrigation method for agricultural and horticultural crops. Research Report. No. 88/281. Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), (In Persian). 16. Momeni, A., 2010. Geographical distribution and salinity levels of soil resources of Iran. Journal of Soil Research (Soil and Water Sciences), 24(3), 204-215. (In Persian). 17. Naik, B.S., Panda, R.K., Nayak, S.C. and Sharm, S.D., 2008. Hydraulics and salinity profile of pitcher irrigation in saline water condition. Journal of Agriculture Water Management, 95 (10), 1129- 1134. 18. Effect of using subsurface drip in irrigation of Tomato and Eggplant with Treated Municipal Wastewater. Journal of Soil and Water Science, 20 (1), 156-163, (In Persian). 19. Norozi, M., Meschi, M. and Maherani, M., 1999. Use of saline and brackish waters for irrigation. 76 pages, (In Persian). 20. Noshadi, M. and Shahraki Mojahed, R., 2015. Impact of saline water management on soil and yield of tomato in subsurface drip irrigation. Journal of Water Research in Agriculture, 28 (2), 376-384. 21. Oron, G., DeMalach, Y., Hoffman, Z., Keren, Y., Hartmann, H. and Plazner, N., 1990. Wastewater disposal by subsurface trickle irrigation. Proceedings Fifteenth Biennial Conference, IAWPRC, Kyoto, Japan, Jul 29-Aug. 3, 2149-2158. 22. Oron, G., Demalach, Y., Hoffman, Z. and Manor, Y., 1992. Effect of effluent quality and application method on agricultural productivity and environmental control. Water Science and Technology, 26 (7-8), 1593-1601. 23. Pescod M.B., 1992. Wastewater treatment and use in agriculture. 113 pages. 24. Rezvani Pour, H. and Razavi Deynani, Z., 2015. Water and soil chemical analysis (health and environmental view) Isfahan: Isfahan University of Jihad, Iran. (In Persian). 25. Saleh, I. and Hassanli, A.M., 2014. Evaluating the effect of water quality and irrigation methods on the distribution of soil salinity in the semi-arid region of Corbal plain. Journal of Water and Sustainable Development, 1(2): 47-54. 26. Sedaghati, N., Hosseinifard, S.J. and Mohammadi Mohammadabadi, A., 2012. Comparing Effects of Surface and Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems on Growth and Yield on Mature Pistachio Trees. Journal of Water and Soil, 26 (3), 585- 575. (In Persian). 27. Siefert, W. J.J.r., Hiler, E.A. and Howell, T.A., 1975. Trickle irrigation with water of different salinity levels. Transactions of the ASAE, 18, 89–94. 28. Vasudaven, P., Kaphaliya, B., Sirvastava, R. K., Tandon, M., Singh, S.N. and Sen, K., 2011. Buried clay pot irrigation using saline water. Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 70, 653-655. 29. Zarei, GH. and Shahpari, S.A., 2014. Hydraulic Characteristics of Porous Clay Capsules in a Subsurface Irrigation System at Three Soil Textures. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 14(4): 57-72. (In Persian).