Modelling bulk surface resistance by MODIS data and assessment of MOD16A2 evapotranspiration product in an irrigation district of Southern Italy
Abstract In this study, accurate estimates of daily actual evapotranspiration, ET a , were obtained based on the direct Penman–Monteith application, in which the bulk surface resistance term was computed by considering, as main input, daily remotely sensed Land Surface Temperature (LST). In particular, Eddy Covariance measurements of ET a , associated to LST obtained by MODIS time series (MOD11A2) characterized by 8-day resolution, allowed to calibrate a simple bulk surface resistance model, based on two-years of data observations collected in a quite homogeneous irrigation district of Sicily, where olive grove is the main crop. The model was then validated by an independent database collec…
Analysis of Geometrical Relationships and Friction Losses in Small-Diameter Lay-Flat Polyethylene Pipes
[EN] The use of lay-flat polyethylene pipes to irrigate horticultural crops has been receiving widespread attention in the last decade, due to the significant improvements in their hydraulic performance, their potentially high application efficiency, and their limited installation costs. However, even if hydraulic design procedures for conventional microirrigation systems are fairly well established, there is still the need to know how different pipe-wall thicknesses of lay-flat pipes can affect the pipe geometry under different operating pressures as well as the related consequences on friction losses. This paper, after comparing two different procedures (caliper and photographic) to asses…
Using HYDRUS-2D model to assess the optimal drip lateral depth for eggplant crop in a sandy loam soil of central Tunisia
The main objective of the work is to assess the optimal drip lateral depth for Eggplant crop (Solanum melongena L.) irrigated with a drip system in a sandy loam soil by means of field measurements and simulation models. Initially, the performance of Hydrus-2D was assessed based on the comparison between simulated soil water contents (SWC) and the corresponding measured in two plots, in which laterals with co-extruded emitters were laid on the soil surface (drip irrigation, DI-0) and at 20 cm depth (subsurface drip irrigation, SDI-20), respectively. In order to identify the optimal position of the lateral, the results of different scenarios, obtained by changing the installation depth of the…
Determining Optimal Seasonal Irrigation Depth Based on Field Irrigation Uniformity and Economic Evaluations: Application for Onion Crop
The crop water production function (WPF), representing the relationship between crop yield and seasonal irrigation water, is a useful tool for irrigation planning purposes. The objective of the paper is to propose a methodology to evaluate the optimal seasonal irrigation depth based on the crop production function, the field distribution uniformity, and economic considerations. An extended unpublished database experimentally obtained on the onion crop on the island of Kula, Hawaii, was initially used to assess the crop WPF. The combination between the crop WPF and the model representing the field distribution uniformity allowed determining the area subjected to underirrigation and overirrig…
Using Hydrus 2-D to assess the emitters optimal position for Eggplants under surface and subsurface drip irrigation
The main objective of the work is to assess the emitters optimal position for Eggplant crop (Solanum melongena L.) in a sandy loam soil irrigated with surface or subsurface drip irrigation systems, by means of field measurements and simulations carried out with Hydrus-2D model. Initially, the performance of the model is evaluated on the basis of the comparison between simulated soil water contents (SWC) and the corresponding measured in two plots, in which laterals with coextruded emitters are laid on the soil surface (T0) and at 20 cm depth (T20), respectively. In order to choose the best position of the lateral, the results of different simulation runs, carried out by changing the install…
Predicting soil and plant water status dynamic in olive orchards under different irrigation systems with Hydrus-2D: Model performance and scenario analysis
The paper analyzes the performance of Hydrus-2D model to simulate the dynamic of soil water contents and transpiration fluxes in an olive orchard in which two different irrigation systems were used in 2011 and 2012. The relationship between measured midday stem water potential, MSWP, and simulated relative transpiration (ratio between simulated actual and maximum crop transpiration), Ks, was also identified with the aim to use the model for crop water status predictions. Finally, a scenario analysis was carried out for irrigation management purposes, by considering the level of crop water stress achieved in the different phases of the vegetative growth. The results evidenced that active roo…
Optimizing subsurface dripline installation depth with Hydrus 2D/3D to improve irrigation water use efficiency in the central Tunisia
The main objective of the work is to optimize drip installation depth for Eggplant crop irrigated with surface or subsurface drip irrigation systems to improve irrigation Water Use Effeciency (WUE), by means of field measurements and simulations carried out with Hydrus-2D model. Initially, a comparison between simulated Soil Water Contents (SWC) and the corresponding measured in two plots, in which laterals with coextruded emitters are laid on the soil surface (T0) and at 20 cm depth (T20), respectively. In order to choose the best position of the lateral, the results of different simulation run, carried out by choosing a deeper installation (T45) depth. Simulated SWC’s resulted fairly clos…