Managing the water balance of The Fayoum Depression,Egypt

A study of the water balances of The Fayoum irrigated lands and Lake Qarun was made to investigate the management of the irrigation system and the efficiency of irrigation water use. The two water balances are strongly interrelated. The drainage flow to Lake Qarun and the water level of the Lake are in delicate balance. A rise in Lake level causes the inundation of adjacent land. Management of The Fayoum water balance assumes control over irrigation water flows, but this control has technical and organizational limitations. Also discussed is the influence of irrigation practices in The Fayoum on the water balance (e.g., the autumn flushing of fields and farmers' preference for not irrigating at night in winter). Notwithstanding a high overall efficiency, irrigation efficiency during the winter is low. The reasons for this are given, together with the constraints against improving system management. Improved uniformity of the division and application of irrigation water will enable a better technical control of flows and will result in better water management in The Fayoum. Abbreviations: FID — Fayoum Irrigation Department, 1 feddan (fe) — 0.4 ha, 1 mcm — 1 million cubic metres: an average annual flow of 3.17 m³/s gives 100 mcm, m³/fe.year — supplied volume (m³) per surface area (fe) per year: 1000 m³/fe.year equals 240 mm/year, MSL — Mean Sea Level     

Effects of arrangement of surge-rootirrigation emitters on growth,yield andwater use efficiency of apple trees

Six-year old apple trees were selected for field experiment. The objective of this study was to obtain the reasonable arrangement of surge-root irrigation emitters in apple orchards. There were three factors: the buried depth H( 25,40,55 cm),the horizontal distance L( 30,40,60 cm) between the emitters and the trunk of the experimental tree,and the number of the irrigation emitters N( 1,2,4). The effect of the arrangement of surge-root irrigation emitters on the growth,yield and irrigation water use efficiency( IWUE) of apple trees were studied in Northern Shaanxi where the irrigation quota takes 60%-75% of the field water capacity. The results showed that the arrangement of emitters for surge-root irrigation had a significant effect on apple tree yield and IWUE,especially,the yield and IWUE reached 28 388. 17 kg/hm2 and 16. 83 kg/m3 in treatment T3,respectively. At the same L and N levels( T1,T2,and T3),the yield and IWUE in treatment T3 were the highest,and the yields in treatments T1 and T2 were decreased by 26.22% and 31.48%,while IWUE is reduced by14.02% and 18.12% compared with T3,respectively. At the same H and N levels( T3,T4,and T5),the yield and IWUE of apple trees were decreased with increasing L level. Especially,when L was 30 cm( T3),the yield and IWUE were the highest. The same L and H levels( T3,T6,and T7) could promote the growth of apple trees when N was 2( T3). Compared with treatment T3,it was found that the increment of new shoots was decreased by 8.07%-18.71%,and the fruit diameter was decreased by 5.41%-9.11%. Therefore,two emitters should be arranged symmetrically on both sides of an apple tree,each was buried at a 40 cm depth and 30 cm away from the trunk of the tree to effectively improve the yield and IWUE of the apple tree in mountainous areas in Northern Shaanxi.     

万亩农田节水灌溉综合开发区的规划与效果

通过对开发区农田生态系统的综合论证,提出研究目标、技术决策和规划原则,采用水利、农业相结合的节水技术体系,运用汇水、输水、调水、配水相结合的方式,联合调用地表、地下水资源,提高水的利用率,为中低产贫水区大面积推广综合节水灌溉提供可行的技术模式。     

高度重视小型农机具利用率减少资源浪费

为解决随着大、中型联合作业机具和跨区作业的发展．农村中占机具总量大部分的小型机具出现闲置．造成了农机资源的浪费问题，提出了4条提高利用率的途径和农机主管部门应做好的5项工作。     

开发高效农业 拓宽增收之路

近年来,沛县在农业综合开发中,坚持以改善农业生产基本条件为重点,以示范区项目建设为突破,以农业产业化开发为主线,以农业增效、农民增收为目标,着力培育优势主导产业、开发特色高效农业,大大提高了农业综合开发社会经济效益。     

离心泵节能技术工作的改进措施

针对离心泵节能问题,从设计、制造、配套等技术角度进行了阐述分析,提出可通过CAD/CFD技术的应用、传统设计方法的提高和改进、CAM技术在泵制造过程中的应用、提高铸造技术水平、调节转速以及提高离心泵选型的设计水平等措施来实现高效节能的目标。并通过分析目前存在的制约节能工作开展的问题,提出改进离心泵节能工作的实施办法。     

Effect of timing of first and last irrigation on the yield and water use efficiency in cotton

With increasing concern about declining water resources, there is increasing thrust in improving water management in farming systems to improve water use efficiency. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the optimum timing for the first and last irrigation of cotton on the basis of meteorological approach for scheduling irrigations. The experiment was conducted in a split plot design with three timings of first irrigation as main-plots and three timing of last irrigation as sub-plots. Delay of first irrigation from 28 days after sowing (DAS) to 42 DAS, irrespective of last irrigation, resulted in an increase of 8, 14 and 17% in seed cotton yield during first, second and third year, respectively. The corresponding increases due to delay in the last irrigation from 130 to 170 DAS were 14, 32 and 8%, respectively. On the basis of 3 years average, application of first and last irrigation at optimum time (after 42 and 170 days after sowing) resulted in an increase of 36% in seed cotton yield without involving any additional cost. Water expense efficiency (WEE) increased by 54%.     

Irrigation and food security in the 21st century

Global food projections indicate that food prices in the next threedecades will likely be stable or decline, but progress inreducing malnutrition in developing countries will be slow. Smallshortfalls in crop productivity growth would lead to rising foodprices and worsening malnutrition. Increased food production fromirrigation is essential, and will require expansion of irrigatedarea and water supplies, and improved efficiency of use of existingwater supplies. Neither of these growth factors will prove easy, andboth will require complex institutional and policy reforms. Failureto meet food production needs through efficient expansion andintensification of irrigated agriculture would increase pressure onland resources and hasten the process of environmental degradation.Irrigation and water development strategies have been hampered bya lack of understanding of the links between water scarcity, foodproduction, food security, and environmental sustainability.Research to improve this understanding would have high payoffs.     

Modelling carbon dynamics in mixed grass–red clover swards

Growth and carbon dynamics in mixed grass–red clover leys were simulated using a growth model for pure stands based on radiation use, allocation within plant and loss of biomass. The model and its parameter values were taken from previous applications of the model to pure swards of grass and red clover grown in the same experiment at the same sites and years.     

热泵式节能烘干机的设计

热泵是一种使热量从低温介质流向高温介质,以对高温物体进行供热的装置.为此,利用热泵原理研究设计了一种小型高效节能烘干机,并介绍了该机的主要特点、总体结构等,尤其对热泵、烘干床进行了详细介绍.该机具有结构简单新颖、造价低廉、使用寿命长、高效节能等优点,不仅可以烘干多种农产品,还可以烘干茶叶、蘑菇等多种农副产品.