Author(s): Jiale Wang; Haiming Yang; Honghu Liu
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Water use efficiency; Typical crops; HYDRUS; Three Gorges Reservoir are
Abstract: As an important index of agricultural water amnagement, a high level of water use efficiency is critical to the sustainable and stable development of agriculture under the situation of water shortage. In this study, the Wangjiaqiao watershed in Zigui County which is located in the Three Gorges Reservoir area was taken as the research area, and the typical crops in the Three Gorges Reservoir area including wheat, soybean and corn were taken as the research objects. Based on the field observation of runoff plots planted with different crops, a one-dimensional soil water vertical transport model coupled with water absorption by crop roots was established by the HYDRUS-1D model. The soil and plant hydraulic parameters in the model were calibrated based on the field observation results. The water use efficiencies of the above three typical crops, wheat, soybean and corn were calculated by the calibrated model. The results indicated that the soil water in the root zone was mainly controlled by rainfall and crop growth period. The calculated water use efficiencies of wheat and soybean were 0.91~1.57kg/m3 and 0.51~0.63kg/m3 respectively, and that of maize was 5.11kg/m3. By comparing the water use efficiency with precipitation in different years for the same crop, the smaller the precipitation, the greater the water use efficiency, which indicated that insufficient precipitation was conducive to improving the crop water use efficiency. Results of the present study would provide important reference for agricultural water saving and water resources efficient utilization in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.
Year: 2024