Techniques for conserving water in

dryland agriculture

AGR- 703 DR. G.A. SHAH

Techniques for conserving water in dryland
agriculture
1. Reducing evaporation from water surfaces
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces
3. Reducing seepage losses
4. Reducing cropland percolation losses
5. Reducing transpiration
6. Trickle and other innovative irrigation methods
7. Selecting and managing crops to use water more efficiently
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces
 Reservoirs and canals in dryland regions are subjected to heavy
evaporation losses.
 Evaporation losses often exceed the amount of water used
productively.
 Reducing evaporation can increase the supply of water.
 Reducing evaporation will increase reservoir capacity without new
construction.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces
Techniques
 Liquid chemicals that automatically spread out.
 Forming a sealant layer across the surface.
 Blocks, raft or beads that float on the water surface.
 Storing the water in sand and rock-filled dams.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Liquid Chemicals
 Aliphatic alcohol, e.g. cetyle alcohols
 Long cylindrical molecules that align themselves side by
side on water surface.
 Needed in small amounts, i.e. 60 g/ ha of water surface.
 Materials are non-toxic
 Does not prevent oxygen flow.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Liquid Chemicals: Limitations
 Do not reduce light the amount of solar energy that
water absorbs.
 High water temperature increases evaporation from
uncovered water parts.
 Impossible to maintain the layer due to wind and wave
action.
Solution: Use of plastic nets to restrict the drift and
disruption of alcohol layer,
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Forming a sealant layer across the surface: use of
wax
 Floating blocks of wax are added to the water.
 In sunlight, they melt and flow to form a flexible &
continuous film.
 Evaporation suppression efficiency is 85%.
 Long-term reuse, i.e. ≥ 4 years
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Blocks, raft or beads that float on the water surface
Examples:
 Lightweight concrete slab (2 inch thick)
 Polystyrene
 Rubber
 Plastic
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Blocks, raft or beads that float on the water surface
 Floating materials reduces area where evaporation can
occur.
 Water heating problem during evaporation suppression
can be solved by using light-colored reflecting materials.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Storing the water in sand and rock-filled dams
 Reservoir filling with sand or loose rocks to suppress
evaporation.
 Water is stored in pores between particles.
 Water level is kept > 30 cm below the surface.
 Rocks filling in water tanks reduce volume (up to 55%) but
effective to reduce evaporation by 90%.
 Store water for long period.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Storing the water in sand and rock-filled dams
The water is drawn-off by:
 Drainage pipes through the dam wall
 A well dug into the sand.
1. Reducing Evaporation from Water Surfaces:
Techniques
Limitations
 Evaporation suppression techniques are limited to
small storage facilities, i.e. Pond, tanks, trough, and
oases.
 Verydifficult to suppress evaporation on large scale
due to occurrence of winds, storms & floods.
 Sandstorage tanks can be built only when geology
permit.
Techniques for conserving water in dryland
agriculture
1. Reducing evaporation from water surfaces
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces
3. Reducing seepage losses
4. Reducing cropland percolation losses
5. Reducing transpiration
6. Trickle and other innovative irrigation methods
7. Selecting and managing crops to use water more efficiently
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces
 ¼ to ½ of water lost from a crop is evaporated from the soil
surface.
 Irrigation water can be saved by:
 Placement of water tight moisture barriers or water
retardant mulches on soil surface
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
 Plant residues
 Gravel mulches
 Paper and plastic mulches
 Latex, asphalt or oil mulches
 Other chemicals
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Plant residues
 Planting directly into the standing crop residues.
Limitations are:
 Weeds problem
 Soil harden to retard water penetration
 Plant residues spreading on the soil surface.
Examples are: Cotton burrs or straw
 90% residue cover requires 1.5 tons/ha straw
or 11 tons / ha cotton burrs
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Gravel mulch
 Water infiltration and its conservation is greatly improved.
 Reduce erosion by wind and water.
 If light colored, they cool….. If dark colored, they warm soil.
Limitations:
 Cost to periodically redeposit
 Interference with mechanized planting / cultivation.
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Paper and plastic mulches
 Retard evaporation
 Control weeds
 Increase soil temperature speed up plant growth and
development
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Latex, asphalt or oil mulches
 Conserve soil moisture and concentrate rainfall
 Suppress wind erosion
 Allow to grow vegetation on water-bearing sand dunes
 Heat absorbed during day keep desert soil warm at night
2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Other chemicals
 Silicones
 Polyethylene oxides
 Fatty alcohol
 Polysaccharide gum mixture
 Catonic chemicals, e.g. Polyacrylamide

Almost no success was achieved

2. Reducing evaporation from soil surfaces:
Techniques
Limitations
 Costly while process are affected by:
 Availability of ingredients, e.g. latex, oil etc.
 Topography of the area, fertilizer need as well as land
leveling.
 Type of vegetation.
 Suitable only for intensive agriculture of high income crops,
e.g. Pineapple, strawberry etc.