The intensive and inappropriate use of water, fertilizers and phytosanitary products is sources of water and soil pollution. It is thus necessary to improve the management of irrigation water in order to optimize its use and productivity, especially in regions where water resources are becoming increasingly scarce. The water flow and non-reactive solutes’ transport simulation under drip irrigation were carried out in a 3-layered soil profile distributed from top to bottom i.e ., sandy, sandy-silty, silty-sandy-clay. The aim of this study was thus, to provide a good practice of water management associated with solutes’ application, in order to retain as much solute as possible in the root zone, which will increase the residence time of the solutes. Three treatments of water flux corresponding to 100% ET c , 75% ET c , 50% ET c , combined with 100 mmol /L/ m 2 of NPK and 246 mmol/L/m 2 of urea applicable in two doses, were carried out over a period of 110 days corresponding to the duration of the cropping cycle for the intermediate variety of maize. The 100% ET c and 75% ET c treatments cause more loss of water and solutes, because of the sandy texture of the soil. However, a 50% ET c water flux would reduce more water loss through drainage, and solutes’ loss due to leaching beyond the root zone, which would increase the residence time of solutes in the soil profile. Application tests of the NPK solute on different days before the 15 th day after sowing were also carried out according to the technical itinerary for maize production in Burkina Faso, in order to find a favorable day for application of the solute. For the different dates of solute’s application, there was more loss of the solute as we approach the 15 th day after sowing. To limit this loss and increase the residence time of the NPK solute, one could apply the solute without first supplying water, the day before and the day after the date of solute’ injection. Or, one could amend the soil with organic matter to improve its retention capacity of water, and the solutes’ residence time in the soil.
KeywordsDrip IrrigationHydrus 1DSolute and Water ManagementResidence Time
Zhu, Z.L. and Chen, D.L. (2002) Nitrogen Fertilizer Use in China—Contributions to Food Production, Impacts on the Environment and Best Management Strategies. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 63, 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021107026067
Sansoulet, J. (2007) Transfert d’eau et des ions potassium et nitrate dans un sol à capacité d’échange anionique sous un couvert redistributeur de la pluie: Etude expérimentale et modélisation dans une bananeraie fertilisée sur un andosol. Thèse de Doctorat, Institut National Agronomique Paris Grignon, Paris.
Siyal, A.A., Bristow, K.L. and Simunek, J. (2012) Minimizing Nitrogen Leaching from Furrow Irrigation through Novel Fertilizer Placement and Soil Surface Management Strategies. Agricultural Water Management, 115, 242-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2012.09.008
Cabioche, Y.M., Clermont-Dauphin, C., Lafont, A., Sansoulet, J., Cattan, P., Achard, R., Caron, A. and Charbier, C. (2006) Stockage dans les sols à charges variables et dissipation dans les eaux de zoocides organochlorés autrefois appliqués en bananeraies aux Antilles: Relation avec les systèmes de culture. Rapport final de contrat de recherche, AP “Pesticides” 2002 MEDD. APC INRA Antilles-Guyane.
Pereira, L.S., Cordery, I. and Iacovides, I. (2012) Improved Indicators of Water Use Performance and Productivity for Sustainable Water Conservation and Saving. Agricultural Water Management, 108, 39-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2011.08.022
Bar-Yosef, B. (1999) Advances in Fertigation. Advances in Agronomy, 65, 1-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60910-4
Cote, C.M., Bristow, K.L., Charlesworth, P.B., Cook, F.J. and Thorburn, P.J. (2003) Analysis of Soil Wetting and Solute Transport in Subsurface Trickle Irrigation. Irrigation Science, 22, 143-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-003-0080-8
Gärdenäs, A.I., Hopmans, J.W., Hanson, B.R. and Simunek, J. (2005) Two Dimensional Modeling of Nitrate Leaching for Various Fertigation Scenarios under Micro-Irrigation. Agricultural Water Management, 74, 219-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2004.11.011
Rajput, T.B.S. and Patel, N. (2006) Water and Nitrate Movement in Drip-Irrigated Onionunder Fertigation and Irrigation Treatments. Agricultural Water Management, 79, 293-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2005.03.009
Ajdary, K., Singh, D.K., Singh, A.K. and Khanna, M. (2007) Modelling of Nitrogen Leaching from Experimental Onion Field under Drip Fertigation. Agricultural Water Management, 89, 15-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2006.12.014
Doltra, J. and Munoz, P. (2010) Simulation of Nitrogen Leaching from a Fertigated Crop Rotation in a Mediterranean Climate Using the EU-Rotate_N and Hydrus-2D Models. Agricultural Water Management, 97, 277-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2009.09.019
Hussein, F., Janat, M. and Yakoub, A. (2011) Assessment of Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Drip-Irrigated Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as Affected by Deficit Irrigation. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 35, 611-621.
Ityel, E., Lazarovitch, N., Silberbush, M. and Ben-Gal, A. (2011) An Artificial Capillary Barrier to Improve Root Zone Conditions for Horticultural Crops: Physical Effects on Water Content. Irrigation Science, 29, 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-010-0227-3
Badr, A.E. and Abuarab, M.E. (2013) Soil Moisture Distribution Patterns under Surface and Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems in Sandy Soil Using Neutron Scattering Technique. Irrigation Science, 31,317-332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-011-0306-0
Kandelous, M.M., Kamai, T., Vrugt, J.A., Šimunek, J., Hanson, B. and Hopmans, W. (2012) Evaluation of Subsurface Drip Irrigation Design and Management Parameters for Alfalfa. Agricultural Water Management, 109, 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2012.02.009
Pang, X.P. and Letey, J. (1998) Development and Evaluation of ENVIRO-GRO, an Integrated Water, Salinity, and Nitrogen Model. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 62, 1418-1427. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200050039x
Li, R., Ma, J. and Zhang, R. (2003) Estimating Nitrate Leaching with a Transfer Function Model Incorporating Net Mineralization and Uptake of Nitrogen. Journal of Environmental Quality, 32, 1455-1463. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2003.1455
Phogat, V., Skewes, M.A., Cox, J.W., Sanderson, G., Alam, J. and Simunek, J. (2014) Seasonal Simulation of Water, Salinity and Nitrate Dynamics under Dripirrigated Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and Assessing Management Optionsfor Drainage and Nitrate Leaching. Journal of Hydrology, 513, 504-516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.04.008
Skaggs, T.H., Trout, T.J., Šimunek, J. and Shouse, P.J. (2004) Comparison of Hydrus-2D Simulations of Drip Irrigation with Experimental Observations. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 130, 304-310. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(2004)130:4(304)
Lazarovitch, N., Pollton, M., Furman, A. and Warrick, A.W. (2009) Water Distribution under Trickle Irrigation Predicted Using Artificial Neural Networks. Journal of Engineering Mathematics, 64, 207-218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10665-009-9282-2
Abou Lila, T.S., Berndtsson, R., Persson, M., Somaida, M., Ei-Kiki, M., Hamed, Y. and Mirdan, A. (2013) Numerical Evaluation of Subsurface Trickle Irrigation with Brackish Water. Irrigation Science, 31, 1125-1137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-012-0393-6
Dabach, S., Lazarovitch, N., Simunek, J. and Shai, U. (2013) Numerical Investigation of Irrigation Scheduling Based on Soil Water Status. Irrigation Science, 31, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-011-0289-x
Ramos, T.B., Simunek, J., Gonçalves, M.C., Martins, J.C., Prazeres, A. and Pereira, L.S. (2012) Two-Dimensional Modeling of Water and Nitrogen Fate from Sweet Sorghum Irrigated with Fresh and Blended Saline Waters. Agricultural Water Management, 111, 87-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2012.05.007
Bof Bufon, V., Lascano, R.J., Bednarz, C., Booker, J.D. and Gitz, D.C. (2012) Soil Water Content on Drip Irrigated Cotton: Comparison of Measured and Simulated Values Obtained with the Hydrus-2D Model. Irrigation Science, 30, 259-273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-011-0279-z
Sanou, J. (2004) Grille variétale de maïs vulgarisé et fertilisation minérale recommandée au Burkina Faso. Département de Productions Végétaeles, INERA.
Kebre, M.B. (2013) Gestion des Ressources en Eau dans les Régions Arides: Analyse Expérimentale d’un Sol Type du Burkina Faso et Modélisation Numérique des Transferts d’Eau. Thèse de doctorat, Civil Engineering, Université Montpellier II—Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier.
Simunek, J., Sejna, M., Saito, H., Sakai, M. and van Genuchten, M.T. (2013) The HYDRUS-1D Software Package for Simulating the Onedimensional Movement of Water, Heat, and Multiple Solutes in Variably-Saturated Media: Version 4.16. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, University of California, Riverside.
van Genuchten, M.T. (1980) A Closed Form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 44, 892-898. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x