Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #279385
Title: Sprinkler evaporation losses in alfalfa during solid-set sprinkler irrigation in semiarid areas

Author
item STAMBOULI, TALEL - Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
item MARTINEZ-COB, ANTONIO - Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
item FACI, JOSE - Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
item Howell, Terry
item ZAPATA, NERY - Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)

Submitted to: Irrigation Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2012
Publication Date: 9/7/2012
Citation: Stambouli, T., Martinez-Cob, A., Faci, J.M., Howell, T.A., Zapata, N. 2012. Sprinkler evaporation losses in alfalfa during solid-set sprinkler irrigation in semiarid areas. Irrigation Science. 31:1075-1089. Available: DOI 10.1007/s00271-012-0389-2.

Interpretive Summary: During sprinkler irrigation, wind drift and evaporation losses can be large and decrease irrigation application efficiency. These losses are not well understood and may decrease the crop water use through a reduction in crop transpiration from humidifying the air and wetting the leaf surfaces. The gross evaporation and drift losses and net crop water use were measured simultaneously in two adjacent alfalfa plots in Spain. One was irrigated (moist treatment, MT) and the other one not being irrigated (dry treatment, DT). Application measurements were made using catch cans, mass gains and losses in the precision lysimeters and weather measurements. Models were used to estimate net crop water interception and net sprinkler evaporation losses. Net interception was 1.9% of the total irrigation water during 36 irrigation events and strongly related to air humidity. Net sprinkler evaporation losses were 6.6% of the total applied water and were mainly influenced by the wind speed. The combined wind drift and evaporation losses contributed to the humidification of the air and decreased transpiration during sprinkler irrigation, especially for daytime irrigation events. This information aids in the improved sprinkler irrigation system designs and management to avoid excessive water losses.

Technical Abstract: Wind drift and evaporation losses (WDEL) during sprinkler irrigation can be large and decrease irrigation application efficiency. However, it is not universally established how much of the WDEL contributes to decrease the crop evapotranspiration during the application of water in sprinkler irrigation and how much water is intercepted by the crop (IL) in many environments. Gross WDEL (WDELg), IL and evapotranspiration (ET) were measured simultaneously in two adjacent alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plots, one being irrigated (moist treatment, MT) and the other one not being irrigated (dry treatment, DT). Catch can measurements, mass gains and losses in the lysimeters and micrometeorological measurements were performed to establish net WDEL (WDELn) and net IL (ILn). Also, models to estimate ILn and net sprinkler evaporation losses (SELn) were developed. ILn was 1.9% of the total irrigation water during 36 irrigation events and strongly related to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Net sprinkler evaporation losses (SELn) were 6.6% of the total applied water, and were mainly function of wind speed. The WDELg also contributed to the micrometeorological and transpiration changes during sprinkler irrigation with a decrease in air temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and canopy temperature more pronounced during daytime than nighttime irrigation events.