Lecture 4
Lecture 4
Sara Ferdousi
Assistant Professor, WRE, BUET
o About 99% of all the water that enters the roots leaves the plant’s leaves via the
stomata.
o On a dry, warm, sunny day, a leaf can evaporate 100% of its water weight in just an
hour.
o Water movement is due to differences in potential between soil, root, stem, leaf,
and atmosphere.
o Under normal conditions, the water potential in soil is higher than that in root.
Plant-Soil Water Relationship
Limitations of Tensiometer
(a) It covers only a limited range of soil moisture scale, (0 – 0.8 bar).
(b) If the pores in the tensiometer are very small, the range can be extended slightly, but
the response time for fluctuations in soil potential becomes excessive. If the sensor is
large with relatively coarse pores, it can temporarily alter the soil environment by
excess flow of water from the device into the soil.
(c) Tensiometer readings reflect only the soil moisture tension (which is surrounding the
porous cup), but not the amount of water held in the soil.
Indirect measurement
Psychrometer Method
• This approach measures the vapor pressure of the water in equilibrium with the soil
and hence measures the total soil-water potential.
• The technique has been used mainly in the laboratory under rigorous controlled
conditions, but is now showing up in the field.
• In its simplest form, the extension of a strip of Cellophane in a gauge container
embedded in the soil is read remotely by the change of resistance in a frictionless
potentiometer linked to the system. More precise thermocouple psychrometers are
now being used widely.
• This technique is one of the main tools of the plant physiologist in measuring water
stress in plants.
Soil moisture tension
• In unsaturated soils, water is held in the soil matrix under negative pressure due
to attraction of the soil matrix for water
• Instead of referring to this negative pressure the water is said to be subjected to a
tension exerted by the soil matrix
• The tension with which the water is held in unsaturated soil is termed as soil-
moisture tension or soil-moisture suction. It is usually expressed in atm, bars, or
kPa.
Other pressure units like cm of water or cm or mm of mercury are also often used.
Soil moisture tension
Soil moisture stress
In a wheat field moisture readings are found as 25, 29, 31 and 35 % by volume at
a depth of 15,30,45 and 60 cm depth respectively. Compute the total moisture
upto
a) 60cm soil depth
b) 70cm soil depth
c) 50 cm soil depth
Plant-Soil-Water Relationship: Terminologies
Plant-Soil-Water Relationship: Terminologies
Saturation Capacity
• Oven dry soil is used to describe the soil water status when a soil sample is
dried at 105oC in a hot air oven until the sample loses no more water i.e. for
24 hours.
• The equilibrium tension of soil water at this stage is 10,000 atm.
• All estimations of soil water content are based on the oven dry weight of the
soil and the soil at this stage is considered to contain zero amount of water.
Plant-Soil-Water Relationship: Terminologies
Plant-Soil-Water Relationship: Terminologies
Terminologies
Total depth of water stores in the root zone in filling the soil upto field capacity
𝛾𝑑 ∗ 𝐷 ∗ 𝐹𝐶
=
𝛾𝑤
Terminologies
𝐹𝐶
• Permanent Wilting Point, 𝑃𝑊𝑃 =
2 𝑜𝑟 2.5
• Base Period: Duration between first irrigation of a crop at the time of its sowing to
its last irrigation before harvesting. In general, crop period is higher than base
period. However, those terms have been used interchangeably. The unit is days and
denoted as B.
• Delta: Total depth of water required for a crop to get mature including the
percolation and evaporation losses.
• Duty: It is the relationship between the volume of water and the area of the crop it
matures. Duty is represented by D. Duty of water for a crop is the number of
hectares of land which the unit flow of water for B days can be irrigated.
Terminologies
8.64 𝐵
∆= (𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟)
𝐷
Terminologies
Factors Affecting Duty:
It helps in planning and improving the efficiency of overall irrigation system. It also
helps in:
• It helps in designing efficient canal irrigation system
• Helps in taking precautions in field preparation and sowing
• Helps in taking precautions in handling irrigation supplies
Terminologies
Irrigation Efficiency:
Ec=100(Vf/Vd)
Where,
Ec= the conveyance efficiency (%),
Vf = the volume of water that reaches the farm or field (m3),
Vd= the volume of water diverted (m3) from the source.
Terminologies
Irrigation Efficiency:
Water Storage Efficiency: Ratio of the water store in the root zone during
irrigation to water needed in the root zone prior irrigation.
Ratio between the mean of numerical deviation from the average depth of
water stored during irrigation to the average depth of water stored during
irrigation
𝑑
𝜂𝑑 = 1 −
𝐷
If the depth of water penetration at five points in a field is 2.0, 1.9, 1.8, 1.6, and
1.5 m, how can we calculate the distribution efficiency?
Irrigation Efficiency: Terminologies
Where,
Ve = evaporation volume from the reservoir
Vs = seepage volume from the reservoir
Vt = inflow to the reservoir
Vo= volume of out flow from the reservoir
ΔS = change in reservoir storage
Problem
Irrigation Efficiency:
Example:
A stream of 140 liter/s was diverted from a canal and 110 liter/s were delivered to the
field. An area of 1.65 ha was irrigated in eight hours. The effective depth of root zone
was 1.85 m. The runoff loss in the field was 435 m3. The depth of water penetration
varied linearly from 1.85 m at the head end of the field to 1.25 m at the tail end.
Available moisture holding capacity of the soil is 20 cm/m depth of soil.
Determine the
a) water conveyance efficiency,
b) water application efficiency,
c) water storage efficiency and
d) water distribution efficiency, irrigation was started at a moisture extraction level of
50 percent of the available moisture.
Solution:
Here,
Vf = 110 liter/s
Vd=140 liter/s
1. Water conveyance efficiency, Ec=100(Vf/Vd)
=100(110/140)
=78.5%
= 3052.5 m3
96.3%
4. Water distribution efficiency
We know,
= 80.6%
Consumptive Use
Consumptive Use:
• For a crop, the total amount of water used in transpiration and evaporation
in any specified time. Denoted as Cu
• Varies for different crops.
• It can vary throughout a day, month or crop period.
• It is being used to determine the irrigation requirement.
Effective Rainfall:
CIR = Cu – Re.
Solution:
There fore,
Δ=12x10=120cm
• Blaney-Criddle Equation
• Hargreaves Class A Pan Evaporation Method
• Penman’s Equation
𝑘. 𝑝
𝐶𝑢 = 1.8𝑡 + 32
40
where,
Cu = Monthly consumptive use in cm
k = Crop factor, under the environmental conditions of the particular area
t = Mean monthly temperature in oC
p = Monthly percent of annual day light hours that occur during the period
𝑝
If, 1.8𝑡 + 32 is represented by f, we get
40
oF, 𝑝𝑡
𝐶𝑢 = 𝑘𝑓 If t is in 𝑓=
40
Blaney-Criddle Equation
• It has been widely used for estimating seasonal water requirements all over the
world.
• However, the k based estimation is found too low for short periods between
irrigations.
• Therefore, the modified equation is: 𝐶𝑢 = 𝑘 σ 𝑓
• The value of crop factor should be determine for each crop at different place.
• Crop factor information is not available for our country (possible research area)
• Some factors i.e. humidity, wind velocity, elevation etc. are not considered.
• In subcontinent, this method is not widely used.
Problem
Determine the volume of water required to be diverted from the head works to the irrigation field (5000 ha)
using the following data. Assume 80% as the effective precipitation to take care of the consumptive use of
the crop. Also assume 50% efficiency of water application in the field and 75% as the conveyance efficiency.
o
Month Temp F Sunshine hour Rainfall (mm) Crop Factor (k)
June 70.8 9.9 75 0.8
July 74.4 10.2 108 0.85
August 72.8 9.6 130 0.85
September 71.6 8.4 115 0.85
October 69.3 7.86 105 0.65
November 55.2 7.25 25 0.65
December 47.1 6.42 0 0.6
January 48.4 8.62 0 0.6
February 53.9 9.95 0 0.65
March 60 8.84 0 0.7
April 62.5 8.86 0 0.7
May 67.4 9.84 0 0.75
Problem