Water Management

Engineering
I&D-505
Dr. Syed Hamid Hussain Shah
Muhammad Mohsin Waqas

Department of Irrigation and Drainage

 Definition
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using
plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land
reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant
genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science.
Water management is the activity of planning, developing,
distributing and optimum use of water resources under defined
water polices and regulations. It
includes: management of water treatment of drinking water,
industrial water, sewage or wastewater. management of water
resources. management of flood protection.
Crop Rotation
• The practice of planting a succession of crops in a field over a period of years.
Rotations can maintain field fertility since different crops use different soil nutrients,
so excessive demands are not made of one nutrient. In certain rotations, plants like
legumes (peas and beans) are grown to restore fertility.
• Crop rotation is the successive planting of different crops on the same land to improve
soil fertility and help control insects and diseases.
• Crop rotation is a planned order of specific crops planted on the same field
• Successive cultivation of different crops in a specified order on the same fields.
• Rotation of crops, agricultural practice of varying the crops on a piece of land in
a planned series, to save or increase the mineral or organic content of the soil,
to increase crop yields, and to eradicate weeds, insects, and plant diseases
 PRINCILES OF CROP ROTATION
• Crops of the same natural order (family) should not follow each other.
• Crops of the same type of root system (shallow or deep)s should not follow each
other.
• Leguminous crops should be included in the rotation at least every three to four
years.
• Green manuring and forage crops should be given a place in the rotation at regular
intervals
• Crops like potato ,sugarcane ,and seasonal vegetables which requires more
through cultivation than other should be included in the rotation, as their
cultivation makes a very good preparation for the following crops
• Alternating crops susceptible to certain diseases with those that are very resistant
helps control pest and diseases
Cont….
• Prevents diseases
• 8. Helps control weeds
• 9. Beneficial residual herbicides carryover
• 10.Soil water management.
• 11.Reductionof allelopathetic or phytotoxic effects.
Advantages of Crop Rotation
• Maintains soil fertility
• Reduces soil erosion
• Controls insect /mite pests. Crop rotation as a means to control to
insect pests is most effective when the pests are present before the
crop is planted have no wide range of host crops; attack only
annual/biennial crops; and do not have the ability to fly from one field
to another.
• Reduces reliance on synthetic chemicals
• Reduces the pests' build-up
Cont……….
• Prevents diseases
• Helps control weeds
• Beneficial residual herbicides carryover
• Soil water management.
• Reduction of allelopathetic or phytotoxic effects.
• useful tips in planning crop rotation
• Know the family where your crops belong to make sure that you plant
on the next cropping a crop that belongs to a different family than the
previous one
limitations of Crop Rotation
• It required additional planning and management skills
• It is the oldest cultural control strategy
• Some insect ,pest and diseases causing organisms are host
specific
• Sowing of same vegetables on the same spot causing
diseases
• It is not a complete rotation of manure and fertilizers
• It is difficult to follow rotation in the areas, near cities for
obtaining fodder ,vegetables ,etc
Choice of Crop Rotation
• The choice of the crop rotation pattern is determined by the following
factors.
• 1. Physical condition of the soil
• 2. Prevalence of weeds
• 3. Supply of plant food
• 4. Availability of desired quantity of good quality water
• 5. Economics and political condition
• 6. Financial condition of the farmer
General Effects of Rotation
• Disease control
• Insect control
• Weed control
• Soil nitrogen
• Soil tilth and structure
• Soil moisture
• Reduction of soil erosion
• Allelopathy- phyto toxicity
Factors effecting Crop Rotation
• Natural environmental condition
• Type of soil
• Availability of fertilizers
• Availability of labor
• Irrigation
• Situation of farm
• Size of farm
• Weeds
• Market price
Cropping System

• Cropping” means to grow a crop

• System defined as “ a regularly interacting or interdependent group of
items forming a unified whole”, “an organized or established
procedure.”
• The cropping pattern used on a farm and its interactions with farm
resources, other farm enterprises, and available technology which
determine their makeup (Gallaher, 2009).
Objectives of Cropping Systems
• To utilize water efficiently.
• To control weeds.
• To control insects & pests of crops.
• To control plant diseases.
• To increase soil fertility & physical conditions.
• To utilize farm labour efficiently.
• To maintain organic matter in the soil.
• To alternate the crops.
• To systemize the farming systems.
• To increase the crop yield.
Types of Cropping System
1- Mono Cropping System:
• Growing of only one crop on the same land in the course of a
12-month period.
• This is done where:
• Land is poor
• Population pressure is less
Cont……….
• Advantages:
• Production of staple food for farmers
• Specialize in particular crop
• Precise investment (machinery, high yield varieties)
• Disadvantages:
• Reduces crop diversity
• Severely depletes the soil nutrients
• Intensive fertilizer use promotes environmental hazards
• Subject to a particular pest or disease
• Proliferation of crop pests and diseases
• Famine will occur if crop fails
• Heavy debt on farmers if harvest is not obtained
Multiple Cropping System

• Growing two or more crops in the same field in one year at the same
time, or one after the other”.
• Multiple cropping can be done in
• Annual food crops
• Perennial crop
• Fodder crops
• Tree crops
Characteristics of multiple cropping
• All forms of multiple cropping have the potential
• To utilize the soil more efficiently
• Higher production per unit of land.
• This is especially true in
• Tropical area
• Subtropical area with wet and dry seasons
• Water for irrigation is available
• Exploitation of the abundant solar energy
Advantages
• Multiple cropping reduces the risk of
• Total loss from drought
• Pests and diseases .
• It optimizes production from small plots.
• Cropping pattern helps
• Maintain soil fertility
• Fix nitrogen in the soil i.e. legumes.
• Multiple cropping yields
• Different types of produce
• Balanced diet for the family.
• It suppresses weeds due to
• High planting density
• High complementation with the crops.

• Different types of crops can be planted in different seasons i.e.

• Crops that require a lot of water can be grown in the wet season intercropped with drought-resistant crops that can be
harvested in the following dry season.
Disadvantages
• Pests survive more easy than normal cropping system
• Pests can shift from one crop to another
• Aphids can move to cotton plants during the dry season from wheat.
• Weed management is difficult .
• Introduce new technologies are difficult i.e.
• Row planting
• Modern weeding tools
Types of multiple cropping system

• Intercropping
Growing of two or more crops together on the same field where one
(major crop) is planted on the rows first and other (minor crop) is
planted in between the rows.
Mixed cropping
• Growing of crops simultaneously on the same field which have same
sowing and harvesting time.
Relay cropping
• “Growing of crops together on the same field where they enjoy
association of each other for a shorter period. One crop is in the field
when the second is planted during reproductive stage of the first
crop”.
Cropping Intensity
• The ratio of actual cultivated area to the total farm area over a year.
• Actual cropped area
• CI = ---------------------------X 100
• Whole farm area
• Cropping pattern may be defined as the distribution of the area of a
farm to various crops grown in any specified year, in an agro-
ecological zone.
• Cropping scheme means the assignment or allocation of area to
different crops being grown on a particular farm in a year.
Factors Affecting Cropping Systems
• 1. Soil.
• 2. Climate.
• 3. Availability of irrigation water.
• 4. Type & systems of farming.
• 5. Availability of seed & fertilizer.
• 6. Control of insects & pests.
• 7. Effect of competition among crops.
• 8. Social factors.
 Weed
• A weed is plant growing where it is not desired. A plant could be desirable at one place
and undesirable or of little concern at other place.
• A corn plant in the field of cotton will be considered as a weed, although it is a crop plant
when gown as a sole crop.
• Following are the reasons to control weeds
• Weeds compete with crop plants
• a) Nutrients
• b) Light
• c) Water
• d) CO2
• e) Space
• Reduce the yield
• With one kg of weeds produced one kg of wheat grains is reduced
Cont…..
• Interfere with cultural operations
• Field bind weed and yellow thistle hinder harvesting of wheat
• Poisonous weeds
• Some weeds are poisonous to cattle and horses e.g. blue pimpernel
and jhonson grass
• Clogging of irrigation system
• They clog the water channels and reduce their efficiency
• Increase cost of production
• Management of weeds is a laborious job and increase cost of
production
Critical period of weed-crop
competition
• Wheat 30-45 DAS
• Rice 30-45 DAS
• Cotton 45-60 DAS
• Sugarcane 90-120 DAS
• Maize 30-45 DAS
• Pulses 15-45 DAS
• Rape seed &
• Mustard 15-30 DAS
Principles of weed control
• Complete eradication of weeds is not desirable and not possible
• Only target weeds should be killed
• Reproductive parts of weeds should be focused
• Integrated weed management approach should be used
• Weed control approaches
• 1- Preventive and legislation
• Clean cultivation
• Water channels
• Roads and pathways
• Fallow bunds
• Destroy weeds prior to seed setting
• Avoid deep ploughing
Cont…
2- Manual and mechanical
• Hand weeding
• Inter row cultivation
• Animal drawn cultivator
• Tractor-row combi, weeders
• 3- Chemical
• Pre-plant, pre-emergence herbicides as Pendimethalin (stomp), s-metolachlor
• Post emergence application as Isoproturon, Puma super
• Directed post emergence herbicide application as Glyphosate (Round up),
Paraquat (Gromoxon)
• MULCHING:
• A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of an area of soil.
Its purpose is any or all of the following
• To conserve moisture
• To improve the fertility and health of the soil
TERRACING
• Pieces of land at the same elevation are separated as an independent
field.
CONTOURING
• It is a tillage the land in sloppy areas across the slope. Its main
objectives are:
• To control soil erosion
• Increase water penetration into the soil
• To conserve soil moisture
• LEVELLING:
• This is the reshaping surface of the land. It is done to achieve a
desired grade to improve management and control of irrigation water
• STRIP CROPPING:
• Growing of crops in the form of strips
• BUND MAKING:
• A large land should be divided into small level plot through strong
bund height should be 2-16inch
• ADDITION OF ORGANIC MATTER:
• Organic matter enhances water holding capacity of soil & thus
conserves water
• RESTORATIVE CROPS
• Restorative crops are crops that help in maintaining the fertility of the
soil, for example, leguminous plants
• PRACTICE NO TILL FARMING.
• With no till farming, crops are allowed to remain rather than being
plowed under at the end of the season. This practice keeps soils
anchored in place rather than having bare ground exposed to wind
and water
GREEN MANURING
• Green manuring is the plowing under or soil incorporation of any
green manure crops while they are green or soon after they flower.
Green manures are forage or leguminous crops that are grown for
their leafy materials needed for soil conservation.
• Selection of crop: select those crop which require less amount of
water.
• High yielding verities: sow that high yield verities crops that have less
water requirement and maximum yield
• Application of fertilizer at right time and right amount
• Seed priming for faster germination
 Integrated crop management

Principles practices
• When planning • Be aware of the farm’s characteristics (including
and managing surroundings water courses, the level of water stress,
the farm availability and quality of water resources, soil type) and
activities, based on these, chose the best location for crop
properly take production. Plan water harvesting and storage units if
into account the
farm specificities necessary.
- such as • Set a management plan for potential pollutants: Nutrient
availability and & pesticide management, erosion, animal feeding
quality of water operations, grazing management and irrigation water
resources. management.
 Farm selection and management

Principles practices
• Use conservation • To control diffuse pollution conduct conservation practices to minimise
agriculture pollutants, slow the transport and/or delivery of pollutants, either by reducing
water transported, and thus the amount of the pollutant transported, or
techniques to through deposition of the pollutant; or to remediate or intercept thepollutant
minimise the before or after it is delivered to the water resource through chemical or
delivery and biological transformation.
transport of • Conservation tillage -when possible applied- can help reduce overland transport
agriculturally of nitrogen by reducing erosion and runoff, and nutrient management will
derived minimise subsurface losses due to the resulting increased infiltration. Buffer
pollutants to strips can be used to decrease nitrogen transport by increasing infiltration, and
through uptake of available nitrogen by the field border crop. Nitrogen not
surface and controlled by nutrient management, conservation tillage, and filter strips can be
groundwater. intercepted and remediated through denitrification in riparian buffers.
Integrated crop management

Principles practices
• When planning • Establish beetle banks across the slope to encourage natural
and managing predators and catch surface runoff.
the farm • Regularly maintain and calibrate sprayers. Make sure that the correct
activities, pump and pipe size is used trying to pump too much water through a
properly take small pipe will increase friction (reducing pressure at the end) and
into account increase the chance of a leak occurring.
the farm
• Growing crops in a recurring sequence on the same field to control
specificities -
erosion, improve soil organic matter, balance nutrients, improve
such as
water use efficiency, manage saline seeps, manage pests and/or
availability and
provide food and cover for wildlife. Planting forage and using grazing
quality of water
rotations among different fields can maximise production and reduce
resources.
sediment and nutrient runoff.
Integrated pest management

Principles practices
• Use • Utilise Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Integrated prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression
Pest techniques, and only apply the lowest risk pesticides
Managemen available in an environmentally sound manner when
t (IPM) monitoring indicates that an economic pest threshold
systems. has been exceeded
 Soil protection

Principles practices
• Protect • Reduce soil erosion and improve water infiltration by
water ploughing along contours and use conservational
quality by tillage 4 where appropriate. Block runoff pathways
avoiding (relocate gates if applicable. Catch any surface runoff
runoff and by establishing infield grass strips.
careful use
of effluents.