January 7, 2022

Irrigation Science
Springer

Dear Editor,
I am pleased to submit the manuscript titled “Potential of efficient surface irrigation methods
under limited flows from solar-based irrigation supplies” for your kind consideration for
publication in the Irrigation Science Journal. The manuscript exposes the potential of the
surface irrigation method which is the most widely used method for irrigation at the global scale.
However, the existing practices for land preparation and field dimensions cause the loss of a
significant amount of irrigation supplies during the application, especially in a water-scarce
country like Pakistan where the world’s largest contiguous irrigation exists. This study
investigated the efficient application of water at the field scale by selecting suitable land grading
and field dimensions. The WinSRFR model, a hydraulic analysis tool for surface irrigation
systems, was used to compute the performance of irrigation events applications at the field
scale. For this, firstly the model simulations were validated using the data which is collected
during the field trials. Secondly, field dimensions were optimized for efficient irrigation efficiency
of the surface irrigation method by considering different performance parameters. Thirdly, the
water and crop productivity of the different surface irrigation methods (border, bed and furrow,
and basin) were analyzed for assessing water saving under the optimized field dimensions. The
model simulated the advance phase of the irrigation event satisfactorily and study results reveal
that the surface irrigation method i.e., border and bed and furrow with the graded field has
significant potential of achieving high water application efficiency thus saving a significant
amount of water at the basin scale. Moreover, 1-2 irrigation events (i.e., 40 – 100 mm depth of
irrigation water) can be saved by optimizing the field dimensions.

The proposed research findings would be helpful for future studies regarding designing and
implementing an efficient surface irrigation system and further investigating the impact of
different soil types on optimizing field dimensions. Moreover, this study would be interesting for
water managers, irrigation experts and researchers in the field of surface hydraulic analysis.

Sincerely,

Muhammad Ashraf and Shanawar Hamid

(on behalf of authors)
Assistant Professor
Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT) and;
Department of Civil Engineering, Swedish College of Engineering and Technology