Improving wáter

use efficiency in
drylands
L. Stroosnijder, D. Moore, A. Alharbi,
E. Argaman, B. Biazin & E. Elsen.
 Abstract
Drylands
41% of the global
2 billion people terrestrial area
use for gazing
and cropping
 Abstract
New management
practices

To improve Reduce To improve

infiltration evaporation losses WUE
And storage of Harvest and More crop
rainwater conserve water per drop
INTRODUCTION
 Drylands

HYPER Problems to solve

ARIDS Aridity Index
Inability of plants to
Water scarcity
SEMI ARIDS use water available
Pmean annual
𝐸𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙
Caused by
DRY
SUBHUMID Meteorological
Soil drought
drought
Meteorological
drought

Occur as:

• Long dry spells

• Too short growing
season or
• Total lack of rain Wide variability in annual rainfall

402 mm in the driest year

(1983/84) to 109 mm in the
wettest year (1980/81)
Meteorological
drought

Occur as:

• Long dry spells

• Too short growing
season or RWH mitigate the risks of intra-
seasonal dry spells.
• Total lack of rain
conservation tillage enables
improved timing of operations
. A more sustainable farming system is one that incorporates
drought-tolerant crops such as pearl millet and sorghum with
minimum water requirements of 300 mm or less and 400 mm
Meteorological
drought

Occur as: Number of wet days was 36

 P = 0.24
• Long dry spells
• Too short growing Agritex criterion most plantings (64%) would occur from
the third decade of November to the first decade of
season or December as:
• Total lack of rain Based on the depth criterion, most of the plantings
(60%) would occur from the first decade to the second
decade of December whilst the earlier and later
periods account for 28% and 12%, respectively

Same modal planting period

Meteorological
drought Increase availability to
storage water in the root
zone.

Yield advantage with tied

ridges should be attributed to
the soil water conserved in the
Occur as: early and late stage and in the
vegetative stage of the crop.

• Long dry spells

• Too short growing
season or
• Total lack of rain

Control, Mulch and tied ridges effects.

 In 2009, the soil water was • Grain yield and aboveground dry
increased by 27% with tied ridges biomass increased by 60 % and 39 %
However, the crop stand with tied
ridges was poor due to the
aeration stress
 Degradation of soil
Soil drought
P = I + R
Causes: • Repellency
• Desertification • Crusting
• Lack of agricultural
intensification • Compaction
E T

S = I + D
 Burkina Faso
Soil drought
P(660mm)= I + R
Causes: S = I + D
• Desertification
E(260mm) T(100mm)
• Lack of agricultural
intensification

T/P=0.15
SOIL WATER
REPELLENCY
Improved infiltration and
water storage
Soil
Soil quality

• The capacity of a soil to

function within ecosystem
boundaries to sustain
biological productivity,
maintain environmental
quality, and promote plant
and animal health
 SWR

Subcritical Water repellency

It refers to soil where water uptake appears to

occur readily, yet is impeded to some extent by the
presence of hydrophobic surface films

SWR has implications for the resistance of soil

structure against disruption by wetting, bypass
flow, and surface runoff.
R
 SWR

R 1/S
Sorptivity--Fundamental in study of unsaturated zone
of soil.
Characterize the first stages
of infiltration process so I=(0.5 * S^-0.5) + K
represents the effect of
matrix potential
 Subcritical Water
resistance
Beneficial impacts Detrimental impacts

• It’s fundamental to hydraulic

transport properties of soil Reduction in wetting rate
also enhances surface runoff
• And may contribute to the and pollutant transport
heterogeneity of soil structure through higher levels of
macro pore and
• One direct consequence of retarded interaggregate flow.
rapid wetting is enhanced structural
stability of soil as the energy release
rate and buildup of air pressure in
pores
 Repellency test

R 1.95(𝑆𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 𝑆𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑎 )
• 1.95 accounts for differences in the surface tension and viscosity between ethanol
and water.
• S ethanol therefore provides a measurement of liquid transport in soil that is not
influenced by water repellency and is representative of the pore structure

R > 1.95 as sub critically water repellent

 Repellency test

S=Qf4br
• b:= Parameter dependent on the soil water diffusivity function (taken as 0.55)
• r:=Radius of the infiltrometer tip (1.5 mm)
• f:= fillable porosity

The results suggest that subcritical water repellency (R > 1.95) is

widespread phenomena in these soils.
Summary of water sorptivity
Summary of water sorptivity
 Accumulation of
hydrophobic
compounds on and
between soil particles

SWR
Soil resist wetting
• Runoff
• Surface ponding
• Non-uniform wetting
• Preferential flow
• Suboptimal growing
conditions
 Accumulation of
hydrophobic
compounds on and
between soil particles

SWR-Alternatives
Surfactants
Lower the surface
tension

Restore wettability
 Accumulation of
hydrophobic
compounds on and
between soil particles

SWR-Alternatives
Surfactants
Lower the surface
tension

Restore wettability
 Accumulation of
hydrophobic
compounds on and
between soil particles

SWR-Alternatives
Surfactants
Lower the surface
tension

Restore wettability
 Accumulation of
hydrophobic
compounds on and
between soil particles

SWR-Alternatives
Surfactants
Lower the surface
tension

Restore wettability