Document Type : Research Paper

Abstract

Simulation models are important for evaluation of the effects of environmental stress on crop yield. The AquaCrop model is a valuable tool for improving farm-level water management because of its excellent crop yield simulation under full, deficit, and supplemental irrigation. The present study evaluated the AquaCrop model over two years of experimental data for the Zayandehrud rice cultivar on research conducted in the Nekuabad irrigation network, which features clay soil texture and mildly saline water. The irrigation treatments consist of continuous flooding to depths of 22 and 35 mm and alternative wetting-and-drying soil saturation levels from 0 (saturation) to 15 mm in depth. The model was able to accurately simulate rice yield under full irrigation and mild deficit irrigation scenarios. Increasing the water stress decreased the accuracy of model simulation for grain yield and canopy cover. The results of the reliability indices were 1.03 for root mean square error, 0.71 for index of agreement, and 0.6 for coefficient of residual mass. The model provided excellent simulations of grain yield, biomass and canopy cover. The best fitted curve for the crop water production function for the cultivar and region was a second-order function with an acceptable coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.91.

Keywords

Amiri, E., Rezaei, M., Eyshi Rezaei, E. and Bannayan, M. 2014. Evaluation of Ceres-Rice, Aquacrop and Oryza 2000 models in simulation of rice yield response to different irrigation and nitrogen management strategies. J. Plant Nutr. 37(11): 1749-1769.
Andarzian, B., Bannyan, M., Steduto, P., Mazraeh, H., Barati, M. E., Barati, M. A. and Rahnama, A. 2011. Validation and testing of the AquaCrop model under full and deficit irrigated wheat production in Iran. Agric. Water Manage. 100(1): 1-8.
Anon. 2012. Statistics Report of Iran: Agricultural Year 2011-2012. Crop Production. Planning, Administrative & Financial Affairs of the Agricultural Organization, Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Iran.
Arvaneh, H. and Abbasi, F. 2014. Calibration and verification of AquaCrop model for canola in farm condition. Water Res. Iran J. 14, 1-10. (in Farsi)
Ashwini, P. and manjunath, B. L. 2012. Calibration and validation of AquaCrop model for local rice grown in Goa, India. UNW-DPC Pub. Series.7, 46-48.
Bouman, B. A. M., Humphereys, E., Tuong, T. P. and Borker, R. 2006. Rice and Water. Adv. Agron. 92, 187-237.
Farahani, H. J., Gabriella, I. and Oweis, T. Y. 2009. Parameterization and evaluation of the AquaCrop model for full and deficit irrigated cotton. Agron. J. 101, 469-476.
Gholami, R., Zarghami, R. and Amiri, A. 2004. Effects of consumption of fertilizers, urea, sulfate and phosphate on yield components of rice (Oriza sativa.) In Terms of Irrigation. Asian J. Plant Sci. 1(1): 25-27.
Heidarinia, M., Naseri, A., Borumandnasab, S. and Sohrabi-Moshkabadi, B. 2010. Calibration of AquaCrop model for cotton irrigation schedule in Gorgan. Proceeding of the 3rd National Conference on Irrigation and Drainagae Networks Management. Mar. 12. Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. (in Farsi)
Heng, L. K., Hsiao, T., Evett S, Howell, T. and Steduto, P. 2009. Validating the FAO AquaCrop model for irrigated and water deficient field maize. Agron. J. 101, 488-498.
Homaee, M., Dirksen, C. and Feddes, R. A. 2002. Simulation of Root Water Uptake. I. Nonuniform Transient Salinity Stress Using Different Macroscopic Reduction Functions. Agric. Water Manage.
57(2): 89-109.
Hsiao, T. C., Heng, L., Steduto, P., Rojas-Lara, B., Raes, D. and Fereres, E. 2009. AquaCrop. The FAO crop model to simulate yield response to water: III. Parameterization and testing for maize. Agron. J. 101, 448-459.
Pirmoradian, N., Kamkar-Haghighi, A. A. and Sepaskhah, A. R. 2002. Crop coefficient and water requirement of rice in Kushkak. Fars. J. Sci. Tech. Agric. Natural Resources. 6(3): 15-22. (in Farsi)
Raes, D., Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C. and Fereres, E. 2009. AquaCrop. The FAO crop model to simulate yield response to water: II. Main algorithms and software description. Agron. J. 101, 438-447.
Raes, D., Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C. and Fereres, E. 2012. AquaCrop. FAO Crop – Water productivity model to simulate yield response to water. Reference Manual. Ver. 4. FAO. Land and Water Division. Rome. Italy.
Rezaei, M., Davatgar, N., Khaledian, M. R. and Pirmoradian, N. 2012. Effect of intermittent irrigation with saline water on rice yield in Rasht. Iran. Acta Agric. Slovanica. 101, 49-57.
Salemi, H. R. and Murray-Rust, H. 2002. Water supply and demand forecasting in the Zayandeh Rud basin. Iran. Iran-IWMI Collaborative Research Project. Research Paper No.13. (in Farsi)
Salemi, H. R. and Abedi, H. 2006. Investigation on response of rice cultivars and lines to various water irrigation depths in Lengjan district of Isfahan. J. Agric. Eng. Res. 28 (7): 79-92. (in Farsi)
Sepaskhah, A. R., Tavakoli, A. R. and Mousavi, F. 2006. Bases and application of deficit irrigation (Eds.).Iranian national committee on irrigation and drainage press. 288. (in Farsi).
Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C., Raes, D. and Fereres, E. 2009. AquaCrop. The FAO crop model to simulate yield response to water: I. Concepts and under lying principles. Agron. J. 101, 426-437.
Tavakoli, A. R., Liaghat, A. and Alizadeh, A. 2013. Soil water balance, sowing date and wheat yield using AquaCrop model under rainfed and limited irrigation. J. Agric. Eng. Res. 14, 41-55. (in Farsi).
Todorovic, M., Albrizio, R., Zivotic, L., Abi Saab, M. T., Stockle, C. and Steduto, P. 2009. Assessment of AquaCrop, CropSyst and WOFOST models in the simulation of sunflower growth under different water regimes. Agron. J. 101, 509-521.