Evaluation of seasonal performance of irrigation systems and plants with ARIS index

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Agricultural Engineering Research Department, West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Urmia, Iran

2 University of Tehran

3 Professor, Dept. of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, Univ. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Univ. of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

4 Department of water engineering, university of mohaghegh ardabili, ardabil. iran

Abstract

Irrigation performance evaluation is needed for hydrological planning and as the first step to improve water management, one of the performance evaluation criteria is the relative annual irrigation supply index (ARIS), which is used in agriculture and water resources management to evaluate the adequacy of water supply for irrigation in the length of a cropping period is used. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the ARIS index and water productivity indices for different plants (wheat, seed corn, corn, maize, sugar beet, cotton, alfalfa and soybean) in two surface and center pivot irrigation systems in It was Moghan Plain where three indices 〖WP〗_T، 〖WP〗_eg and 〖WP〗_en were used to check water efficiency. This research was conducted in 13 combinations of irrigation system - crop in the area of 647 hectares. The results showed that the ARIS index for the studied area varied from 0.73 to 2.21, so that the overall average was 1.27 with an overall standard deviation of 0.15, which indicated the application of heavy irrigation in the fields. Regarding the irrigation systems, the average ARIS for surface and center pivot irrigation was 1.60 and 0.89, respectively. Also, in terms of plant type, soybean and corn had the lowest and highest ARIS values with 0.73 and 1.73, respectively. On the other hand, the investigation of technical and economic efficiency of water for main crops and irrigation systems showed that maize and seed corn and cotton in the surface irrigation system had the lowest value, while sugar beet and corn under center pivot irrigation system had the highest value of water economic efficiency index. Considering the volume of water consumption, water productivity and gross productivity, the best option for cultivation in the wheat crop area was recommended. Also, in terms of water consumption and productivity, according to the type of irrigation system, center pivot system is more efficient than surface system, and the development of this system is recommended.

Keywords

Main Subjects

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Introduction:

The total annual rainfall in Iran is approximately 393 billion cubic meters, a significant portion of which is lost through surface and groundwater flows. Inefficient water resource management and low irrigation efficiency have led to substantial water losses in both modern and traditional irrigation networks. The ARIS index has been introduced as a tool for evaluating irrigation system performance, and numerous studies worldwide have examined its applicability. However, this index has not yet been studied in Iran. This research aims to assess the ARIS index and water productivity in the irrigation systems of the Moghan Plain, facilitating comparisons with other regions globally.

Materials and Methods:

The study was conducted in the Moghan Plain (Moghan Agro-Industry and Livestock Company) in Ardabil Province, Iran, covering 674 hectares. The dominant irrigation systems in the region include surface irrigation and center pivot. Data collection spanned two agricultural years (2016–2017) across 41 farms cultivating eight different crops. The study assessed irrigation water application (IWA) and irrigation efficiency using the ARIS index, comparing irrigation water use with crop water requirements. Additionally, three water productivity indices (WPT, WPeg, and WPen) were evaluated. Field sampling and farmer surveys provided crop yield, irrigation volume, economic data, and operational costs, enabling a comprehensive analysis of irrigation performance and water productivity.

Results:

Most of the farms in the region are dedicated to sugar beet and grain corn, with these two crops occupying a significant share of the cultivated area. Due to the prevalence of leased farms, sugar beet has become a common crop among tenants because of its higher economic profitability. The evapotranspiration of crops varied between 465 and 939 mm, and the net irrigation requirement was estimated to range from 2,100 m³/ha for wheat to 8,150 m³/ha for alfalfa. A comparison of irrigation systems indicated that in surface irrigation, water consumption was higher than in center pivot systems due to infiltration and runoff losses. Sugar beet had the highest water consumption in surface irrigation, while wheat had the lowest in center pivot systems. The water productivity index showed that forage corn and sugar beet had the highest water productivity, and the center pivot system generally outperformed surface irrigation in most crops. This system demonstrated better economic performance due to improved control over irrigation depth and reduced losses. Additionally, an analysis of the economic water productivity index revealed that seed corn and wheat had the highest economic returns, while alfalfa had the lowest.

Conclusion:

The study found that surface irrigation used more water than center pivot systems, which had higher water efficiency due to less runoff and deeper infiltration. The ARIS index showed excessive water use in surface-irrigated fields. Shifting to center pivot irrigation can reduce water wastage and improve efficiency. Improving water management practices and advising farmers is crucial to optimize irrigation and conserve water.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, Y.H., A.L., T.S. & A.R; methodology, Y.H., A.L., T.S. & A.R; software, Y.H., A.L., T.S. & A.R; formal analysis, Y.H.& J.A; investigation, Y.H., A.L. & A.R; resources, Y.H; data curation, Y.H., A.L. & A.R; writing-original draft preparation, Y.H. & J.A; writing-review and editing, Y.H., A.L., T.S. & A.R; visualization, Y.H. & J.A; supervision, Y.H.; project administration, Y.H.; funding acquisition, Y.H.  All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

Data is available on reasonable request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their critical comments that helped to improve the paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and facilities provided by Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

 Ethical considerations

The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 56, Issue 1
April 2025
Pages 75-90

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