Effects of the shallow water table on water use of winter wheat and ecosystem health: Implications for unlocking the potential of groundwater in the Fergana Valley

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effect of the shallow water table on water use of the winter wheat that has replaced alfalfa on the irrigated lands of the Fergana Valley, upstream of the Syrdarya River, in Central Asia. The effect of the shallow water table is investigated using HYDRUS-1D. Numerical simulations show that the contribution of the groundwater to evapotranspiration increases with a rising water table and decreases with increasing irrigation applications. Under irrigation conditions, an increase in the groundwater evapotranspiration is associated mainly with an increase in evaporation loss, causing a buildup of salinity in the crop root zone. Evaporation losses from fields planted with winter wheat after the harvest amount up to 45-47% of total evaporation thus affecting soil salinity and ecosystem health. Promoting the use of groundwater for irrigation in order to lower the groundwater table is suggested to achieve water savings from the change in the cropping pattern. Unlocking the potential of groundwater for irrigation in the Fergana Valley can also contribute toward managing soil salinity and improving the health and resilience of water, land and ecosystems of water, land and ecosystems. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 97,297

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

  • Only published works are available at libraries.

Analytics

Added to PP
2017-03-18

Downloads
4 (#1,788,684)

6 months
4 (#1,476,542)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Artur Karimov
Kazan University

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references