Environment, Geology and Natural Resources, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.
Environ Geochem Health. 2021 Oct;43(10):4179-4200. doi: 10.1007/s10653-021-00905-2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.
Climate change models consistently project future precipitation reduction and temperature increase during the crop growing season in the US Midwest, which may exacerbate surface water scarcity issues confronting regional agriculture. To maintain consistent crop yields under the risk of increased droughts, farmers may shift from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation agriculture, particularly during drought periods. There is an urgent need to understand whether surface water in the Midwest is suitable for irrigation. In this study, irrigation water quality was comprehensively analyzed for commonly used parameters regarding salt content including sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), adjusted sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC), magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), permeability index (PI), Kelley's ratio (KR), synthetic harmful coefficient (SHC), and salinity. Results indicate that water in the White River at Muncie was rated mostly in excellent to good condition with regard to irrigation quality. However, the irrigation suitability level exhibited two distinct patterns between May-July and August-October. Specifically, an average of 7.8% of the samples from May to July were unsuitable for irrigation, and an average of 24.5% of samples from August to October were unsuitable for irrigation considering all parameters. Flow rate change over time and the release of pollutants from wastewater treatment plants and combine sewage outflows to the White River impacted on the irrigation water quality variations of the river. This study showed that there are higher risks during the fall season for farmers to use surface water as an irrigation source, and this risk might be greater if extended or more frequent drought events occur in the future. To our best knowledge, this is the first peer-reviewed study on irrigation water quality assessment in the Midwest and provides useful information for farmers and decision makers to consider while formulating applications for irrigation.
气候变化模型一致预测，美国中西部作物生长季节未来的降水将减少，温度将升高，这可能会加剧该地区农业面临的地表水短缺问题。为了在干旱风险增加的情况下保持作物产量稳定，农民可能会从雨养农业转向灌溉农业，尤其是在干旱时期。迫切需要了解中西部的地表水是否适合灌溉。在这项研究中，综合分析了常用于盐分含量的常用参数的灌溉水质，包括钠吸附比（SAR）、调整钠吸附比（SAR）、可溶性钠百分比（SSP）、电导率（EC）、总溶解固体（TDS）、剩余碳酸氢钠（RSBC）、镁吸附比（MAR）、渗透率指数（PI）、凯利比（KR）、综合有害系数（SHC）和盐度。结果表明，曼西市怀特河的水质在灌溉质量方面大多处于优良至良好状态。然而，灌溉适宜性水平在 5 月至 7 月和 8 月至 10 月之间表现出两种截然不同的模式。具体来说，考虑到所有参数，5 月至 7 月期间平均有 7.8%的样本不适合灌溉，8 月至 10 月期间平均有 24.5%的样本不适合灌溉。随着时间的推移，水流率的变化以及污水处理厂和合流污水排放物释放的污染物会影响河流灌溉水质的变化。本研究表明，在秋季，农民使用地表水作为灌溉水源的风险更高，如果未来发生时间延长或更频繁的干旱事件，这种风险可能会更大。据我们所知，这是对中西部地区灌溉水质评估的首次同行评审研究，为农民和决策者在制定灌溉申请时提供了有用的信息。
