Modeling Methods and Practices in Soil and Water Engineering

Balram Panigrahi, Megh R. Goyal

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781315342214
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Science General
• Index: Biological Sciences

This book discusses the development of useful models and their applications in soil and water engineering. It covers various modeling methods, including groundwater recharge estimation, rainfall-runoff modeling using artificial neural networks, development and application of a water balance model and a HYDRUS-2D model for cropped fields, a multi-model approach for stream flow simulation, multi-criteria analysis for construction of groundwater structures in hard rock terrains, hydrologic modeling of watersheds using remote sensing, and GIS and AGNPS.

PREFACE 1 BY BALRAM PANIGRAHI

 

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Mathematical models in the field of soil and water engineering have become essential tools for the planning, development, and management of land and water resources. They are increasingly used to analyze quantity and quality of stream flow, groundwater and soil water, and different water resources management activities. Their application in the fields of soil and water engineering has expanded the horizon of innovative research. Modeling Methods and Practices in Soil and Water Engineering, a volume in the new book series Innovations in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, discusses the development of useful models and their applications in soil and water engineering. The book contains 12 chapters spreading over three parts: Modeling Methods in Soil and Water Engineering, Research Innovations in Soil and Water Engineering, and Irrigation Management of Crops.

The first section covers various modeling methods, including groundwater recharge estimation, rainfall-runoff modeling using artificial neural networks, development and application of a water balance model and a HYDRUS-2D model for cropped fields, a multi-model approach for stream flow simulation, multi-criteria analysis for construction of groundwater structures in hard rock terrains, hydrologic modeling of watersheds using remote sensing, and GIS and AGNPS.

The effects of climate change on water resources planning and management and sustainable urban drainage systems are discussed in the book’s second section. A specialized chapter deals with applications of remote sensing and GIS for watershed planning and management.

Irrigation water for agriculture is diminishing day by day, which affects rice production in many rice-growing countries. The third section addresses productivity of rice under deficit irrigation and suggests different water-saving irrigation techniques to help in obtaining optimum yield. Finally methods to estimate water requirement of different crops and performance of plantation crops in degraded watersheds under different conservation trenches are discussed.

The book will serve as a reference manual for graduate and undergraduate students of agriculture and agricultural, civil, and biological engineering and will also be valuable for those who teach, practice, and research soil and water conservation methods for agriculture.

The contributions by the authors of different chapters of this book are very valuable and without their support this book would have not been published successfully. The authors are well experts in their fields. Their names are mentioned in each chapter and also separately in the list of contributors. The readers are requested to offer constructive suggestions that may help to improve the next edition.

I take the opportunity to offer my heartfelt obligations to Distinguished Professor Megh R. Goyal “Father of Irrigation Engineering of 20^th Century in Puerto Rico” and editor of this book who has benevolently given me an opportunity to serve as a lead editor of this book. We both thank all the editorial staff of Apple Academic Press Inc. for making every effort to publish this book. I express my deep obligations to my family, friends and colleagues for their help and moral support during preparation of the book.

Balram Panigrahi, PhD

Editor

December 31 of 2015

PREFACE 2 BY MEGH R. GOYAL

 

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Due to increased agricultural production, irrigated land has increased in the arid and sub-humid zones around the world. Agriculture has started to compete for the water use with industries, municipalities and other sectors. This increasing demand along with increments in water and energy costs have made it necessary to develop new innovative technologies for the adequate management of natural resources. The intelligent use of soil and water for crops requires understanding of evapotranspiration processes and use of efficient irrigation methods under limited resources.

Our planet will not have enough potable water for a population of >10 billion persons in 2115. The situation will be further complicated by multiple factors that will be adversely affected by the global warming. The http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml indicates, “Water scarcity already affects all continents. Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity, and 500 million people are approaching this situation. Another 1.6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world’s population, face economic water shortage (where countries lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers). Water scarcity is among the main problems to be faced by many societies and the World in the 21st century. Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and, although there is no global water scarcity as such, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. Water scarcity is both a natural and a human-made phenomenon. There is enough freshwater on the planet for seven billion people but it is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed.” The crisis is rampant.

I have been involved in Soil and Water Conservation Engineering (SWCE) since 1971. I know what the cooperating authors have emphasized in this book volume. I am a staunch supporter of preserving our natural resources. The updated seventh edition of “Soil and Water Conservation Engineering by http://www.asabe.org ” emphasizes engineering design of soil and water conservation practices and their impact on the environment, primarily air and water quality. Other books on SWCE advocate the same. Importance of wise use of our natural resources has been taken up seriously by Universities, Institutes/Centers, Government Agencies and NonGovernment Agencies. With an example in the next paragraph, I conclude that the agencies and departments in SWCE have contributed to the ocean of knowledge.

At Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (http://www.caet.org.in/caet/), the Department of SWCE is well equipped with soil and water conservation, irrigation and drainage and hydraulics laboratories, which have facilities of modern systems and equipment’s like Neutron Probe moisture meter, Pressure plate apparatus, Digital stage level recorder, Micro Irrigation systems, different types of hydraulic pumps, models and prototypes of chute and drop spillway, models to study ground water flow dynamics, Geo-resistivity meter, etc. The department has also working co-ordination with various Government organizations and industries to help students to gain practical knowledge. Besides, the facility of testing and evaluation of various pumps, sprinklers and drippers are available. The SWCE has rendered its yeomen service to the farming community through programs related to irrigation and drainage water management, ground water and wells, SWE, Hi-tech irrigation systems and watershed management. Besides, the department has undertaken research component of World Bank funded project, “National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA),” and Integrated Watershed Development Project (IWDP) throughout the Orissa state at different watersheds, Improvement of hydraulic structures in Mahanadi Delta irrigation command, Rehabilitation of degraded watersheds, etc. Similar and specialized description of SWCE programs is available throughout the world.

Our book also contributes to the ocean of knowledge on SWCE. Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ABEs) with expertise in SWCE work to better understand the complex mechanics of natural resources, so that they can be used efficiently and without degradation. ABEs determine crop water requirements and design irrigation systems. They are experts in agricultural hydrology principles, such as controlling drainage, and they implement ways to control soil erosion and study the environmental effects of sediment on stream quality. Natural resources engineers design, build, operate and maintain water control structures for reservoirs, flood- ways and channels. They also work on water treatment systems, wetlands protection, and other water issues. While making call for chapters for a book volume on SWCE, we mentioned to the prospective authors following focus areas:

• Academia to industry to end user loop in soil and water engineering
• Aquaculture engineering
• Biological engineering in SWE
• Biotechnology applications in SWE
• Climate change and its impact on SWE
• Design in irrigation and drainage systems
• Drainage principles, management, practices
• Education in SWE: curricula/scope/opportunities
• Energy potential in SWE
• Environment engineering
• Extension methods in SWE
• Flood damage in crop production
• Flow through porous media
• Global warming due ill effects of SWCE
• Ground water and tube-wells: principles, management, and practices
• Groundwater simulation for sustainable agriculture,
• Human factors engineering in SWE
• Hydrologic applications in SWE
• Irrigation principles, management, practices
• Management of water resources
• Nanotechnology applications in SWE
• Natural resources engineering and management
• Principles of hydraulics in SWE
• Robot engineering in SWE
• Simulation, optimization and computer modeling
• Society and natural resources
• Soil and water engineering
• Waste management engineering

Therefore, I conclude that scope of SWCE is wide enough and focus areas may overlap one another. The mission of this book volume is to serve as a reference manual for graduate and under graduate students of agricultural, biological and civil engineering; horticulture, soil science, crop science and agronomy. I hope that it will be a valuable reference for professionals that work with soil and water management; for professional training institutes, technical agricultural centers, irrigation centers, Agricultural Extension Service, and other agencies. I cannot guarantee the information in this book series will be enough for all situations.

After my first textbook, Drip/Trickle or Micro Irrigation Management by Apple Academic Press Inc., and response from international readers, Apple Academic Press Inc. published for the world community the ten-volume series on Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation, edited by Megh R. Goyal.

At 49^th annual meeting of Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers at Punjab Agricultural University during February 22-25 of 2015, a group of ABEs convinced me that there is a dire need to publish book volumes on focus areas of agricultural and biological engineering (ABE). This is how the idea was born for a new book series titled “Innovations in Agricultural and Biological Engineering.” Here we present the volume titled Modeling Methods and Practices in Soil and Water Engineering.

My longtime colleague, Dr. Balram Panigrahi, joins me as a Lead Editor of this volume. Dr. Panigrahi holds exceptional professional qualities in addition to Professor and Head for Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering in College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology (CAET) at Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar, India. His contribution to the contents and quality of this book has been invaluable.

We will like to thank editorial staff, Sandy Jones Sickels, Vice President, and Ashish Kumar, Publisher and President, at Apple Academic Press, Inc., for making every effort to publish the book when the diminishing water resources are a major issue worldwide. Special thanks are due to the AAP Production Staff. We request that the reader offer us your constructive suggestions that may help to improve the next edition.

I express my deep admiration to my family for understanding and collaboration during the preparation of this book. As an educator, there is a piece of advice to one and all in the world:”Permit that our almighty God, our Creator and excellent Teacher, irrigate the life with His Grace of rain trickle by trickle, because our life must continue trickling on... and Get married to your profession”

—Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE

Senior Editor-in-Chief

December 31 of 2015

FOREWORD

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Soil and water are the two vital natural resources of the world. These two natural resources are fast depleting. With increasing population pressure coupled with urbanization and industrialization, these resources are begin further exploited. These resources must be conserved and maintained carefully for sustainable crop production. Innovation researches are very much essential for conservation and development of these natural resources. Now-a-days, a number of models are used in the field of soul and water engineering. These models help in optimum utilization of resources and at the same time help in proper planning and management of decision support systems.

In this context, This volume is a commendable work by the authors. I congratulate Dr. Balam Panigrahi, Professor Dr. Megh R. Goyal, “Father of Irrigation Engineering of 20th Century in Puerto Rico”. The book contains useful chapters dealing with different aspects of soil and water engineering, including groundwater, surface water, water requirement of crops, remote sensing and GIS application in watershed planning and management, irrigation and drainage. The book will serve as an invaluable resource for graduate and undergraduate students of agriculture, agricultural, biological and civil engineering and all deal with other natural resources engineering. I believe that the book will be helpful for all teaching and farming community, practicing engineers, research scientists, soil conservationists, agronomists, planners, managers and all policy makers dealing with soil and water conservation.

I wish the publication a great success.

—M. Ka...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Contributors
• List of Abbreviations
• Preface 1
• Preface 2
• Foreword
• Warning/Disclaimer
• List of Other Books on Soil and Water Engineering by Apple Academic Press Inc
• About the Editors
• Book Messages
• Editorial
• PART 1: MODELING METHODS IN SOIL AND WATER ENGINEERING
• PART 2: RESEARCH INNOVATIONS IN SOIL AND WATER ENGINEERING
• PART 3: IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT OF CROPS
• Appendices
• Index