New evidence that the ancient Mayas practiced intensive, often irrigated, agriculture on a massive scale has forced revision in current thinking about that civilization. Yet, little study has focused on the heirs of this agricultural tradition; in areas of highland Guatemala, Mayan farmers today carry on forms of intensive, irrigated horticulture t

This book forms the proceedings of the 18th European ICID conference on irrigation and drainage. Water is not a free commodity and demand is becoming more and more intense for its allocation. This book focuses on the role of irrigation and drainage in the debate on water and should be of interest to planners, designers, policy makers in the water industry, national and local government, academic researchers and environment agencies.

Fluctuation in rainfall in Ogun-Osun River Basin, Nigeria in the recent times is a challenge to crop production. Therefore, agronomic practices need to be designed to improve water productivity under rainfed conditions. Improving water productivity requires vapour shift or transfer whereby soil physical conditions, soil fertility, crop varieties and agronomy are applied in tandem and managed to shift the evaporation into useful transpiration by plants. Water conservation practices: Tied ridge, Mulch, Soil bund, Tied ridge plus Soil bund, Tied ridge plus Mulch, Mulch plus Soil bund and Direct sowing were used in cultivating Soybeans for two rainy seasons in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Full and deficit irrigation application during reproductive stages were used with in-line drip irrigation for two seasons. Seasonal rainfall influenced the water storage in the soil. Transpiration, seed yield and water productivity were related to Total Intercepted Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Yield and economic productivity increased under water conservation practices. Productivity decreased most when irrigation was skipped during seed filling and the production costs under drip system are high. Rainfed cultivation of soybeans when rainfall and solar radiation are optimum, is the best option. The AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated to predict canopy cover, aerial dry biomass, seed yield, soil water content, crop water use, and water productivity under full and deficit irrigation conditions. The model performed the best in simulating aerial dry biomass under full irrigation. The simulated and measured data compare adequately and the performance of the model was satisfactory.

Irrigated agriculture remains to be the main option to boost the economy in Sudan in general. It can rise the living standard of the majority of the population; particularly those who are attached to farming and livestock. With the expected increase in population in the next decades, water management of large irrigation systems will become a key issue to increase productivity and assure future food security. Sediment transport in irrigation canals makes water management very complicated. This study focuses on water management in Gezira Scheme, Sudan. This scheme is irrigated from the Blue Nile River, which is characterized by a high sediment concentration. The aim of the study was to reduce the impact of fine sediment deposition in irrigation canals by improving the operation and maintenance procedures. A numerical model has been developed to simulate the cohesive sediment transport in irrigation canals. This model is a useful tool for the operators and decision makers to assess different options of operation in terms of sediment transport. This study found that sediment deposition in the canals can be minimized if the operation based on crop water requirement is adjusted at a certain period during the flood season.

Sub-Saharan Africa has an irrigation potential of about 42 million hectares of which only 17% is developed. Despite several investments in irrigation the growth is slow. This study aims at helping to achieve sustainable irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa, through gaining a better understanding of productive irrigation water use and effective management of irrigation development. The study is conducted in the White Volta sub-basin specifically in Northern Ghana and Southern Burkina Faso which have been experiencing rapid irrigation development since the mid 1990s. The study identified growing markets for irrigated products as an important driving force behind the expansion of irrigation which has given rise to new technologies. The new technologies have spread because they gave farmers direct control over water sources. These new technologies allow relatively small farm sizes which can be adequately managed by the surveyed farmers. As a result high productivities are achieved. The hydrological impact of upscaling irrigation in the sub-basin is sustainable and will maximize the overall benefits derived from water resources in the Volta Basin.

The book presents documentary evidence of the insufficiency of rehabilitation works to close the gap between the irrigation service and actual area irrigated of publicly funded national irrigation systems in the Philippines. It outlines a methodology for formulating a modernisation plan for national irrigation systems with focus on the mostly ungauged, medium to small canal irrigation systems. The proposed methodology adaptively modified some known modernisation concepts and techniques and integrated them in a more holistic framework in the context of changing weather patterns and river flow regimes. It includes in-depth review of rehabilitation works; system diagnosis; revalidation of design assumptions on percolation and water supply; characterisation of system management, irrigation service and demand; and drawing up of options and a vision for the modernised irrigation systems. Central to the proposed modernisation strategy is the logical coherence among the design of physical structures, system operation and water supply so that improvements of irrigation service are possible. The book discusses the development of the proposed methodology and demonstrates its utility in two case study irrigation systems.

This book provides a comprehensive review of key advances in the use of robots in agriculture. Chapters summarise developments in location and guidance systems, GPS technologies, machine vision, navigation, actuation, communication and control technologies. The second part of the book discusses deploying these techniques to save labour, improve precision, speed and efficiency in agricultural operations. Chapters review the state of the art on the use of agricultural robots in planting, crop monitoring, spraying, irrigation and weed management. There are also reviews of orchard management and harvesting, harvesting of soft fruit and in-field grading of harvested produce. Other chapters cover the application of robotics in the livestock sector.

Irrigated agriculture remains to be the main option to boost the economy in Sudan in general. It can rise the living standard of the majority of the population; particularly those who are attached to farming and livestock. With the expected increase in population in the next decades, water management of large irrigation systems will become a key issue to increase productivity and assure future food security. Sediment transport in irrigation canals makes water management very complicated. This study focuses on water management in Gezira Scheme, Sudan. This scheme is irrigated from the Blue Nile River, which is characterized by a high sediment concentration. The aim of the study was to reduce the impact of fine sediment deposition in irrigation canals by improving the operation and maintenance procedures. A numerical model has been developed to simulate the cohesive sediment transport in irrigation canals. This model is a useful tool for the operators and decision makers to assess different options of operation in terms of sediment transport. This study found that sediment deposition in the canals can be minimized if the operation based on crop water requirement is adjusted at a certain period during the flood season.

This book discusses the methods for determination of data on thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, unit surface conductance or the heat transfer coefficient of foods and agricultural materials. It includes the applications of thermal properties in relation to cooling and thermal expansion.

From Basic Fundamentals to Advanced Design Applications A culmination of the author's more than 20 years of research efforts, academic papers, and lecture notes, Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design outlines the key concepts of combine harvester process theory and provides you with a complete and thorough understanding of combine harvester processes. Utilizing a wealth of experimental data to promote validated mathematical models, this book presents the latest stochastic and deterministic modeling methods, evolutionary computational techniques, and practical applications. Highly focused on engineering and mathematics, it incorporates the use of simulation software (including MATLAB (R)) throughout the text and introduces a unified approach that can be used for any combine harvester functional structure. The book addresses modeling, simulation, evolutionary optimization, and combine process design. Breadth of coverage includes general technical specifications, developing machine layout as defined by engineering calculations, and design considerations for major subassembly processes. Comprised of 15 chapters, this text: Provides examples of current combine systems/elements design throughout the book Incorporates applications/exercises inspired by the author's engineering and research experience Uses both SI (metric) and imperial/U.S. measuring units throughout Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design contains principles, calculations, and examples that can aid you in combine process modeling and simulation, the development of combine process and driving task-based control systems by considering a top-to-bottom design of combine assembly and components.

This title, originally published in 1982, examines the importance of western irrigation to U.S. agriculture and the impacts of the changing water supply situation on the development of western irrigation. Past trends, water supply conditions, water institutions, economic forces, technological alternatives, and environmental factors are examined for their impacts on the course of western irrigation. Water for Western Agriculture will be of particular interest for students studying environmental issues.

This important volume, the ninth in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation book series, provides an invaluable addition to the literature and knowledge on the ever-growing need for sustainable irrigation for agricultural crops in many water-scarce parts of the world. The book specifically covers advances in fertigation for water management in general as well as for specific crops, such as peaches, maize, and citrus crops. Specific topics include: * The design of various surface and subsurface water emitters * Using information from weather stations for irrigation purposes * Ultra low drip irrigation technology * The management of weeds in crops using micro irrigation * New technology and advances in fertigation With chapters from researchers and practitioners in agricultural engineering, water research and technology, soil conservation, and other fields, this compendium provides a wealth of useful information that can be put into practice to enhance crop production.

This Storey BASICS(R) title offers exactly what you need to know to keep your small farm's equipment in good working order. Long-time farmers Steve and Ann Larkin Hansen cover everything from tractors and mowers to trimmers, tillers, ATVs, plows, discs, drills, planters, cultivators, mechanical rakes, and balers, showing you how to care for your equipment to prevent problems and how to diagnose and fix the things that do go wrong.

This symposium is the third in a series featuring the propaga tion of higher plants through tissue culture. The first of these symposia, entitled "A Bridge Between Research and Application," was held at the University in 1978 and was published by the Technical Information Center, Department of Energy. The second symposium, on "Emerging Technologies and Strategies," was held in 1980 and pub lished as a special issue of Environmental and Experimental Botany. One of the aims of these symposia was to examine the current state of-the-art in tissue culture technology and to relate this state of technology to practical, applied, and commercial interests. Thus, the third of this series on development and variation focused on embryogenesis in culture: how to recognize it, factors which affect embryogenesis, use of embryogenic systems, etc.; and variability from culture. A special session on woody species again emphasized somatic embryogenesis as a means of rapid propagation. This volume emphasizes tissue culture of forest trees. All of these areas, we feel, are breakthrough areas in which significant progress is expected in the next few years."

An increased understanding of the developmental physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology during early growth, maturation, ripening, and postharvest conditions has improved technologies to maintain the shelf life and quality of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. "Postharvest Biology and Technology of Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers" provides a comprehensive introduction to this subject, offering a firm grounding in the basic science and branching out into the technology and practical applications. An authoritative resource on the science and technology of the postharvest sector, this book surveys the body of knowledge with an emphasis on the recent advances in the field.

Sub-Saharan Africa has an irrigation potential of about 42 million hectares of which only 17% is developed. Despite several investments in irrigation the growth is slow. This study aims at helping to achieve sustainable irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa, through gaining a better understanding of productive irrigation water use and effective management of irrigation development. The study is conducted in the White Volta sub-basin specifically in Northern Ghana and Southern Burkina Faso which have been experiencing rapid irrigation development since the mid 1990s. The study identified growing markets for irrigated products as an important driving force behind the expansion of irrigation which has given rise to new technologies. The new technologies have spread because they gave farmers direct control over water sources. These new technologies allow relatively small farm sizes which can be adequately managed by the surveyed farmers. As a result high productivities are achieved. The hydrological impact of upscaling irrigation in the sub-basin is sustainable and will maximize the overall benefits derived from water resources in the Volta Basin.

Salinization of soils is a major threat to irrigated agriculture and counteracts the targets of costly public infrastructure investments. In this study, salinization is regarded as the outcome of an institutional arrangement which impedes the effective implementation of well-known and well-established control measures be they technical, managerial or economic. In public irrigation systems neither the management units nor the farmers are offered any incentives towards the control of high groundwater levels and salinization if the management units are embedded in a highly centralized non-market institutional setting. The author answers the question under which conditions management units and irrigators are active in halting and reversing the process of salinization.

Advancement in Crop Improvement Techniques presents updates on biotechnology and molecular biological approaches which have contributed significantly to crop improvement. The book discusses the emerging importance of bioinformatics in analyzing the vast resources of information regarding crop improvement and its practical application and utilization. Throughout this comprehensive resource, emphasis is placed on various techniques used to improve agricultural crops, providing a common platform for the utility of these techniques and their combinations. Written by an international team of contributors, this book provides an in-depth analysis of existing tools and a framework for new research.

Agricultural Water Management: Theories and Practices advances the scientific understanding, development and application of agricultural water management through an integrated approach. This book presents a collection of recent developments and applications of agricultural water management from advanced sources, such as satellite, mesoscale and climate models that are integrated with conceptual modeling systems. Users will find sections on drought, irrigation scheduling, weather forecasting, climate change, precipitation forecasting, and more. By linking these systems, this book provides the first resource to promote the synergistic and multidisciplinary activities of scientists in hydro-meteorological and agricultural sciences. As agricultural water management has gained considerable momentum in recent decades among the earth and environmental science communities as they seek solutions and an understanding of the concepts integral to agricultural water management, this book is an ideal resource for study and reference.

In 1947, British India-the part of South Asia that is today's India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh-emerged from the colonial era with the world's largest centrally managed canal irrigation infrastructure. However, as vividly illustrated by Tushaar Shah, the orderly irrigation economy that saved millions of rural poor from droughts and famines is now a vast atomistic system of widely dispersed tube-wells that are drawing groundwater without permits or hindrances. Taming the Anarchy is about the development of this chaos and the prospects to bring it under control. It is about both the massive benefit that the irrigation economy has created and the ill-fare it threatens through depleted aquifers and pollution. Tushaar Shah brings exceptional insight into a socio-ecological phenomenon that has befuddled scientists and policymakers alike. In systematic fashion, he investigates the forces behind the transformation of South Asian irrigation and considers its social, economic, and ecological impacts. He considers what is unique to South Asia and what is in common with other developing regions. He argues that, without effective governance, the resulting groundwater stress threatens the sustenance of the agrarian system and therefore the well being of the nearly one and a half billion people who live in South Asia. Yet, finding solutions is a formidable challenge. The way forward in the short run, Shah suggests, lies in indirect, adaptive strategies that change the conduct of water users. From antiquity until the 1960's, agricultural water management in South Asia was predominantly the affair of village communities and/or the state. Today, the region depends on irrigation from some 25 million individually owned groundwater wells. Tushaar Shah provides a fascinating economic, political, and cultural history of the development and use of technology that is also a history of a society in transition. His book provides powerful ideas and lessons for researchers, historians, and policymakers interested in South Asia, as well as readers who are interested in the water and agricultural futures of other developing countries and regions, including China and Africa.

This book develops and presents a conceptual model for sustainable-groundwater irrigated agriculture. The model is based on the general principles of the economic theories of cost-benefit relations and behavioral models of resource use. The study has evaluated the advances in tubewell farming and the aquifer potential in arid Balochistan over a period of three decades. It has analyzed the booms and busts of the farming over time taking into consideration the local aquifer limitations and the socio-political considerations and policy framework. Three data sets farmers, expert officials and satellite images - have been used to aid validation. By observing the most vital parameters, the study has concluded that the local aquifer has been falling at a rate directly proportional to the growth rate of irrigated farming, suggesting the current development process is unsustainable. For instance, the research finds that tubewell bores have reached down to depths where the term aquifer mining applies; as a result, irrigation costs have become too high to allow farming to be economically viable. In addition, desertification is steadily encroaching and the cropping pattern being changed from high-value horticulture to subsistence cropping. The study has also set parameters for assessing the willingness of farmers to accept modern, sustainable strategies and interventions."

Written for a one-semester course in hydraulics, this concise textbook is rooted in the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and aims to promote sound hydraulic engineering practice. Basic methods are presented to underline the theory and engineering applications, and examples and problems build in complexity as students work their way through the textbook. Abundant worked examples and calculations, real-world case studies, and revision exercises, as well as precisely crafted end-of-chapter exercises ensure students learn exactly what they need in order to consolidate their knowledge and progress in their career. Students learn to solve pipe networks, optimize pumping systems, design pumps and turbines, solve differential equations for gradually-varied flow and unsteady flow, and gain knowledge of hydraulic structures like spillways, gates, valves, and culverts. An essential textbook for intermediate to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in civil and environmental engineering.