Agriculture Water Use Efficiency in Wadi Shu'eib Area, Jordan

摘要

Water percolation in upper soil at Wadi Shueib in Jordan was investigated using different irrigational methods and amounts of irrigation water. Four investigative periods were designed: two during the summer and two during the winter. The percentage of recharge from irrigated plots ranged from 42% to 78%, depending on the amount of irrigation water and the climatic conditions that prevailed in the investigated area. The main factor that controlled the amount of percolation was soil water content. Different methods of irrigation showed apparent variations in the amount of water losses. The covered fields (mulched and subsurface methods) had the lowest water consumption as compared to the uncovered plots (bare and meandering irrigational methods). This is mainly due to the reduction in surface evaporation from the topsoils. Accordingly, any improvement in water use efficiency should take this factor into consideration.