Iranian Water Research Journal

Abstract Water scarcity particularly in arid and semi-arid areas has been threatening food security for millions of people. Considering that Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid zone and crop production is not possible without irrigation management. In areas where crops are irrigated management and proper planning are necessary for optimal use of water. Due to the quantitative and qualitative decline of groundwater resources, it is essential to optimize water use in agriculture. One of the methods to optimize water use in agriculture, especially in arid regions, is to use yield-water-salinity functions. Also, Selenium has been introduced as one of the useful elements against the destructive effects of salinity and water stresses. Peppermint with the scientific name Mentha piperita L is one of the medicinal and aromatic plants whose essential oil has many medicinal, food, cosmetic and health uses. Given that salinity stress and drought stresses are serious issues and problems in arid regions, in such conditions, it is very important to predict crop performance under drought and salinity conditions.

Therefore, this study was performed for the prediction of Mentha piperita L yield and the determination of optimal production function under salinity and water stress conditions in a research greenhouse in the Torbat-e Jam region.

One of the other innovations of this research is the investigation of the effect of selenium on these production functions and also on water productivity, with the assumption of increasing plant tolerance against salinity and drought stress.

An experiment of the split in time was performed in a completely randomized block design with three replications including two levels of cut (cut1 and cut2), Salinity factor in 3 levels (0, 50, and 100 mmol NaCl, three levels of irrigation (including full irrigation (100% of water requirement) = I1, I2=75% I1 and I3= 50% I1), and selenium factor in 2 levels (0 and 5 mg/lit Na2SeO4).

To properly establish the plants, the plants were irrigated every other day for two weeks after the transfer of the rhizomes, then as soon as the emergence of new leaves, the pots were treated with sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) in the form of foliar spraying with concentrations of 0 and 5 mg/l, foliar spraying was done three times every other day, and 24 hours after the last foliar spraying, plants under other treatments (salinity and drought stress) were placed.

Salinity treatments were added to the pots from the lowest amount and higher concentrations were added gradually over several days. To determine water requirement was used Class A evaporation pan and water treatments were applied based on it. To calculate the water requirement, plant coefficients of peppermint were determined for the initial, development, and middle growth stages, respectively, 0.69, 1.03, and 1.27. 30 days after the application of salinity stress and drought stress, the first cut was done, for a more detailed investigation, the second cut was done 45 days after the first cut.

Yield data of Mentha piperita L (yield of two cuts gathered for better estimation together), once in the presence of selenium and once in the absence of selenium were fitted to different production functions including simple linear, Cobb-Douglas, quadratic, and transient models and the optimum one was determined after sensitivity analysis. The results showed that the coefficient of determination (R2) for estimation of the yield in the presence of selenium by quadratic, transcendental, simple linear, and Cobb-Douglas functions were 0.986, 0.981, 0.946, and 0.897, respectively. In the absence of selenium these coefficient were 0.998, 0.995, 0,959 and 0/871, respectively. According to the results of this research, the quadratic production function is recommended as the optimal production function for the yield of Mentha piperita L in the presence and absence of selenium in the Torbat-e Jam region.

Therefore, to optimize the agricultural water consumption for the peppermint plant, it is suggested to use the quadratic production function in this region. Also, the results of the statistical parameters show a higher accuracy of the fitted function in the absence of selenium than in the presence of selenium.

Also, the results showed water productivity in the presence of selenium was 17.81% higher than its value in the absence of selenium. It can be concluded that Selenium increases water productivity.

Abstract Introduction:

Rice is one of the most important and popular plants that is cultivated in all six continents of the earth (Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America and South America). In Iran, according to the statistics of the World Food Organization (FAO), in 2018, there were 580 thousand hectares of cultivated area and 1.99 million tons of rice production, and the import of rice in 2018 was about 1.2 million tons. Seventy percent of fresh water available in the world is consumed in the agricultural sector, of which 2 to 30 percent is dedicated to rice cultivation. Plant growth is significantly affected by climate change and subsequent water shortage. Basically, the low yield of crops is caused by deficiencies in the growing environment of plants that have not been addressed in crop management. In this regard, crop plant simulation models are used to conduct various studies, such as choosing the right plant and variety for planting, determining the best crop management, estimating regional production capacity, determining research priorities, technology transfer, classification. agricultural-ecological, predicting the effects of climate change and yield, as well as providing the basis for formulating and explaining the optimal pattern of water consumption. The ORYZA2000 model simulates the growth and development of rice plants under favorable conditions, water and nitrogen limitation. VSM model (Very Simple Model) is also a simple model for simulating plant growth and estimating product yield, which, while requiring little input information, has acceptable accuracy. Another new technology used in this direction is remote sensing. This technology can be fruitful in many agricultural decisions by predicting the performance of the plant before harvesting.

Methods:

In order to evaluate the ORYZA2000 and VSM models in Golestan province, an experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted on Fajr rice during the 2020 and 2021 crop seasons in the suburbs of Gorgan city (Sorkhankalateh). The fields under study are located in the north of Iran with geographical coordinates of 28◦ 29' to 28◦ 32' east longitude and 40◦ 83' to 40◦ 97' north latitude with a level of 102 meters above sea level. Irrigation treatments include three levels, flood irrigation (TPR-FI) and the use of pressurized irrigation systems, including 1) band-type drip irrigation (DSR-DI) and 2) constant classic rain irrigation (DSR-SI) and compression There are three levels including D1 = 15 * 15, D2 = 20 * 20 and D3 = 30 * 30. The experimental plots of this research were considered to be 10 meters long and 5 meters wide, and the distance between the plots was equal to half a meter. In the flooded farm, after transplanting the seedlings to the intended land (June), they were kept in flooded condition until the harvest. In pressure irrigation systems, rice cultivation was carried out as dry farming and the irrigation schedule (irrigation volume) during the plant growth period was calculated using the five-year hydrological and meteorological data of the study area and the AquaCrop model. Based on this, its watering cycle was considered every other day. To evaluate the validity of the models, the root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (RMSEn), efficiency coefficient of Nash-Sutcliffe model (NS) and explanation coefficient (R2) were used.

Results:

In this research, rice yield was estimated using ORYZA2000 model and VSM along with remote sensing technology. As seen, the recalibrated models have been successful in estimating product performance for a wide range of test data and have been able to estimate performance with acceptable accuracy. So that both models based on the values of the root mean square of the normalized error less than 10% and the efficiency of the model and the coefficient of explanation above 0.65 and the structural deviation less than 2%, have an acceptable accuracy in simulating the yield during the calibration and validation of the models. ORYZA2000 model has a higher accuracy in simulating performance than the VSM model due to the explanation factor and high efficiency of the model (0.91 and 0.84, respectively) along with the micro-scaled images with the explanation factor and efficiency of the model, It showed respectively 0.86 and 0.72. Therefore, this model has a suitable ability to estimate the yield of rice in the study area. Therefore, this model has a suitable ability to estimate the yield of rice in the study area. According to its practical results, this research can be used in the region in the coming years and the product estimation can be done based on it, which is very important in saving costs in addition to reducing the volume of field operations.

Abstract The North of Khuzestan province is one of the most important agricultural hubs of Iran. With the implementation of the Khuzestan Land Reclamation Plan (Provincial Plan), a suitable platform has been provided to increase field and horticulture crops production. Promoting research findings for proper applying of water resources, soil and agricultural inputs to increase water performance and productivity were the important goals of implementing model extension sites and pilots in these areas. For this purpose, 11 farms were selected in 2017, to apply technical recommendations. In each of the selected farms, the amount of irrigation water was measured during the cropping season, and the corn grain yield and physical irrigation water productivity were determined and compared with the data of the fields around each site (control treatment). The results showed that in the control treatment, the average grain corn yield and physical irrigation water productivity were 6450 kg ha-1 and 0.8 kg m-3, respectively, which by applying technical solutions of using the optimal length in furrow irrigation, reducing the inflow (cutback method), applying minimum tillage, management crop nutrition, pest management, pathogens and weeds increased to 7232 kg ha-1 and 1 kg m-3 and this increasing was statistically significant at 1% level (p=0.001).

Abstract Introduction:

Soil hydraulic parameters play an important role in the water cycle and are part of the basic information for designing irrigation and drainage systems, hydrological issues, and soil quality assessment. These parameters can be measured or estimated through direct and indirect methods. Direct measurement requires a lot of money and time, and also due to the large spatial and temporal variability, a large number of samples must be taken for direct measurement under field conditions. An indirect method used to estimate soil hydraulic properties is the inverse solution method, which estimates the physical and hydraulic properties of soil using a numerical solution of the Richards equation. The results of the different researches show that this method has an acceptable accuracy in estimating the hydraulic characteristics of the flow into and out of the soil column, under both laboratory and field conditions. The inverse solution method is cheaper and faster than other methods. One of the advantages of this method is that it estimates the effective parameters and has the ability to simultaneously estimate the hydraulic properties and solute transfer. The HYDRUS-1D model developed by Simonek et al. (2002) in the laboratory, is an advanced model and able to simulate the one-dimensional movement of water, vapor, salts, and heat in soil. This model can simulate the wetting soil water characteristic curve with a very high accuracy by using the cumulative water infiltration data under constant head. Also, this model is capable of simulating infiltration into layered soils under falling head. Moreover, this model can estimate the hydraulic parameters and simulate the characteristic curve of the soil by using infiltration data and inverse solution method. The purpose of this study is to estimate the hydraulic parameters of the wetting soil water characteristic curve using the inverse solution of the infiltration equation under falling load by the HYDRUS-1D model.

Methods:

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to measure water infiltration into the soil under falling head in two and three soil textures, respectively. For the laboratory experiment, the data of Mohammadzadeh-Habili and Heidarpour (2019) were used, where they measured the falling head infiltration in the transparent acrylic cylinder with an inner diameter of 7 cm with different initial soil water contents. The soil column was filled with sandy texture soils (passed through two different sieves). Another experiment was conducted under field conditions to measure cumulative falling head infiltration using a double ring. The field experiment was conducted in 3 different sites with different soil textures of loam, sandy loam, and clay loam named Kooye Asatid, Shekarbani, and Daneshkade, respectively. In both laboratory and field experiments, the characteristic curves for different soil types were first obtained using pressure plates and moisture measurement. Then the amount of residual moisture, saturated water content of the wetting soil water characteristic curve, and cumulative infiltration data were given as input data to the HYDRUS-1D model, and thereafter, the hydraulic parameters of the wetting soil water characteristic curve were estimated using the inverse solution method. In the HYDRUS-1D model, van Genuchten and Brooks-Corey equations were used for laboratory conditions, and the van Genuchten model was used for field conditions. Finally, the SSQ index was used by the HYDRUS-1D model to optimize the parameters estimated by the model. Also, to determine the accuracy of the HYDRUS-1D model in simulating characteristic curve, the correlation coefficient (R2) and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) were used.



Results:

For the laboratory experiment, the results showed that the HYDRUS-1D model was able to simulate the characteristic curve with high accuracy using both the van Genuchten and Brooks-Corey equations, but the van Genuchten equation was slightly performed better than the Brooks-Corey equation for both A and B soil textures. The comparison of the measured characteristic curve of Kooye Asatid, Shekarbani, and Daneshkade soils with the characteristic curve simulated by the HYDRUS-1D model showed the effect of hysteresis quite well, as the measured values obtained by drying soil, while the HYDRUS-1D model simulated the wetting front of characteristic curve. In conclusion, a comparison of the values of the simulated parameters with the measured values showed that the HYDRUS-1D model can estimate the hydraulic parameters of the wetting soil water characteristic curve with high accuracy using the reverse solution method of infiltration process under the falling head.

Abstract Abstract

Given the limited water resources and quality problems of dam reservoirs, as well as the presence of multiple decision makers with conflicting desirability and goals, the very important issue for dam reservoir operators, is deciding on determining the average monthly water withdrawal, so that the needs of all stakeholders and decision makers are met. In this research, by combining the ELECTRE I multi-criteria fuzzy decision model and the RUBINSTEIN bilateral bargaining model, a new method for determining the optimal amount of quantitative-qualitative allocation of dam reservoir water is presented with the aim of increasing the desirability of decision makers and reducing tension between them. By identifying the expert decision-making beneficiary in the operation of the dam reservoir and determining their desirability at first, priority of the optimal points on the quantitative and qualitative exchange curve, presented by previous researchers, are determined in this study from the perspective of each beneficiary and according to the five different quantitative, qualitative, economic, social and environmental indicators. This exchange curve obtained by an algorithm combining a multi-objective genetic algorithm (GA)-based optimization model and a one-dimensional water quality simulation model (WQRRS) is merely the output of a mathematical model and practically does not satisfy the stakeholders’ utilities. The point they agree on the trade-off curve, is analyzed then, using the game theory. The RUBINSTEIN bilateral bargaining model is developed to determine the point agreed between the decision’s makers on the exchange curve. Due to the use of a fuzzy-logic based decision-making approach and considering different criteria, the utility of all decision makers was close to each other and the scope of bargaining became smaller, leading to an increase in the possibility of reaching an agreement in a shorter time period using game theory. All qualitative judgments without considering explicitness of the decision makers were applied to the model using the fuzzy logic. In the proposed method, the opinions of decision makers were considered according to different criteria in the operation of the dam reservoir. Because the decision makers considered different criteria in addition to quantitative and qualitative criteria, they were willing to participate in bargaining and reconsider their ideals. The results of the analysis show that the preferences of each decision maker are closer to each other and the chances of reaching an agreement in a shorter time increase in practice, using the game theory. Here, the 15-Khordad Dam located in the central part of Iran, suffering from low water quality, was studied in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. The 15- Khordad Dam with 54 meters elevation above the riverbed is located at the upstream of Ghomrood river basin in the central part of Iran near the cities of Delijan and Mahallat. The dam is used to capture the runoff from the Ghomrood watershed for agricultural irrigation use of more than 8,000 hectares, water supply to the city of Ghom, as well as for flood and sediment control. “Salinity” or “Total Dissolved Solids” (TDS) are the most important problems of this dam. Identifying the organizations with an active interest in the operation of the 15- Khordad dam is the first step in the assessment of stakeholder’s situation. The two major stakeholders that represent various organizations and sub-divisions are the Ministry of Agriculture (Ag) and Urban Water Organization (Ur). Ag allocates a very large amount of water to irrigation and agricultural land. According to the policy of this organization, the quantity of water is more significant than its quality, while Ur should pay attention to the quality of the water for urban water supply as well as its quantity. The results of applying the proposed integrated method for operation of 15 Khordad dam reservoir in Iran over a 30-year statistical period (1968-97), indicate the possibility of agreement on a monthly water allocation with the quality of TDS = 1580 mg /L, according to the criteria of decision makers and reduction of differences between them. The data of 15- Khordad dam for a 30-year time interval were collected by Shirangi et al. (2008). In the proposed methodology, given the conditions and uncertainties available, the ground has been provided for all decision-makers to determine the best possible strategies so that they can bring the most benefit to them in the negotiation space. Using this framework, disputes between decision-makers and stakeholders are sharply reduced and can be very useful in modeling the negotiations.

Abstract Mercury (II) is widely applied in electricity generation and industrial production such as chlor-alkali, plastics, metallurgy, and electronics. Due to its volatility, persistence, and bioaccumulation, mercury (II) has been considered as one of the most toxic metals which can affect the health of human beings. Long-term exposure to large amounts of mercury (II) would harm the human brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and even the immune system. Therefore, the removal of excess mercury (II) from water resources has attracted much attention. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the permissible limits for mercury (II) in drinking water and wastewater are 0.001 and 0.005 mg L−1, respectively. According to the literature, there are several conventional technologies for mercury (II) removal from wastewater consisting of coagulation and flocculation, oxidation or ozonation, membrane separation, and adsorption. Most of these methods suffer from drawbacks like high capital and operational costs and there are problems in the disposal of the residual metal sludge. Recently, biosorption has become the focus of attention to remove mercury (II) ions because it has high efficiency, low cost, the possibility of metal recovery, and regeneration of the adsorbent. The high cost of common adsorbents such as activated carbon has inspired a search for suitable low-cost adsorbents. Canola is the world’s third-largest oilseed crop, after soybean and palm, and is a good candidate for adsorbent in the adsorption-desorption process. Canola stalk is considered as easily-available lignocellulosic waste all over the world because the production and use of vegetable oil are increasing and canola is extensively used for this purpose; therefore, canola stalk can be easily found due to its characteristics and it has been used in several studies to remove pollutants. The canola stalk was collected from cropland in a suburb of Fars, Iran, which was later followed by washing with distilled water to remove dust impurities, and then dried completely in natural sunlight. The dried materials were crushed into fine particles with the help of an electric mill. In this research, canola stalks waste was used to remove mercury (II) from aqueous solutions in a batch system under different conditions (pH, temperature, contact time, initial concentration of mercury (II), and adsorbent dosage). In this context, the adsorbent was characterized by several techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET surface area, and zeta potential. Furthermore, the adsorption of mercury (II) has been studied in terms of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, and the Langmuir, Freundlich, Langmuir–Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson adsorption isotherm equations are applied to the experimental data to obtain information about the interaction between the mercury (II) and the canola stalks waste. The results showed that the optimal values of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial mercury (II) concentration and temperature were 7, 2 g L-1, 120 min, 2 mg L-1, and 60oC, respectively. Among the used isothermal models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Langmuir-Freundlich, and Ridlich-Peterson), the Freundlich model has a better fit on the experimental data, which indicates the multilayer adsorption of mercury (II) on the adsorbent surface. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was found to be 58.4 mg g-1 according to the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model. The results showed that the mercury ion adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model, which indicates the chemical adsorption of mercury by the adsorbent. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°) demonstrated that the adsorption of mercury (II) on canola stalks waste was feasible, endothermic, and spontaneous between 25 and 60 °C. The negative values of ΔG° confirm the feasibility of the process and also the spontaneous nature of adsorption with a high preference for mercury (II) by canola stalks waste. The positive value of ΔS˚ revealed the increased randomness at the adsorbent-mercury (II) solution interface during the adsorption process with increasing temperature. The adsorption process can be classified as physical adsorption and chemisorption by the magnitude of the enthalpy change. It is accepted that if the magnitude of enthalpy change is lesser than 84 kJ/mol, then the adsorption is physical. However, chemisorption takes place in the range of 84–420 kJ/mol. The value of enthalpy (38.06 kJ/mol) suggests that physisorption is much more favorable for the adsorption of mercury (II) by canola stalks waste. The desorption efficiency of mercury (II) using 0.2 M HCl was 86%. This study suggests that canola stalks waste has the potential to become an effective and economical adsorbent for the removal of mercury (II) ions.

Abstract Introduction:

In arid and semi-arid regions, groundwater is the main source of development of sectors (industrial, agricultural, domestic). And with the increase in demand for water due to population growth, irrigation of agricultural lands and industrial development, exploitation of groundwater resources has also increased. This issue, combined with droughts and the consequences of climate change, has reduced the groundwater level in arid and semi-arid regions. In order to supply the lack of surface water, as well as to overcome drought in emergency situations and sustainable management of groundwater resources, installing a managed aquifer recharge system (MAR) to recharge groundwater using flood and surface water in a long-term is important and necessary. The methods of artificial recharge are diverse and depend on the need, facilities and many factors that affect on artificial recharge. Due to this issue, tools such as geographic information system (GIS) are very useful for finding the best places to recharge groundwater. Identifying the groundwater recharge area is an important factor for achieving success and managing water resources in any region. The purpose of this research is the optimal management of surface and groundwater resources using a hybrid modeling pattern in order to increase the stability of the groundwater resources system and reduce its quantitative and environmental issues in the study area. Therefore, in this study, the identification and management of groundwater recharge was carried out in the Shahriar Plain located in the western outskirts of Tehran, Iran.

Methods:

In this research, a simulation pattern was presented, according to which, first, the best artificial recharge place was determined by fuzzy and weight method using GIS model in Shahriar plain. Then, HEC-RAS hydraulic model was used to calculate the parameter (the ratio of infiltration debi to flood debi) in the Karaj river. In the next step, two independent models for flood routng in the river and reservoirs of the artificial recharge system were defined by the HEC-HMS model. In the first model, the parameter of the ratio of infiltration debi to flood debi was used in the Massingham-Kange method to determine the flood routng in the river, and in this way, the amount of flood entering to the artificial recharge plan was estimated. In the second model, flood routng was carried out in the reservoirs of the recharge plan and the amount of infiltration, storage and recharge was calculated by the plan. And finally, the amount of recharge in the artificial recharge plan was simulated using the artificial neural network (ANN) model, and the performance of the artificial recharge system and the groundwater level changes resulting from it were estimated.

Results:

According to the fuzzy and weight analysis, the best place for artificial recharge in the entire studied time horizon was considered to be alluvial fan in the north of the plain. The area of the suitable (good) region obtained by the fuzzy method was calculated to be 8.62 percent more than the weighted method, and the performance of the fuzzy method in estimating the suitable locations was evaluated better than the weighted method. The maximum volume of flood entering the recharge plan from the HEC-RAS model and the first HEC-HMS model in the studied period is 8.56 and 8 (MCM), respectively, and the minimum value of this variable from the HEC-HMS simulator is 0.87 (MCM) and in the case of the HEC-RAS model, the same amount was estimated. The results indicated that the maximum and minimum flood volumes entering to plan are related to the maximum and minimum floods occurred. The total amount of artificial recharge resulting from the HEC-HMS model, in the entire time period studied, without considering the flood output from the recharge plan, was computed as 37.6 (MCM), and the amount of total recharge for the neural network model was computed as 36.3 (MCM). Also, the total level changes due to recharge of the plan resulting from the estimation of the simulator and the neural network model in the entire study period are equal to 1.59 and 1.53 (m), respectively, which indicates the appropriate accuracy of the neural network model. Also, the level changes caused by recharge in the plan and the river in the entire period of desired time was computed to be 1.88 (m). In total, the reserve performance of the plan in the entire period of desired time was 54 percent and the recharge performance of the plan was 89 percent, and the performance of the entire artificial recharge system including (river section and artificial recharge plan) in recharge applications was computed at 90 percent. Therefore, the results of the simulation pattern and the performance of the artificial recharge plan in recharging were evaluated as suitable and acceptable. Finally, according to the results of the hybrid modeling pattern, at the same time, floods, surface and groundwater resources and artificial recharge system are under control, and based on available water resources, increasing the stability of the groundwater resources system and reducing quantitative and environmental issues related to water resources can be managed and controlled according to the existing conditions.

Abstract Changing the amount of exploitation in order to increase productivity and reduce groundwater extraction in the plains of Iran has had a positive effect on water balance. Some management strategies, such as well relocation, have been able to reduce the effects of water table drawdown. Simulation of water resources systems has an effective role in studying the effects of drought and determining the temporal and spatial constraints of water management. Joint functions are tools that join or “couple” multivariate distribution functions to their one-dimensional univariate (marginal) distribution functions. The copula function is capable of exhibiting the structure of dependence between two or more random variables and has recently emerged as a practical and efficient method for modeling the general dependence in multivariate data. In addition, in the field of hydrogeological studies in recent years, a lot of research has been done to investigate some specific aspects of groundwater simulation such as exploitation optimization, artificial recharge, underground dam, quantitative and qualitative simulation of groundwater, economic studies of water supply and demand. In this paper, the framework of a probabilistic multivariate decision model based on long-term rainfall information and extraction of effective variables in aquifer recharge are considered. The relationships and constraints governing the severity and depth of precipitation with emphasis on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the aquifer and also the use of real-time information updating system, a decision model for the design of surface artificial recharge structure is developed and simulated. The main difference considered in this study in probabilistic rainfall planning as a long-term goal for the sustainability of water resources management is the description of special conditions and constraints of the aquifer.

Rafsanjan plain located 110 km from Kerman has an unlimited aquifer with an area of 4108 km2. This plain is located between 252 ° 54 to ´34 ° 56 east longitude and 151 ° 29 to ´31 ° 31 north latitude at an altitude of 1400 to 3443 m above sea level and in the northeast of Kerman province. The three plains of Rafsanjan, Noogh and Anar are located in this area, which does not have a permanent river and is a source of water from the aquifer. About 620 million cubic meters (MCM) of groundwater is discharged annually by 1289 existing wells. According to long-term statistics, the volume of groundwater resources in the Rafsanjan area is estimated at about 430 MCM, with an annual overexploitation of 190 MCM. 8 locations were selected for the construction of surface artificial recharge structures that can collect rainfall and upstream runoff. It should be noted that the surface slope and hydraulic gradient are influential components in the movement and infiltration of water, which are estimated using the topographic map and water table. The volume of water demand based on groundwater exploitation annually has been estimated in the region of each point. Moreover, the priority of water supply is determined based on the population living in each area. Groundwater level simulation in Rafsanjan plain aquifer from 1997 to 2020 was performed using 35 active piezometer data. The first 17 years were used for calibration and the last 4 years for verification. Seasonal stress periods and daily time steps were considered for the calculations.

The results showed that this method can be a managerial strategy for groundwater balancing in the event of seasonal and scattered rainfall. The aquifer transmissivity which reaches more than 400 m2/day, indicates the storage capacity and water movement. Bivariate frequency analysis showed that in a 100-year return period, there is a possibility of rainfall with a depth of about 115 mm or an intensity higher than 70 mm/day. This rainfall can increase the groundwater level by an average of 2 m in the center of the aquifer. Moreover, beneficiaries are able to reduce drought stresses and control their management significantly by performing optimal planning.

Abstract Introduction:

water scarcity is one of the primary problems in arid and semi-arid regions such as Iran. Many previous studies corroborated that using aquaculture wastewater might be a good alternative for supplying irrigation demand in the arid and semi-arid countries such as Iran. In fact, the effluent of the fish farms that contain a notable amount of phosphor and nitrogen are high nutrition for different plants. Depending on water quality, irrigation method and type of crop might change. The elements present in the fish effluent interact with each other and it is possible to increase or decrease the absorption of an element through the leaves to have a negative effect on the chlorophyll fluorescence. In an attempt to reduce foliar absorption, we used post-washing, pre-washing and pre and post washing. Therefore, the investigated factors include irrigation at two levels, A1 (irrigation with fresh water) and A2 (irrigation with fish farm effluent), as well as washing the leaves of the plant in four levels they are Before applying fish farm effluent to the leaves, they were washed for ten minutes with fresh water (B1), after applying fish farm effluent to the leaves, they were washed for ten minutes with fresh water (B2), The leaves were washed with fresh water for ten minutes both before and after applying the fish farm effluent to them (B3) and the leaves were not washed at all (B4). The main objective of the present study is to provide a solution to reduce the negative effects of fish effluent in sprinkler irrigation on chlorophyll fluorescence.



Methods:

The present study was conducted on pots; the pot experiments were carried out at the research site of the University of Kurdistan. This research farm is located at the Dehgolan plain in Kurdistan province. As presented in the previous section we applied two types of water for irrigation in the treatments including fresh water from the available well in the experimental site and the fish farm effluent from the available fish farm as well as washing the leaves of the plant in different situations including Before applying fish farm effluent to the leaves, they were washed for ten minutes with fresh water (B1), after applying fish farm effluent to the leaves, they were washed for ten minutes with fresh water (B2), The leaves were washed with fresh water for ten minutes both before and after applying the fish farm effluent to them (B3) and the leaves were not washed at all (B4). In the present study soil moisture was measured in the daily scale before the irrigation then irrigation was carried out based on the efficiency of required soil moisture. The PMS-714 moisture meter was applied for measuring the soil moisture in the experimental site. At the end of the cultivation period, the yield of potato in each pot was collected and measured separately. Then the average of all the potato was applied in the further analyses. Data were analyzed with Rstudio, and mean values of the treatments were compared by the LSD test at a 5% and 1% significance level.

Results:

The results of this research showed that B3 compared to B4 increased yield by 10.13%, maximum fluorescence by 20.44%, variable fluorescence by 28.67%, maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II by 6.66%, dry weight of stem 37.98%, dry weight of leaf by108.06% and dry weight of root 125%. previous studies corroborated that effect of leaf washing when unconventional water is used has a positive effect on the absorption of elements by the plant and growth indicators. Also, previous studies showed that the simultaneous use of fresh water and water unconventional methods reduce the toxic effects caused by the substances in the wastewater and improve the yield and physiological indicators of the plant. It has been reported that when leaves are washed with fresh water before and after salt water is applied to the leaves, the concentration of chlorine and sodium in the leaves is lower than when leaves are not washed at all. They stated that when the leaves are washed before applying salt water, the leaves are hydrated and the capacity to absorb elements by the leaf is reduced, and also when the leaves are washed after applying salt water, the elements and materials are washed on the leaf. And leaf absorption is reduced. Therefore, it increases yield. It is recommended to use the strategy of simultaneous use of fish waste and fresh water in sprinkler irrigation system to increase chlorophyll fluorescence and other characteristics of potato plant.

Abstract Abstract

Introduction:

Proper planning and providing management solutions for sustainable use of water resources is an inevitable necessity. To manage the allocation of water resources at a basin, the WEAP model has attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years due to its integrated water resources management system and prioritization of water allocation. In this research, the supply and demand situation of the basin located upstream of the Kalan Malayer dam in Hamedan province has been investigated using the WEAP model. The purpose of the research is to investigate the sources and uses in the medium term and to provide management solutions by defining different scenarios for the integrated management of surface water resources in the basin.

Methods:

In this research, the water systems of the study basin of the Kalan Malayer Dam located in Hamedan province were modeled in the period from 2013 to 2017 with the aim of investigating management scenarios. R2, RMSE and ME for the two variables of reservoir volume of Kalan Dam of Malayer and monthly river flow at Droodgaran hydrometric station are used, and the obtained results indicate the usefulness of modeling. Then, three possible scenarios were planned in addition to the existing conditions. The investigated scenarios are: 1-non-conservative scenario (increase in consumption regardless of the amount of available water resources), 2-conservative scenario (adjustment of the agricultural sector according to the capacity of water resources) and 3- complete development scenario (scenario of structural improvement plus environmental requirement at a good level).

Existing condition includes agricultural needs of 15,000 hectares with the common cultivation pattern of the irrigation area with 56% efficiency, drinking needs of Malayer city with a population growth rate of 2.35%, industry needs of 0.73 million cubic meters per year and the minimum environmental needs of the river. The non-conservative includes the increase of the cultivated area of agricultural farms to 18000 hectares, the population growth rate of 3.6 for the region, the increase of 30% of industrial units and the minimum environmental requirement for the Kalan Malayer River. The Conservative Scenario is adjustment of the level of agricultural farms with the common cultivation pattern of the region, observing the permissible withdrawal limit from groundwater in normal and rainy years and providing the minimum environmental requirement (acceptable level) with the Montana method for the Kalan Malayer River. The Full Development Scenario includes agricultural needs of 15,000 hectares with the common cultivation pattern of the region, with an increase in the share of modern irrigated lands from 20% to 50%, the drinking needs of the city of Malayer, both rural and urban, with per capita improvement of water consumption, the needs of industry 0.73 million cubic meters per year and providing environmental needs (good level) for the river.

Results:

The model validation indices for the two variables of reservoir volume and monthly river flow showed that the R2 coefficient is at the optimal level above 0.8. Also, the ME index is close to one and this indicates the desirability of modeling and the calibration of the model. The results showed that in the agricultural sector, which is the major consumer of water resources, there will be approximately 26% water shortage in the reference scenario, 43% in the non-conservative scenario, 13% in the conservative scenario, and 9% in the full development scenario. Also, the results showed that the complete development scenario, taking into account the improvement of the structure of the water transmission and distribution network, as well as the improvement of per capita consumption and the increase of 30% share of agricultural lands that are irrigated with modern methods, has the highest reliability index (more than 90%) for each of obtained consumption segments. Also, the non-conservative increase in water needs will significantly reduce the reliability of the system, so that the groundwater storage as a vital resource of the region will be depleted within 15 years of the implementation of this scenario. The comparison of the scenarios from the point of view of groundwater consumption shows high consumption in the existing scenario and the Non-Conservative Scenario. The results of the storage level of the aquifer for these two scenarios have been obtained, which shows the maximum withdrawal from the aquifer to supply most of the consumed points.