Journal of Water and Soil Science

Kinetics and Isotherm Investigation of Benzene Removal from Aqueous Solution Using Ash Pine Cone

J. Abedi Koupaei

Water pollution with petroleum products is one of the serious environmental problems in Iran. According to the importance of this issue, refining benzene by bio-absorbent has attracted much attention in recent years. The maximum permissible limit assigned by World Health Organization (WHO) for benzene in drinking water is 0.001 mg/L. In recent years, attempts made to develop inexpensive adsorbents utilizing abundant natural materials. Agricultural waste materials often employed as adsorbent may have potential marketing preference for wastewater treatment among other adsorbent types due to the low cost, environmentally friendly, naturally accessible, and efficiency. The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of benzene by batch and continuous techniques. In this study, the ash cone pine (APC) was used for the removal of benzene from aqueous solutions and its ability as an adsorbent, while the variable initial concentration of benzene, the amount of adsorbent, contact time, temperature, and pollutant's solution pH were investigated. Langmuirand and Freundlich Isotherm models were fitted to benzene adsorption equilibrium data. Kinetic models including pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, intra-particle diffusion, and power function were used to describe kinetic data of benzene adsorption. The results showed that optimum benzene adsorption was observed at pH=7, and the optimum amount of adsorbent was 0.1 g. The observed equilibrium time was 10 minutes. The equilibrium adsorption capacities were 366 mg/g at 2000 mg/L initial benzene concentration. Linear and non-linear isotherm studies showed that equilibrium data better fitted the Langmuir isotherm model. Kinetic studies showed better applicability of the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Column adsorption experiments were performed to check the absorbent performance during continuously injecting benzene solution into the adsorbent column until the adsorbent has been saturated to complete the studies on the introduced adsorbent. The results for columns with continuous inflow indicated that the maximum capacity of adsorption of benzene for the adsorbent column with a diameter of 3cm, and input concentration of 1000 mg/L, and an input rate of 100 mL/h for ash cone pine (APC) was 295 mg/g. The results of this experiment showed that APC has a high capability for the removal of benzene from aqueous solutions.

Evaluation of Fuzzy Clustering and Artificial Neural Network Methods in Spatial Zoning of Annual Precipitation in Iran

A. Shahbaee Kotenaee

Precipitation is one of the main elements of the Earth's hydro-climatic cycle and its variability depends on the complex and non-linear relationships between the climate system and environmental factors. Understanding these relationships and doing environmental planning based on them is difficult. Therefore, classifying data and dividing information into homogeneous and small categories can be helpful in this regard. In the present study, an attempt was made to prepare precipitation, altitude, slope, slope direction, and station density data for 3423 synoptic, climatological, and gauge stations in Iran in the 1961-2015 years’ period. These data were entered into fuzzy (FCM), self-organizing map neural network (SOM-ANN) models and precipitation-spatial zoning. The outputs of the two models were compared in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The results obtained from the output of the models have divided the rainfall conditions of Iran into four zones concerning environmental factors. Evaluations also showed that both models had high accuracy in classifying precipitation parameters; However, the fuzzy model has a relative advantage over the neural network model in the accuracy of results.

Determination and Comparison of the Efficiency of Optimum Vinasse Mulches Based on Mechanical Indicators (Case Study: North of Khorramshahr)

M. Moeinaddini

Due to the environmental problems caused by wind erosion, it is necessary to stabilize the dust centers with mulches. The objective of the present study was to determine and compare the optimum vinasse mulches based on mechanical indicators for sensitive soil stabilization to wind erosion. In this research, vinasse (0, 100, 200 g) is combined with bagasse (0, 25, 50 g), ash bagasse (0, 25, 50 g), filtercake (0, 12.5, 25 g), and one-liter water (81 treatments). At first, the treatments were determined in the appropriate range of salinity and acidity (35 treatments) and in the next step, the mechanical indicators have been measured after mulching on laboratory trays (2×30×100 cm). Optimum mulches have been determined based on five indicators by mean comparison (Duncan). The mean comparison showed that treatments 33, 30, 34, 32, and 19 show the mean difference between the groups based on layer thickness, impact resistance, compressive strength, and shear strength properly. It can be concluded that vinasse (100 and 200 g) with 50 g bagasse reduces the crack coefficient greatly, and the application of vinasse, bagasse, and filtercake does not affect the compressive strength and impact resistance.

Land Suitability Assessment of Shahid Rajaei Plain in Khuzestan Province for Different Irrigation Methods Using Parametric Evaluation System

Kh. Peyghan

Population growth and limited water and soil resources make it necessary to pay attention to the factors affecting food production, including the suitability of irrigation methods with agricultural lands. The objective of this study was to assess land suitability for surface, drip, and sprinkler irrigation methods based on a parametric evaluation system in an area of 250 hectares in the Shahid Rajaei plain of Khuzestan. Soil properties were analyzed, then suitability maps for different irrigation methods were prepared using a geographic information system (GIS). The results showed that for surface irrigation, 704 ha (31.3%) was marginally suitable (S3), 866 ha (38.5%) was currently not suitable (N1), and 680 ha (30.2%) was permanently not suitable (N2). For drip irrigation, 8 hectares (0.4%) are highly suitable (S1), 644 hectares (28.6%) are moderately suitable (S2), 52 hectares (2.3%) are marginally suitable (S3), 866 hectares (38.5%) were currently not suitable (N1), and 680 hectares (30.2%) were permanently not suitable (N2). For sprinkler irrigation, 652 hectares (29%) are moderately suitable (S2), 52 hectares (2.3%) are marginally suitable (S3), 866 hectares (38.5%) are currently not suitable (N1), and 680 hectares (30.2%) were permanently not suitable (N2). According to the results, sprinkler irrigation with an irrigation capability index of 29.9 to 60.7 in 2242 hectares (99.6%) is preferable to other irrigation methods. Drip irrigation in 8 hectares (0.4%) was found to be the most suitable method. The main limiting factors in using all three irrigation methods included salinity, alkalinity, and drainage. Also, soil calcium carbonate was added to the limiting factors in drip irrigation.

Frequency Analysis of Maximum Daily Rainfall and Determining the Best Appropriate Distribution Functions in the Bostan Watershed, Golestan Province

Ch.B. Komaki

Frequency analysis of daily rainfall or return period of rainfall and flooding events is very important considering the behavioral complexity in water resources management; because ignoring it can lead to urban destructive floods. In the present research, three distribution functions of Pearson, Beta, and Gamma were compared to investigate and select the most appropriate distribution function for the precipitation data acquired from meteorology stations and CHIRPS satellite in seven stations in the watershed of Bustan Dam. Statistical analyses showed that satellite data were ineffective to estimate daily precipitation due to high errors in RMSE, MAD, and NASH. Meteorological data were used to spot the best distribution. Google Earth Engine and Python programming language were used. Then, the selected distribution function was used to determine the maximum daily rainfall, frequency probability, and return period of 2, 10, 50, 100, and 200 years. The results of the goodness of fit test, Error Sum of Squares, Bayesian Information Criterion, Akaike Information Criteria well as Kullback-Leibler Divergence showed that in five stations of Kalaleh, Qarnaq, Golestan National Park, Golestan Dam, and Glidagh, the Pearson function is the most suitable distribution function. Also, in the other two stations (Gonbad and Tamar), the Beta function was recognized as a suitable function. However, Gamma distribution in the study area is not efficient. So, it can be concluded that heavy and irregular rainfall can be effective in choosing the best distribution function at each station. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the maximum possible rainfall and as a result of the possible occurrence of floods with principled and accurate management to prevent human and financial losses in susceptible areas, especially in the study area.

Changes in Nickel Fractions as Affected by Aging and Vermicompost and Zeolite Application in Two Calcareous Soils with Different Texture

E. Adhami

Due to the importance of nickel (Ni), and the effect of common soil additives on Ni fractions distribution, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of zeolite and vermicompost on nickel fractions over time. The experimental design consisted of a factorial combination of two levels of vermicompost (zero and 2% by weight), three levels of zeolite (zero, 4% by weight of Firoozkooh zeolite, and 4% by weight of Semnan zeolite), and two soil texture (clay and sandy loam) in a completely randomized design in triplicates. Treatments were contaminated with 50 and 100 mg nickel/kg soil. Ni fractions were extracted and measured at 20 and 60 days. The results showed that in initial soils, Car-Ni in sandy loam soil was higher than in clay soil, while the content of Fe, Mn- Ox Ni, OM-Ni, and Res-Ni in the clay soil was higher. In sandy loam soil, more nickel was recovered in Exch- and Car-fractions, while nickel recovery was higher in Mn, Fe-Ox Ni, OM-Ni, and Res-Ni in the clay texture. Zeolite addition caused a significant decrease of Exch- and Car-Ni in the clay soil on 60d and 100 mg/kg Ni level. Exch-Ni was reduced due to vermicompost application. Vermicompost application caused the decrease in Fe, Mn Ox-Ni in both studied soils and times, and OM-Ni increased by vermicompost application. Aging generally reduces the Exch-Ni but changes in Car-Ni over time depending on the soil texture. Aging did not affect Mn, Fe-Ox Ni, and Res-Ni, while OM-Ni increased over time in clay soil.

Evaluation of the Effects of Morphological, Hydrological, and Land-Use Characteristics on River Water Abstraction Using Data Mining Methods

A.R. Emadi

The agricultural sector as one of the most important sectors of water consumption has great importance for the sustainability of the country's water resources systems. The objective of this study was to estimate the river water abstraction (RWA) for agricultural consumption in the study area of Nobaran in the Namak Lake basin. The RWA was estimated using variables related to morphological, hydrological, and land use factors, as well as a combination of their variables collected through field sampling. Data mining methods such as adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), group method of data handling (GMDH), radial basis function (RBF), and regression trees (Rtree) were also used to estimate the RWA variables. In the current study, the GMDH₂₄ model with a combined scenario including the variables of river width, river depth, minimum flow, maximum flow, average flow, crop, and the garden cultivated area was adopted as the best model to estimate the RWA variable. The RMSE value for the combined scenario of the GMDH₂₄ model was found to be 0.046 for estimating RWA in the Nobaran study area. The results showed that the performance of the GMDH₂₄ model for estimating RWA for maximum values is very acceptable and promising. Therefore, modeling and identifying various variables that affect the optimal RWA rate for agricultural purposes fulfills the objectives of integrated water resources management (IWRM).

Integrated Index for Drought Assessment in Isfahan Province

M. Khoshoei

Drought is a continuous period of lack of rainfall that leads to damage to a variety of water consumers, especially in the agricultural sector and reduces their yield. Drought is considered one of the unpredictable disasters. Drought is different from other natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, storms, etc. Based on the type of meteorological, hydrological, or agricultural droughts, various indices are designed to assess droughts such as SPI, PDSI, and SWSI. The objective of this study is to evaluate an integrated index that includes the main causes of drought. The integrated index includes various drought factors such as meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, socio-economic, and environmental. Isfahan province has been selected as a case study due to successive droughts in recent decades. A combination of static and dynamic layers has been used for designing the integrated index. Static layers include land use, slope, and soil type of the basin. Dynamic layers include precipitation, average temperature, available surface water, available groundwater, groundwater quality, and cultivated area. The results showed that the highest water stress occurred in the 1386 and 1391 years in the province and the lowest water stress and wet season in different parts of the province in 1387 and 1390 years.

Investigation of the Effective Factors on the Improvement of Stakeholders Relationships in the Zayandeh-Rud Basin

M. Ghorbanian

Many of the social and security issues of the Zayandeh-Rud basin are the result of the government becoming the sole agent of governance and the gaps in the command-control governance structure. It is clear that the main issue to achieve participatory governance is the gap in stakeholder relations and the lack of a coherent and flexible agenda to improve these relations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to provide solutions for improving relationships as a starting point and key to reforming the governance structure. The management and transition framework (MTF) was used to analyze the stakeholders and the relationships between them that showed the concentration of tension in the relationship between Isfahan farmers and the Ministry of Energy (Isfahan Regional Water Company). Also, using the MTF database and the participatory model building (PMB) based on interviews with key Stakeholders, the causes, solutions, consequences, and obstacles to improve these relationships were extracted in the form of causal circles. Finally, by focusing on the solutions, the conceptual model of improving the relations between the Stakeholders and the solutions presented by the interviewees, including holding local elections and convening the Zayandeh-Rud Basin water assembly, mediation with interdisciplinary knowledge approach, participatory management working groups, the formation and strengthening of the economic committee improve the livelihood of farmers, the holding of government meetings with farmers and industries were reviewed.

Providing Regional Models for Maximum Daily Discharges of Iran’s Western Sub-Basins Using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs)

V. Chitsaz

Introducing reliable regional models to predict the maximum discharge of floods using characteristics of sub-basins has special importance in terms of flood management and designing hydraulic structures in basins that have no hydrometric station. The present study has tried to provide appropriate regional flood models using generalized linear models (GLMs) to estimate 2-, 10-, 50-, and 100-year maximum daily discharges of 62 sub-basins in Great-Karoon and Karkhe basins. According to the results, the sub-basins were categorized into four sub-regions based on some physiographic and climatic characteristics of the study sub-basins. The results showed that regional flood modeling was successful in all sub-regions except sub-region II, which includes very large basins (A̅≈17300 km2). The adjusted R² of the best models in sub-regions I, III, and IV were estimated at around 82.4, 91.3, and 90.6 percent, and these models have a relative error (RRMSE) of around 9.5, 9.23, and 6.7 percent, respectively. Also, it was found that more frequent floods with 2- and 10-year return periods are influenced by properties such as basin’s length, perimeter, and area, while rare floods with 50- and 100-year return periods are mostly influenced by the river systems characteristics such as the main river length, total lengths of the river system, and slope of the main river. According to the research, it can be stated that the behavior of maximum daily discharges in the study area is extremely influenced by the different climatic and physiographic characteristics of the watersheds. Therefore, the maximum daily discharges can be estimated accurately at ungauged sites by appropriate modeling in gauged catchments.

Evaluation of Precipitation Data using CHIRPS and PERSIANN Models (Case Study: Bandar Abbas)

H. siasar

Access to large precipitation data with appropriate accuracy can play an effective role in irrigation planning and water resources management. Satellite images generate high, wide, cheap, and up-to-date data is a good way to estimate precipitation. In this research, the Google Earth engine system and precipitation products from satellite images of PERSIANN and CHIRPS models in daily, monthly, and annual time intervals were used to evaluate and validate the amount of precipitation in Bandar Abbas station during the statistical period of 1983-2020. The results showed that the precipitation estimation by PERSIANN and CHIRPS satellites on a monthly and annual scale is more accurate than the daily scale. The highest correlation coefficient and the least RMSE belonged to the PERSIANN algorithm on monthly and annual scales. The value of the correlation coefficient in the PERSIANN algorithm on daily, monthly, and annual scales is equal to 0.32, 0.83, and 0.94, respectively. The correlation coefficient in the CHIRPS algorithm in daily, monthly, and annual scales is equal to 0.24, 0.71, and 0.90, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R²) of PERSIANN and Chrips algorithms on a monthly scale were 0.89 and 0.70, respectively, and for an annual scale were 0.88 and 0.80, respectively. The general conclusion of this study indicated that the accuracy of the two algorithms in determining the spatial pattern of rainfall on a monthly and annual scale is appropriate, and the PERSIANN algorithm had a higher accuracy on a monthly time scale.

Assessment of Spatial Variation of Soil Physical Quality in a Rapeseed (Brassica napus) Field in Bilavar, Kermanshah

A.A. Amirinejad

In precision agriculture, a productivity rating system is a significant tool to quantitatively assess soil quality. An experiment was conducted in Bilavar, Kermanshah to evaluate the spatial variability of physical indicators of soil quality of a rapeseed (Brassica napus) field. Spatial variability analysis of soil physical properties measured on a rectangular grid (100 m×100 m) was carried out using a geostatistical analyst extension of Arc-GIS software. Five physical soil quality indicators including bulk density (BD), non-capillary porosity (NCP), field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), available water retention capacity (AWC), and organic carbon (OC) were determined. The physical rating index (PRI) at each sampling point was determined by multiplying the rating values for all five parameters. Results revealed that major ranges of semivariogram for Ks and AWC varied between 137-145 m and for BD, OC, and NCP they were relatively long (161-205 m). Clay and NCP showed moderate spatial dependence (0.68 and 0.28, respectively) whereas the rest of the parameters showed weak spatial dependence. Also, the correlation between PRI and the biological yield of rapeseed was fairly good (R²=0.68). Investigation of zoning maps of soil physical properties showed an increase in BD and a decrease in AWC and NCP parameters depending on changes in soil texture and organic matter content in some parts of the field. In general, the PRI index is an important tool in the quantitative assessment of soil physical conditions, and based on it and zoning maps can improve the physical quality of soil in agricultural fields.

Experimental Study of Bed Shear Stress in Straight Channels Covered with Dunes of Different Sizes

M. Bahrami Yarahmadi

The formation of bed form in alluvial rivers due to sediment transport has a significant effect on the hydraulic parameters of the flow such as bed shear stress. The formation of the bed form and its shape and geometry depends on the bed shear stress. Therefore, the relationship between bed form and flow parameters (such as bed shear stress) is complicated. In the present study; the effect of dune bed forms with different heights on bed shear stress has been investigated. Artificial dunes made by sand-cement mortar with a length of 25 cm and heights of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm were used. In the tests of this research, flow discharge of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 l/s and bed slopes of 0, 0.0001, 0.0005, 0.001, and 0.0015 were used. The results showed that with increasing the relative submergence and Δ/λ, the bed shear stress increased in dune-covered beds. The formation of the dune bed form and the increase in its height leads to an increase in the bed shear stress. The bed shear stress in dunes with a height of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm was, on average, 39, 80, 141, and 146% more than in plane beds, respectively. Moreover, form shear stress for dunes with a height of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm was, on average, 27.37, 43, 57.11, and 58.74% of the total shear stress, respectively.

Effects of Enriched-Biochar on Phosphorus Adsorption Behavior in Saline and Non-Saline Soils of Lake Urmia Basin

M. Rasouli Sadaghiani

can provide useful information about P adsorption and the factors affecting it. A batch experiment was performed with phosphorus concentrations (0 to 35 mg/L) in two soils with different electrical conductivity (EC) (2 and 15 dSm^-1) by a variety of biochar treatments including simple apple-grape biochar (BC), rock phosphate- biochar (BC-RP), enriched-biochar (BC-H₃PO₄-RP), enriched-biochar (BC-HCl-RP), triple superphosphate (TSP), and control (Cont). The results indicated that phosphorus sorption capacity varied between the soils. Biochar treatments were effective in reducing the phosphorus adsorption of both soils. Due to BC-H₃PO₄-RP and BC-HCl-RP treatments, the maximum phosphorus adsorption of soils decreased in S1 soil by 14 and 23 % and in S2 soil by 26 and 19%, respectively. Also, the use of these treatments decreased the parameters of Langmuir absorption intensity (K_L) of S1 soil to 0.085 and 0.066, respectively and S2 soil to 0.11 and 0.15, L/mg respectively, and Freundlich absorption capacity (K_F) of S1 soil decreased to 19.2 and 22.5 and S2 soil to 28.2 and 28.1 L/kg, respectively. Enriched biochars significantly reduced the buffering indices of both soils indicating phosphorus adsorption decreased and increased the availability of phosphorus for the plant. The standard phosphorus requirement of S2 soil was lower than S1 soil by both equations. Therefore, enriched biochar can be an effective strategy to increase phosphorus availability and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in saline and non-saline conditions; however, more field studies are needed for a clear understanding of the potential of P-enriched biochar as a fertilizer alternative.

Evaluation of TRMM and ECMWF Data for Drought Time Monitoring (Case Study: Kurdistan Province)

H. Ramezani Etedali

Studying the effects of drought in mountainous areas is facing problems due to the inappropriate distribution of stations, the lack of long-term data, and areas lacking statistics. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to investigate the drought indices of Kurdistan province using TRMM satellite data and ECMWF dataset, as well as to evaluate their accuracy against the data of land stations in Kurdistan province. First, ECMWF precipitation data for the 2000-2020 period and TRMM precipitation data for the 2000-2019 period were obtained and evaluated using RMSE, MBE, and correlation coefficient statistics. Spearman's correlation coefficient showed a significant relationship between the TRMM satellite precipitation data and the ECMWF dataset with ground stations at the 5% level, and the value of this coefficient was between 0.95-0.85. According to the results, it can be acknowledged that the TRMM satellite rainfall and ECMWF dataset in the monthly time scale had proper accuracy at the Kurdistan province level. Therefore, these two sources were used to examine the drought indices. SPI, SPEI, and ZSI drought indices were calculated in different monthly periods (1-48), PNI in different monthly, seasonal, and annual periods in Kurdistan province (Saqqez, Qorveh, Bijar, Sanandaj stations). Spearman's correlation coefficient indicated a significant relationship at the 5% level between the SPI, ZSI, PNI, and SPEI index of the ECMWF dataset with ground stations. The results of the SPI index showed that the lowest RMSE value for the TRMM satellite at the Saqqez station and the three months was equal to 0.45, and for the ECMWF dataset at the Sanandaj station and the 24 months was equal to 0.35.

Assessment of Physical and Hydraulic Properties of Three Rockwool Types in Comparison with Wheat Straw and Sawdust as Greenhouse Growth Media

M.R. Mosaddeghi

According to the rapid population growth, the challenging issue of production of economic and suitable food sources has led to greater attention to soilless culture greenhouse production systems. Components of growth media in horticulture are usually selected based on physical and chemical properties and their abilities in providing enough water and oxygen for roots. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using some agricultural wastes (i.e., sawdust and wheat straw) and three rockwool types (i.e., raw, ground, ground, and sieved) as substitutes for commercial greenhouse growing media such as cocopeat and perlite. Several hydraulic, aeration, and chemical properties including easily available water (EAW), air after irrigation (AIR), water holding capacity (WHC), water buffering capacity (WBC), saturated water content (θ_s), bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), water drop penetration time (WDPT), pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured and scored in the growth media. Raw rockwool had larger particles compared to ground rockwool, which resulted in its faster water release. Processing of the rockwool decreased the saturated water content and saturated hydraulic conductivity due to the decrease in particle size. Four growth media were scored as very good and one was scored as good. The highest and lowest scores belonged to sawdust (34) and ground rockwool (30), respectively. The studied growth media with high TP, EAW, and WHC and low BD, EC, and WDPT can be used individually or combined with other commercial substrates for greenhouse growth media.

Effect of Salinity and Fractionation Size of Cattle Manure on the Distribution and Transport of Bacterial Contamination in Sandy Soil

M. Dehghanian

In sustainable agriculture, cow manure is used for greater productivity, a rich source of E-Coli pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this research was to investigate the simultaneous effect of the fractionation size of cattle manure and irrigation water salinity on the retention of E-Coli bacteria in the depths of the sand column with a height of 10 cm under saturated flow. Four different particle fractions of cow manure (1-2, 0.5-1, 0.25-0.5, and smaller than 0.25 mm) were added to the surface of the sand column at the scale of 30 tons per hectare, then leaching was done with different salinities (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5, and 10 dS/m) up to 10 pore volumes, then samples were taken from the depths of 0, 3, 6, and 12 cm. The number of bacteria in each sample was determined by the live counting method. The results showed that the effect of all sources of change and their interaction effects on the retention of bacteria in the soil is significant at the level of 5%. Salinity had a negative effect on the retention of bacteria, and the highest and lowest values of the relative concentration of bacteria (the result of dividing the number of bacteria in each soil depth by the initial number of bacteria in the desired manure treatment) were in 0 dS/m and 10 dS/m salinity of leaching water, respectively. By decreasing the size of cow manure particles due to the increase in hydrophobicity and blocking of preferential pores, the retention of bacteria decreased in all investigated soil depths. The highest and lowest retention of bacteria in the soil were investigated in the largest cow manure particle size (1-2 mm) and the smallest cow manure particle size (less than 0.25 mm), respectively. In addition, the highest relative concentration of bacteria in the soil was seen in the depth of 0-3 cm, and no significant difference was seen in other soil depths.

Determining the Quinoa Water Requirement and Plant Response Coefficients to Water Stress in Different Growth Stages in Khuzestan Climate

F. Meskini-Vishkaee

Salinity and water scarcity are limiting factors for sustainable agricultural production. The cultivation of resistant plants to environmental stresses is one of the important management factors for sustainable production. The objective of this study was to determine the water requirement and plant response coefficients to water deficit stress (K_y) in different growth stages under the Khuzestan province climate. This study was performed on the quinoa cultivar Titicaca in Ahvaz City in 2019 in a randomized complete block design with 13 treatments and three replications. Treatments include full irrigation and application of three levels of water deficit stress (30, 50, and 70% of allowable soil moisture depletion) at four different stages of plant growth. The duration of the initial, developmental, middle, and late growth stages of quinoa was 24, 28, 32, and 18 days, respectively (total growth period=102 days). The highest quinoa yield was obtained in full irrigation treatment (3700 kg ha^-1) with a water requirement of 312 mm. Plant response coefficient to water deficit stress in the initial, developmental, middle, and late stages were 0.8, 0.65, 0.74, and 0.47, respectively. Although quinoa is a drought-resistance plant, it should be noted that the water stress in the two initial and middle stages (quinoa sensitive growth stages to water stress) reduces the quinoa yield significantly that should be considered in the planning of deficit irrigation.

Effect of Spatial Resolution of Digital Elevation Model on the Estimation of Geomorphological and Geomorphoclimatic Unit Hydrographs in Amameh Watershed, Iran

M. Vafakhah

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are one of the most important data required in watershed modeling with hydrological models and their spatial resolution has a significant impact on the accuracy of simulating hydrological processes. In the present study, the effect of spatial resolution of five DEMs derived from the topographic map (TOPO) with a scale of 1:25000, ALOS PALSAR, ASTER, SRTM, and GTOPO with a spatial accuracy of 10, 12.5, 30, 90, and 1000 m, respectively, on the estimation of parameters of geomorphological and geomorphoclimatic unit hydrographs models has been evaluated in Amameh watershed. Thirty-four single flood events were used during the years 1970 to 2015. The results showed that in the GUH method, the application of the TOPO and ALOS PALSAR DEMs had the best results with root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.7 and 1.8 m³/s and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.4 and 0.3, respectively. While the GTOPO DEM had the least efficiency with RMSE of 2.8 m³/s and NSE of -2. Similarly, the lowest and highest RMSE in the GCUH method belonged to TOPO and GTOPO DEMs with RMSE of 3.8 and 18 m³/s and NSE of 0.2 and -6, respectively. Generally, the GUH method had more favorable results than the GCUH method in all DEMs.

Investigating River Flow Normalization Methods and Introducing a New Method

A.M. Akhoond-Ali

Due to developing abstractions and their impacts on surface runoff, the recorded flow has been changed by human activities in most water gauging stations. Therefore, there is not found natural regime in the catchments. Accordingly, the objective of naturalization is to remove the effect of human activity factors and determine the actual amount of the river flow before the abstraction and the upstream development. Researchers have presented different methods that are mainly based on volume budget. In this way, this research presented the conventional methods as well as investigated their weak points. These new and innovative methods have been applied based on the available data. The methods have been planned based on the net consumption in which, the different types of water demands related to the upstream of each hydrometric station, are estimated for each month of a long-term series. Then, the amount of natural flow is determined by adding them to the observed flow. The accuracy and validation of the results are investigated by comparing the observed and calculated flow. As a case study, this method was utilized and implemented for Tireh and Marbareh sub-basins in Dez as well as Solgan and Beheshtabad sub-basins in the Karun basin. The results showed the role of the human activity factors decreasing the long-term outflow in the Tireh basin a 23.2%, in the Marbareh basin a 28.7%, in the Vanak watershed a 26%, and in the Beheshtabad basin a 9.5%. The results validation indicated the appropriate compatibility of the observational and estimated data for the control points (the stations). In this research, natural flow is obtained by presenting a practical method based on available information in the country. The proposed method has been in the preliminary stages. To verify and comprehend it, it should be used in future research on the interaction of surface and underground water and the use of new technologies such as remote sensing.