JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

Integrated simulation of water resources systems is an efficient tool to evaluate and adopt various options in macro-policies and decision-making procedures that are in line with the sustainable development of drainage basins. One of the drainage basin management policies is to enhance the efficiency of agricultural land use. Considering the complicated function of the drainage basin elements and their interaction with each other due to water discharge fluctuations caused by various factors such as climate change, the evaluation of these policies is of great importance. Given the low irrigation efficiency in Iran, the present study was aimed to evaluate the effects of management scenarios (including long-term irrigation efficiency increased up to 20% with 5% intervals) and discharge fluctuation scenarios (including 5% and 10% decrease in the average basin inflows) on the reliability and vulnerability of water resources system in Dez Basin. The integrated scenarios were simulated in the WEAP model. The scenarios were separately simulated for the Dez irrigation network and all farmlands across Dez Basin. According to the results, reliability was decreased by 5.69 and 18.89% in the scenarios with 5% and 10% decrease in the average basin inflows, respectively. Furthermore, the irrigation efficiency of 20% in the scenario considering the current inflows ended up with the reliability of 73.58%. Moreover, in the scenario involving 5% decrease in the average basin inflows, the reliability was increased by 3.8% with an increasing efficiency of 20%; with 3.8% and 5.7%, there was an increasing efficiency of 15% and 20% in all farmlands, respectively. In the scenario consisting of 10% decrease in average basin inflows, the reliability was increased by 1.91%, 3.8%, and 5.7% with the increasing efficiency of 10%, 15%, and 20%; on the other hand, with, these were 3.8% 9.46%, and 13.2% with increasing efficiency in all farmlands, respectively. In all scenarios, the vulnerability was found to fluctuate between 25% and 31%, which was systematically analyzed.

In order to increase the available Phosphorous (P), chemical fertilizers are applied; however, P chemical fertilizers are transformed into low available forms over time. Organic amendments could be effective in improving the efficiency of P fertilizers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of P fertilizers and vermicopost on the availability and fractions of P and maize (Zea Mays L.) indices in a calcareous soil. This study was performed in a factorial completely randomized design with three replicates. The experimental factors included chemical fertilizer (0 and 50 mg/kg P) and vermicopost (0 and 1 %W). After 2 months of planting in greenhouse, the shoots of maize were removed and the maize indices (P concentration, dry matter and P uptake) were determined. Then, the soil samples taken from each pot, P available, and P fractions were evaluated by a modified method developed by Hedley et al (1982). The results showed that the effect of the interaction beyween P fertilizer and vermicopost on the available P was significant. Also, the interaction of P fertilizer and vermicopost on the soluble and exchangeable P (P<0.05) and organic P (P<0.01) was significant. By applying the P fertilizer or % 1 vermicompost, all P fractions (except Ca bound P) were increased. The results, therefore, showed that the effect of the interaction between P fertilizer and vermicopost on P concentration, dry matter and P uptake was not significant (P>0.05). Vermicopost application increased the dry matter from 6.9 to 10.5 g pot^-1, while application of 50 mg kg^-1 P as fertilizer increased the dry matter from 7.7 to 9.7 g pot^-1. Also, by adding vermicopost (11.1%), the i P uptake was increased, as compared to 50 mg kg^-1. The results, therefore, indicated that the beneficial effect of vermicompost on the dry matter and P uptake in maize was more than that of the chemical fertilizer. Moreover, P fertilizer and manure could influence P fractions and P availability. 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between time and spatial features of meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts in Karoon 1 Dam basin. Meteorological and statistical data were accordingly selected to evaluate the drought situation between 1993 and 2016. The results showed that hydrological droughts occurred in the meteorological drought and had a very high correlation with this year's meteorological drought. The most severe droughts occurred between 2006 and 2011. Studies also showed that every three years, the basin was accompanied by a meteorological drought and then a hydrological drought. The results also showed that the highest correlation was observed with the 12-month meteorological index, with a delay of 3 months, and the 6-month meteorological and hydrological index with a delay of 3 months and a three-month hydrological drought index with a delay of two months. Therefore, it could be concluded that hydrological droughts showed a delay of almost two to three months in the entire catchment area; since this period was 4 months or more, the correlation between these two indicators was eliminated and decreased. Also, due to drought zones, during the period from 1993 to 2009, most of the droughts were caused by rainfall reduction in the southwest of the province, and this was associated with a reduction in runoff in its hydrometric stations. Of course, in 2009-2012, the runoff status had been temporarily improved, and from 2012 to 2017, the drought situation had again returned spatially to the previous routine.

Today, the use of organic wastes as fertilizers to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil is common. In this study, to investigate the effect of the sewage sludge on the growth and concentration of chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in quinoa plant, a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with three replications in a calcareous soil with electrical conductivity of 13.1 dS m^-1. Treatments included three genotypes of quinoa (Red carina, Titicaca, Q29) and three levels of sewage sludge (0, 20 and 40 t ha^-1). The results showed that the effects of the quinoa genotype, different levels of sewage sludge and the interaction of treatments on the root dry weight, shoot P concentration and chlorophyll concentration were significant. Also, the sewage sludge had a significant effect on the shoot length, shoot dry weight and shoot nitrogen concentration. By increasing the level of the sewage sludge, root length, shoot length, shoot dry weight and shoot N concentration were increased, on average, by 44.7 %, 48.8%, 42.0% and 46.6%, respectively. Also, application of 40 t ha^-1 sewage sludge significantly increased the chlorophyll concentration and shoot P concentration in Q29 and Titicaca genotypes. According to the results of this study, application of sewage sludge can increase the growth of quinoa by improving its nutrition.