Water Resources Engineering - Homepage Usask

C8. IRRIGATION AGRONOMY
(KUL-code: I736 (Th); I737 (Pr))
Lecturer: RAES D.
ECTS-credit: 5 pts
Contact hours: 30 hrs. of theory/30 hrs. of practical
Prerequisites:
Time and place: 1st semester, 13 sessions of 3 hours each, K.U.Leuven
Course syllabus: Lecture notes
Evaluation: Quotation on sample problems and oral examination
Comparable handbook: Crop evapotranspiration. Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. 1998.
FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper N°56. Rome, Italy; 300 p.
Additional information: Teaching is in English
Learning objectives:
The course of Irrigation Agronomy aims to provide the students a comprehensive introduction in the climatic,
crop, soil and environmental aspects that determine the water losses of a cropped soil and in the calculation of
the crop water and irrigation water requirement at field and scheme level. During practical sessions the students
receive training in the use of software packages that are helpful for the processing of climatic data and for the
simulation of a soil water balance. At the end of the course the students should be able to plan and evaluate the
water supply for irrigation schemes.
Course description:
The course encompasses a section on agro-climatology, the water balance of a cropped soil, irrigation water
requirement and irrigation scheduling principles.
Part 1. Agro-climatology
1. Measurement, collection and processing of climatic data such as air temperature, air humidity, wind
speed, solar radiation, evaporation and precipitation and an introduction to agro-meteorological
field stations;
2. Definition, concepts, measurements and computation of reference (ETo) and crop (ETc)
evapotranspiration under standard conditions;
3. Definition and calculation of dependable and effective rainfall from historical rainfall data;
Part 2. Water balance of a cropped soil
1. Soil physical characteristics;
2. Soil water content;
3. Soil water retention;
4. Crop water uptake;
5. Soil water movement;
6. Soil water balance.
Part 3. Irrigation water requirements
1. Net irrigation requirement;
2. Gross irrigation requirement;
3. Field and scheme water supply.
Part 4. Irrigation scheduling principles
1. Irrigation depth and interval;
2. Real time scheduling;
3. Planning irrigation schedules.
The practical exercises aim to train the students in methods for the processing of climatic data, the computation
of reference and crop evapotranspiration, the calculation of the water balance of cropped soils, and the
calculation of net and gross water requirements. During the practical sessions the students receive an
introduction in the use of the following software packages:
- ETO: reference evapotranspriation (K.U. Leuven);
- RAINBOW: frequency analysis of hydrological data (K.U.Leuven);
- FOACLIM: world-wide agroclimatic data (FAO);
13 / Course syllabi