Dataset Information

Global irrigation contribution to wheat and maize yield.

ABSTRACT: Irrigation is the largest sector of human water use and an important option for increasing crop production and reducing drought impacts. However, the potential for irrigation to contribute to global crop yields remains uncertain. Here, we quantify this contribution for wheat and maize at global scale by developing a Bayesian framework integrating empirical estimates and gridded global crop models on new maps of the relative difference between attainable rainfed and irrigated yield (?Y). At global scale, ?Y is 34?±?9% for wheat and 22?±?13% for maize, with large spatial differences driven more by patterns of precipitation than that of evaporative demand. Comparing irrigation demands with renewable water supply, we find 30-47% of contemporary rainfed agriculture of wheat and maize cannot achieve yield gap closure utilizing current river discharge, unless more water diversion projects are set in place, putting into question the potential of irrigation to mitigate climate change impacts.

SUBMITTER: Wang X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7902844 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Global irrigation contribution to wheat and maize yield.

Wang Xuhui X Müller Christoph C Elliot Joshua J Mueller Nathaniel D ND Ciais Philippe P Jägermeyr Jonas J Gerber James J Dumas Patrice P Wang Chenzhi C Yang Hui H Li Laurent L Deryng Delphine D Folberth Christian C Liu Wenfeng W Makowski David D Olin Stefan S Pugh Thomas A M TAM Reddy Ashwan A Schmid Erwin E Jeong Sujong S Zhou Feng F Piao Shilong S

Nature communications 20210223 1

Irrigation is the largest sector of human water use and an important option for increasing crop production and reducing drought impacts. However, the potential for irrigation to contribute to global crop yields remains uncertain. Here, we quantify this contribution for wheat and maize at global scale by developing a Bayesian framework integrating empirical estimates and gridded global crop models on new maps of the relative difference between attainable rainfed and irrigated yield (ΔY). At globa ...[more]

PMID: 33623028

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Project description:Laser land levelling is expanding rapidly in the rice-wheat (RW) and maize-wheat (MW) systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India and Pakistan. Current practice is to level to zero (0%) gradient, whereas a small gradient (e.g. 0.1%) is typically used in developed countries. Therefore, experiments were conducted in farmers' plots (~15 m x 40 m) in the Eastern Gangetic Plains to evaluate laser levelling with a 0.1% gradient in comparison with 0% and farmer levelling practice (FL). The study was conducted over two years in RW and MW systems. In the MW system, raised beds in plots lasered with 0% and 0.1% gradients were also evaluated. Laser levelling with 0% gradient significantly reduced irrigation amount and/or increased irrigation water productivity (WPi) in all crops/systems grown on the flat compared to FL except for wheat in the MW system. While there was a consistent trend for higher yield with a 0% gradient compared with FL, the differences were not significant in any crop/system. For the RW system, the results suggest no to marginal benefits in irrigation amount and WPi from levelling with a 0.1% gradient in comparison with 0% gradient. In that system, by far the bigger gains were from changing from FL to laser levelling with 0% gradient. This resulted in substantial reductions in irrigation amount, which greatly increased WPi in both crops (by ~40%), while yield was not affected. Rice grown with FL was not profitable, but lasering with 0% gradient significantly increased gross margin for rice, wheat and the total RW system. As for the RW system, levelling to 0% with a flat configuration significantly increased WPi of both crops in the MW system compared to FL, but by a lesser proportion. Raised beds significantly increased yield of maize by 8% (0.5 t ha-1), reduced irrigation amount by 20% (40 mm) and increased WPi by 34% (1.0 kg m-3) in comparison with the laser levelled flat plots. Gross margin of the MW system on beds was 17-20% higher than FL, and gross margin with beds on a 0.1% gradient was significantly higher than either gradient on the flat. The results suggest that the gains from levelling with a 0.1% gradient compared to 0% are marginal; however, this may change if the goal of consolidation of small farmer plots into larger fields becomes a reality provided there is a proportionate increase in irrigation flow rates, and ability to drain.

Dataset Information

Global irrigation contribution to wheat and maize yield.

Publications

Global irrigation contribution to wheat and maize yield.

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