A decision support tool for basin irrigation in northern Nigeria

Maejo International Journal of Science and Technology

关键词: decision support system;    surface irrigation;    basin irrigation;    evapotranspiration;    advance time;    required opportunity time;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Inadequate rainfall, water resources scarcity and attendant food security-related problems have made irrigation technology a necessity. This work presents the development of a decision support system for solving surface irrigation design problems in northern Nigeria. The arid northern states affected by desert encroachment constitute a good candidate and their climatological data was obtained from the Nigerian Metrological Agency. The interactive system was defined in terms of inputs and outputs. The inputs were properties of soil, surface irrigation method and climate. The outputs were mainly the quantity of water application, scheduling pattern, possible design configuration, advance time, cut-off time, application rate, and water use efficiency. The FAO Penman-Monteith equation was used to estimate evapotranspiration values of major crops grown in Nigeria. Mathematical models outlined by Walker and Skogerboe were adapted, and heuristics applied in determining the best configuration that achieves optimum water application efficiency. We encoded the knowledge base using Matlab® software. The application was successfully used for the modification of a farm irrigation scheme in Kaduna state. This indicates that the adoption of new technologies for irrigation design issues could enhance agricultural productivity in northern Nigeria.

【 授权许可】

Unknown