Evaluating the adoption of irrigation technology in a well-irrigated winter wheat－summer maize cropping system

Yushun Zhang; Jian Liu; Xinqiang Qiu; Wenfeng Li; Haochen Yang; Haixia Qin; Yanping Wang; Min Wang; Hengkang Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28970

Evaluating the adoption of irrigation technology in a well-irrigated winter wheat－summer maize cropping system

Heliyon. 2024 Mar 30;10(7):e28970. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28970. eCollection 2024 Apr 15.

Authors

Yushun Zhang¹, Jian Liu², Xinqiang Qiu^{1

3}, Wenfeng Li⁴, Haochen Yang^{1

3}, Haixia Qin^{1

3}, Yanping Wang^{1

3}, Min Wang^{1

3}, Hengkang Zhu^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Henan Provincial Water Conservancy Research Institute, Center of Efficient Irrigation Engineering and Technology Research of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
² Xuchang Water Science and Technology Extension Center, Xuchang, 461000, China.
³ Henan Keda Water Resources Survey and Design Co., Ltd, Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
⁴ Flue-cured Tobacco Meteorological Service Center of Henan Province, Xuchang, 461000, China.

Abstract

Determining suitable irrigation technology is of paramount for promoting water-saving agriculture, particularly for winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in well-irrigated regions. To optimize and assess the efficacy of various irrigation technologies (specifically, semi-fixed sprinkler irrigation, walking sprinkler, semi-automatic buried telescopic sprinkler irrigation, thin-soft spray tape irrigation, drip irrigation, self-driven winch sprinkler and manually moving spray gun irrigation, marked as A, B, C, D, E, F and G) applied in south central North China Plain, we first conducted an economic analysis for the winter wheat-summer maize rotation. Subsequently, employing a comprehensive set of 20 indicators spanning economic, societal, technological, ecological, and resource aspects, we employed a TOPSIS model with integrative weighting approach using "AHP + Entropy". We also employed principal component analysis and the Sankey diagram method to explore characteristics of different irrigation techniques and indexes. Irrigation mode E, conserving energy by 63.19% compared to mode B and offering labor savings five times greater than the mode D. The highest economic benefit for the rotation system was observed with the mode C, resulting in a 25.26% increase compared to the mode G. The top three irrigation modes based on scores were D, G, and E, with scores of 0.532, 0.490, and 0.474, respectively. The Sankey diagram revealed distinct preferences among different agricultural entities for specific irrigation modes. For specific stakeholders, we recommend irrigation modes D, G, F, and B for small farmers, large and specialized family businesses, family farms, and farmer cooperatives, respectively. In conclusion, our findings provide valuable scientific support and recommendations for the practical application of irrigation technology in agricultural production.

Keywords: Irrigation technology optimization; Principal component analysis; TOPSIS model; Well irrigated district; “AHP+Entropy” weight method.