Scarcity of fresh high-quality water has heightened the importance of wastewater reuse primarily in dry regions together with improving its efficient use by implementing the Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) method. Sustainable effluent reuse combines soil and plant aspects, along with the maintainability of the application system. In this study, field experiments were conducted for two years on the commercial farm of Revivim and Mashabay-Sade farm (RMF) southeast of the City of Beer-Sheva, Israel. The purpose was to examine the response of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as a perennial model crop to secondary domestic effluent application by means of a SDI system as compared with conventional overhead sprinkler irrigation. Emitters were installed at different depths and spacing. Similar amounts of effluent were applied to all plots during the experimental period. The results indicated that in all SDI treatments, the alfalfa yields were 11% to 25% higher than the ones obtained under sprinkler irrigated plots, besides the one in which the drip laterals were 200 cm apart. The average Water Use Efficiency (WUE) was better in all SDI treatments in comparison with the sprinkler irrigated plots. An economic assessment reveals the dependence of the net profit on the emitters' installation geometry, combined with the return for alfalfa in the market.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Abstract|
February 01 2010
Sustainable domestic effluent reuse via subsurface drip irrigation (SDI): alfalfa as a perennial model crop
Shija Kazumba;
1Department of Civil Engineering, Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 2958, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania E-mail: shija.kazumba@dit.ac.tz
E-mail: shija.kazumba@dit.ac.tz
Search for other works by this author on:
Leonid Gillerman;
Leonid Gillerman
2Environment Water Resources, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Kiryat Sde-Boker 84990, Israel E-mail: gidi@bgu.ac.il
Search for other works by this author on:
Yoel DeMalach;
Yoel DeMalach
3Ramat Negev Agricultural Experimental Field Station, Ramat Negev, Doar Naa Chalutsa 85515, Israel
†Deceased March 2006
Search for other works by this author on:
Gideon Oron
Gideon Oron
2Environment Water Resources, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Kiryat Sde-Boker 84990, Israel E-mail: gidi@bgu.ac.il
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Sci Technol (2010) 61 (3): 625–632.
Citation
Shija Kazumba, Leonid Gillerman, Yoel DeMalach, Gideon Oron; Sustainable domestic effluent reuse via subsurface drip irrigation (SDI): alfalfa as a perennial model crop. Water Sci Technol 1 February 2010; 61 (3): 625–632. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2010.904
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Impact Factor 1.915
CiteScore 3.3 • Q2
13 days submission to first
decision
1,439,880 downloads in 2021