International Journal of Agricultural Sciences

‎‎‎‎‎‎International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2167-0447 Vol. 8 (1), pp. 1391-1397, January, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research paper                                                                       

A study of water flow discharge in open channels for agricultural water management

*Oguz Cem Pamuk, Kemal Anar and Daron Altan Oktay

Department of Civil Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 10 October, 2017

Abstract

Determining water flow discharge in open channels is a very important task for agricultural water management, but current methods are labor-intensive and difficult. The entropy method suggested by Chiu and Said (1995) promises to simplfy the task of measuring water flow rates. This paper offers a further simplification of ongoing discharge measurements by showing that the u_max and H_max values form a constant in a specific water channel cross section. Once the u_max/H_max constant is determined, u_max, and therefore discharge, can easily be calculated from H_max measurements. This method, which we call Q_umax method in this paper, was compared against the integrated discharge method for accuracy and was found to have an accuracy similar to that of two other common methods, the integrated Q _{0.2 to 0.8} and the entropy methods (Q_Mi). Comparisons were carried out at four sites along the tributaries of the Kizilirmak river in central Anatolia, Turkey.

Key words: Agricultural water, discharge, natural stream, entropy.

‎‎‎‎International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2167-0447 Vol. 8 (1), pp. 1382-1390, January, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research paper

A study of maize water needs and water saving measures in the arid region of Northwestern China

*Shen Yu Chen, Laozi Xiannian and Wang Han Ming

Department of Environment Science, College of Earth and Environment Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] 

Accepted 10 August, 2017

Abstract

Understanding crop water needs is essential for irrigation scheduling and water saving measures in an arid region because of its limited water supply. This study was performed using the dual crop coefficient method to predict seasonal changes in evapotranspiration (ETc) for maize fields in northwestern China in 2004. The reference crop evapotranspiration ET0, an important parameter in simulating the actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc), was estimated using FAO Penman–Monteith equation. The values suggested by FAO-56 were used for the basal crop coefficients (Kcb) after adjustment for the specific climatic condition in the study area. The soil evaporation coefficients (Ke) were determined for the climate, the soil, the maize growing stages, and the irrigation method. Some missing climatic parameters were calculated. The results showed that the ETc values were very low (average value of 1.09 mm day- 1) except during irrigation events in the initial stage of crop growth. The ETc value increased during the crop development stage (average value of 3.67 mm day- 1) and reached its peak during the mid- season stage (average value of 5.49 mm day-1), then the ETc value declined rapidly during the last crop growth stage (average value of 3.33 mm day-1). In general, the evapotranspiration (ETc) ranged from 0.54 to 7.69 mm day-1 and the total actual ETc was 611.5 mm at the experimental site in the growing season of 2004.

Key words: Evapotranspiration; dual crop coefficient; maize (Zea mays L.); FAO-Penman monteith equation; crop water requirement

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2167-0447 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 1342-1349, December, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa .L.) Varieties in Ghana

Alex Tamu¹*, Maxwell Darko Asante²_, Richard Akromah³ and Ibrahim Soe¹

¹Crop Improvement Programme, Rokupr Agricultural Research Center, Rokupr - Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute, PMB 1313, Town Hill, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

²CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Kumasi, Ghana.

³Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +23279444496/+23288179696

Accepted 07 November, 2017

Abstract

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2167-0447 Vol. 7 (7), pp. 1338-1341, August, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The bee fauna of Vanaparvam biodiversity park, Kerala, India (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

K. Sheeja¹ and T. Jobiraj^2,

¹Research scholar, Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore-641 046. 

²Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Govt. College Kodanchery.

Corresponding author  E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 25 April, 2017

Abstract

The bee fauna of Vanaparvam Biodiversity Park, Kerala, India was studied during August 2015 to July 2016. Among the 21 collected species, the identified 18 species belong to 9 genera and 3 families. The identified three families were Apidae, Halictidae and Megachilidae. Maximum number of species recorded belonged to the family Apidae.  Apis cerana Fabricius, Ceratina heiroglyphica Smith and Apis dorsata Fabricius were the mostly observed species. In the present study all the bees showed a seasonal trend, the bees were abundantly seen during March, April and May, however a decline in population was observed during June and July. All the bees recorded were good pollinators and were seen in plants such as  Sida acuta, Calotropis gigantea, Caesalpinia pulcherrima  and Lantana camara were  present in the study area. The study indicated a rich and diverse bee fauna in the Vanaparvam Biodiversity Park.  

Key words: Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Apidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, bee fauna, pollinators, conservation, native vegetation.