Assessing the status of various irrigation methods in Hokmabad lands of Tabriz city with the Charles Burt method

Introduction

Water is one of the most important factors for the production of agricultural products and as one of the vital things for life, it is very important. However, in many regions of the world, water resources are limited and due to population growth and climate change, the use of water resources has become a big challenge. Therefore, choosing the best irrigation method for the production of agricultural products is very important and necessary. Today, there are different irrigation methods for the production of agricultural products, each of which has its own characteristics and advantages. For example, irrigation methods such as drip irrigation, subsurface irrigation, sprinkle irrigation, surface irrigation and irrigation using smart systems are very popular and widely used today. To choose the best irrigation method, one should pay attention to various factors such as soil type, crop, weather conditions and the amount of water needed for the crops. In addition, methods that are economical and less harmful to the environment should be used. The proposed irrigation method in the improvement plan, on the one hand, should have sufficient capabilities to supplying water requirement and reduce operating and maintenance costs, and on the other hand, it should be designed and selected according to the technical, economic, and social conditions of the region. The factors that are effective in choosing irrigation methods include soil conditions, topography, slope, water quality, climatic conditions, irrigation efficiency, area of agricultural units and land use system, groundwater level, plant water requirement, investment, maintenance and operation costs, existing experiences and socio-economic considerations. At the same time, irrigation methods can include the improvement of existing irrigation methods to completely advanced systems. Therefore, what is important in choosing an irrigation method is to choose methods that can be implemented. The purpose of this research is to choose the most suitable irrigation method for the agricultural lands of Tabriz Park based on effective physical factors such as crop, water source, land, climate and socio-structural conditions and using Charles Burt's scoring method.



Materials and Methods

The area studied in this research was Tabriz Grand Park in the northwest of Tabriz city. This surface area includes 864 hectares, of which 328 hectares are located in area 1 and 536 hectares in area 2. The only source of water in the area is a well, and surface water sources are not used in the agricultural lands of Tabriz Park. On the other hand, the source of water supply for the agricultural lands of Hokmabad is groundwater sources (agricultural wells) and the common irrigation method in the agricultural lands of Tabriz Grand Park is the gravity irrigation method of the basin type. In this research, Charles Burt's scoring method was used to select the best irrigation method in the study area. By using this method, it is possible to easily identify the weak and strong points of irrigation systems and improve their efficiency. The criteria and features that were considered for scoring included the following items: Crop (corn, cotton in a wet place, cotton in a dry place, alfalfa, small grains, etc.), Water source (groundwater well, flexible surface water distribution, inflexible surface water distribution, etc.), Climate (temperature conditions, wind, rain, frost, etc.), Land (irregularly shaped land, obstacles in the land, steep slopes, steep rocky lands, etc.), and socio-structural conditions (access to parts, type of management, labor, user skill, etc.). Each irrigation system has a specific efficiency in relation to each criterion, which is indicated by +, zero and - signs. A positive sign means that this irrigation system is a suitable system according to this criterion and feature. The zero sign indicates that the criterion does not play a role in choosing the system, and the negative sign indicates that the irrigation system is not suitable for this specific feature.



Results and Discussion

In order to choose the appropriate irrigation system for the study area, the physical factors effective in choosing the irrigation system in six areas of crop, water source, land, climate, and social-structural conditions have been examined and the results are presented below. According to Charles Burt's scoring method, in sprinkle irrigation, the classical fixed system received a score of -1, which indicates that the system is not suitable for the study area due to these characteristics. Also, in surface irrigation and drip irrigation, the highest score of +3 and +2 was observed, respectively, and this means that these irrigation systems will be a suitable system for the studied area according to these criteria and characteristics. The results showed that basin irrigation is the most appropriate in the agricultural lands of Hokmabad, Tabriz city.



Conclusion

In general, based on the scoring method of Charles Burt, among the options of sprinkle irrigation, the classic fixed system, among the drip methods, the tape system, and among the surface methods, the basin system was suitable for the agricultural lands of Hokmabad, Tabriz city. The results showed that the scoring method used, despite its simple instructions, is a practical method for choosing the most suitable irrigation system. The results showed that the basin system is suitable for the study area in terms of crop, climate, water source, and socio-structural conditions. In rain irrigation, the classic fixed system in terms of land, crop type, and socio-structural structure received a score of zero, which indicated that there is no relationship between the irrigation system and these factors in the region. Among the drip methods, the tape system received a score of +1 in terms of crop type, land, and water source, which showed that the system is suitable for the region due to its characteristics. However, due to the need for high management and skill and the possibility of vandalism, it has problems from a socio-structural point of view, but from the point of view of the crop, land, and water source, it is considered among the best options. Also, among the surface irrigation methods, the basin system is a suitable system from the point of view of the type of crop and land.