Fundamentals of Irrigation and On-farm Water Management: Volume 1

Agriculture is one of the few industries that has been creating resources conti- ously from nature. Sustainability of this industry is a crucial issue at now-a-days. Agricultural technologies are important to feed the growing world population. Agricultural engineering has been applying scienti?c principles for the optimal use of natural resources in agricultural production for the bene?t of humankind. The role of agricultural engineering is increasing in the coming days at the forthcoming challenges of producing more food with less water coupled with climate uncertainty. I am happy to know that a book entitled "Fundamentals of Irrigation and On-farm Water Management", written by Engr. Dr. M. H. Ali, is going to be p- lished by Springer. The book is designed to cover the major ?elds of agricultural and environmental engineering such as weather, plant, soil, water, and basics of on-farm water management. The book will be quite useful for the students of agricultural engineering. Students of other related branches of engineering s- ences, and engineers working in the ?eld and at research institutes will also be beni?ted. The book may serve as a text book for the students and as a practical hand-book for the practitioners and researchers in the ?eld of irrigation and on-farm water management. Utilization of the recent literature in the area and citation of relevant journals / reports have added a special value to this book. Considering the topics covered, engineers, scientists, practitioners, and educators will ?nd this book as a valuable resource.

The book's objective is to present the fundamental principles of irrigation need assessment, and water relations in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum

Introduction: Perspectives and General Concept of Irrigation.- Fundamentals of Irrigation Development and Planning.- Weather: A Driving Force in Determining Irrigation Demand.- Soil: A Media for Plant Growth.- Plant: A Machinery of Water Absorption.- Water: An Element of Irrigation.- Field Water Balance.- Soil-Water-Plant-Atmosphere Relationship.- Crop Water Requirement and Irrigation Scheduling.- Measurement of Irrigation Water.- Water Conservation and Harvesting.- Economics in Irrigation Management and Project Evaluation.

This book presents the fundamental principles of irrigation need assessment, water relations in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, and the principles needed to adopt the most appropriate approach toward irrigation development and management.