Experimental Investigation of Soil Evaporation and Evapotranspiration of Winter Wheat Under Sprinkler Irrigation

Sprinkler irrigation is one of the typical irrigation technologies used for the winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system in the North China Plain. To evaluate the evapotranspiration (ET) of winter wheat under sprinkler irrigation in Beijing area, field experiments were conducted in growing seasons through 2005–2008, in the experimental station located in Tongzhou County, Beijing, China, with different irrigation depths. Results indicated that a relatively large variation of soil water content occurred within 0–40 cm soil layer. The seasonal ET of winter wheat generally increased with increasing irrigation amount, while the seasonal usage of soil water had a negative relationship with irrigation amount. Soil evaporation (Es) was about 25% of winter wheat ET during the period from reviving to maturity. Es increased while Es/ET decreased with increasing irrigation amount. Sprinkler irrigation scheduling with relatively large irrigation quota and low irrigation frequency can reduce Es and promote the irrigation water use efficiency.