Research activities on efficient and sustainable irrigation management, because of rapid climate change, population growth and decrease in water resources for agricultural, and increase in industrial demands, have been carrying out in the Department of Agricultural Irrigation and Land Reclamation. The main responsibility of the department is to carry out research projects about water consumption of crops grown in Aegean Region, irrigation water requirements, irrigation methods and the other subjects deal with agricultural water use and/or drainage. The other task is to provide the knowledge, data and irrigation techniques for investor institutions, farmers and farmer organizations.
General Goals
To increase production and improve quality of irrigated agriculture, by the cost effcetive design, operation and management of on-farm irrigation and driange systems
To reduce the risk to irrigated agriculture from competitive demands for water by maximising the water utilization efficiency of resources used for irrigation, by improvements to irrigation efficiency and by the re-use of irrigationand other waste water flows.
To reduce the riak of waterlogging and salinization on new irrigated lands, and to restore damaged lands in existing systems by the design of appropriate mitigation and rehabiltion measures.
Research Programmes
1. Irrigation and Water Use Efficiency
To improve the on farm water use efficiency of irrigation schemes, by the appropriate use of more efficient application methods.
Development Goals
- To increase the amount of irrigated land with existing water resources
- Investigation of Water-saving irrigation techniques
- The use of advanced technology in irrigation scheduling (infrared thermometer, spectral reflectance, such as remote sensing)
- Research on the method of determining irrigation programming
- Research on hydraulics of irrigation systems
- Evapotranspiration (ET) determination
- The use of models for soil-water-plant relationships
- Application of fertigation and chemigation with irrigation systems
- Research to increase water use efficiency of crops in limited irrigation water resources conditions
- Investigation about effects of climate change and droughts on agricultural water resources and irrigation practices
Completed in the unit and with some ongoing major projects;
- Planned of the tomatoes Irrigated with Drip Irrigation Program in Eskisehir region GDAR, 1998-2001,
- Geographic Information Systems Techniques Using the Eskisehir-Türkmenmecidiyeköy Sprinkler Irrigation System Analysis and Evaluation, GDAR, 1999-2000,
- The Effect of Different Lateral Spacings and Wetted Area on Yield and Irrigation Water Use Efficiency For Drip-Irrigated Tomatoes,GDAR, 2003-2005,
- Determination of water-yield relationship by Safflower Plants at Irrigation Period in Eskişehir Conditions, GDAR, 2007-2009,
- Determination of Irrigation Scheme of The Corn Plant Irrigated With Drip Irrigation in Eskişehir conditions, GDAR, 2010-2012,
- Determination of Irrigation Scheme of The Poppy Plant Irrigated With Drip Irrigation System in Eskişehir conditions, GDAR, 2011-2014,
- Determination of Water Use Effectiveness Polymers (Water Retainer) That Use Agricultural Purposes in Laboratory Conditions, GDAR, 2012-2014,
- Determination of Irrigation Program at Sugarbeet Sprinkler Irrigation Systems Moving Linear in Eskişehir Conditions, GDAR, 2011-2013,
- Determination of Irrigation Schduling of The Wheat Plant With Supplementary Irrigation in Eskişehir conditions, EU-IFAD Irrigation Sub-project, 2014-2016,
- The Investigation of Breeding Mutation and Irrigation on Yield Effect Of Saffron,GDAR, 2016-2019,
- The effect of Irrigation levels, Lateral Intervals on The Yield in Tomato Which is Irrigationed by Drip Irrigation System in The Area of Eskişehir and Kütahya Project For Farmers, GDAR - Department of Training, Extension and Publications, 2016-2018,
2. Planning, operation and optimisation of Irrigation system
To reduce water losses in the field and Network, to optimize the use of available irrigation water supplies
Development Goals
- Water use planning and optimization
- The planning of irrigation projects, construction and operation of soil physics (hydraulics) research
- Analyzing the water distribution performance and carrying out the researches for the improvement of irrigation systems
- - Preparation of irrigation guide
- Technologies for irrigation programs
- Development of the computer simulation models for irrigation and drainage systems
Completed in the unit and with some ongoing major projects;
- Wireless Intelligent Irrigation Systems (WIIS), Private Sector (TUBİTAK MAM Teknokent computer company), July 2008-December 2008, Consultancy Small TÜBİTAK Project award
- Drip Irrigation Project Planning Grant and Support Package Program, Private Sector (computer company), 2009, Consultancy
- Assessment of Performance Indicators for some Drip Irrigation Systems in Eskisehir and Sakarya Provinces, GDAR,
3. Water Resources and Irrigation Water Quality
To determine the conditions of use of renewable low-quality irrigation water
Development Goals
- To increase the amount of water used for agricultural and sustainable water use
- Determination of the quality of water resources
- To determine the conditions of use of marginal water for irrigation
- Investigation the quality and level of ground water for irrigation area and its effect on soil and plant,
- Irrigation projects based on the optimization of water resources use
- Determine the possibility of using underground water for irrigation of high levels of salinity
- The efficiency of drainage water and waste water re-use and evaluate the effects of soil
- Movement and accumulation of research on water resources in the soil of chemical inputs.
Completed in the unit and with some ongoing major projects;
- Investigation of the Effects of Certain synthetic and biological origin Polymer Applied to Agricultural Waste Water, Anadolu University Department of Environmental Engineering Project, 2004-2007,
- Monitoring and Mapping with Geographic Information System to Boron Levels Eskisehir-Seyitgazi irrigation network of the Soil and Water Resources, GDAR, 2001-2008,
4. Optimisation and planning of Drainage Systems
To improve the operating efficiency of drainage systems in irrigation developments
Development Goals
- Research for the planning of drainage system
- Controlled drainage and drainage bio research
- Development and calibration of computer-based models for the design and performance prediction of sub-surface drainage schemes
- Determination of the criteria for drainage projects, which are the main objects of planning and operating of drainage systems, in field, lysimeters and laboratory conditions,
- Determination of drainage pipe and filter material to be closed drainage systems
- Salt, boron, pesticides and other chemical inputs in the soil profile and evaluation of the accumulation of groundwater transport and computer models with simulation
5. Reclamation of Salt-Affected Soils
To identify cost-effective rehabilitation methodology for introducing productive agriculture to lands affected by salinity, sodicity and boron toxicity.
Development Goals
- Improvement of the fields which have salinity and/or alkalinity problems and reclamation of these fields for agriculture,
- Determining the spatial distribution of salt-affected soils, mapping
- New developments in soil reclamation and rehabilitation
- Determination of the criteria for reclamation on salt, sodium and boron soils
- Investigation of suitable breeding material
