Abstract:
Abstract: Yinbei Irrigation District is the key area of land consolidation and high-standard irrigated oasis farmland. Little attention has been paid for future long-term dynamic changes of soil water and salt under different irrigation and drainage managements in this area. Therefore, this study was to investigate the soil and water dynamics under different irrigation and drainage managements by SahysMod model in this area. A typical Yinbei Irrigation District-Xidatan was selected as the study area. Datasets of soil salinity in 2015 and 2016 were used for model calibration and datasets in 2017 were used for model validation. The spatial variability of soil properties (such as soil salinity in root zone, soil salinity in transition zone, total porosity, effective porosity, soil bulk density, field water capacity and leaching efficiency) of cultivated land and uncultivated land were comprehensively considered. The dynamics of soil water and salt under different irrigation and drainage managements in the next ten years were explored by SahysMod model. The results showed that SahysMod could be used as an effective tool to simulate regional water and salt balances under different irrigation and drainage managements considering the spatial variability of soil properties. Irrigation amount, electrical conductivity of irrigation water and the depth of drainage ditch had great impacts on soil salinity. Based on the current irrigation and drainage managements (i.e. irrigation amount was 670 mm, electrical conductivity of irrigation water was 1.05 dS/m, and the depth of drainage ditch was 1.5 m), the soil salinity of uncultivated land would increase year by year in the early prediction stage (2017-2022), and it would change gently in the later stage (2023-2027). The soil salinity of cultivated land would change slowly in the early prediction stage (2017-2022), and increase year by year in the later stage (2023-2027). Increasing irrigation water was critical to solve soil salinization, which could delay the accumulation of soil salinity to the barrier level in the root zone. The electrical conductivity of irrigation water had an important influence on soil salinization. If the electrical conductivity of irrigation water was 0.6 dS/m, the cultivated land would not be subjected to salt stress in the next ten years. On the one hand, based on current irrigation and drainage managements, cultivated land would be subjected to salt stress in 2024. On the other hand, the cultivated land would be subjected to salt stress in advance if increasing the electrical conductivity of irrigation water. Deepening the depth of drainage ditches in land consolidation could alleviate soil salinization. When the depth of drainage ditch was 2.2 m and the soil electrical conductivity of cultivated land was less than 1.7 dS/m during ten years, the normal growth of maize could be ensured. The results can provide information for the management of irrigation and drainage in land consolidation and the prevention of soil salinization.