Uncertainties as to how the climate will change and how it will influence the necessities and trends of irrigation development are the serious questions to be answered in the near future. How irrigation and water systems will have to adapt to climate changes is the challenge that planners, designers and O&M ser-vices will have to cope with. It is widely accepted that air temperature will increase of 2–4°C in Po-land. Changes in total seasonal precipitation or its pattern of variability are both important. There is rather an agreement that total yearly precipitation will not be changed but its pattern in the year will change towards greater amount in winter and less in summer. Moreover, evapotraspiration and crop water demands can increase due to increased temperatures and the extent of the length of growing season. Thus soil moisture can be depleted more quickly during the growing sea-son, while surface runoff and groundwater recharge decreased. Due to climate change and related extreme meteorological and hydrologi-cal events (droughts), it is indispensable to review planning principles, design criteria, operating rules, contingency plans and management policies for water infrastructures and to stress the role of irrigation and agricultural water man-agement to control extreme meteorological ...
The system of drought monitoring has been performed by the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz since 2008. Meteorological drought is evaluated using SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index) and agricultural drought - using CDI (Crop Drought Index). CDI is calculated with the linear regression relationships between CDI and SPI. Prediction of meteorological and agricultural drought is made in the 10-day periods, using the forecast of precipitation obtained from WetterOnline.The verifiability of SPI forecast was high (80-100%). The verifiability of CDI depended on crop type and soil water retention - it ranged from 50 to 100%. The differences in drought classes were determined only in several cases.Monitoring and estimation of drought are the base of decision and activi-ties making in agricultural production, water management in the rural areas, irri-gation and estimation of yield losses. ...
Since 2012 Institute of Technology and Life Sciences has lead a national agro-meteorological monitoring in rural areas. The system provides current and forecasted information on the status and impact of water shortages in selected, representative of agricultural ecosystems and estimates potential reduction of crop yield. Required meteorological data are provided by a network of automatic stations located in 13 regions on Polish territory. Weather forecasts, necessary to develop predictions of water shortages in the next 10 and 20 days, come from the meteorological service of MeteoGroup Poland. Monitoring of water deficits and their consequences is carried out on using an indicator method. Precipitation conditions are monitored using standardized precipitation index SPI, soil moisture - soil moisture index SMI, the deficit of water for crops - agricultural drought index CDI and the potential reduction of final yield - yield reduction ratio YR. Results of the monitoring and forecasts are presented as tables and maps in the Internet. ...
The paper presents the analysis of the impact of predicted climate change on water demand of late potato in 2021-2050 and 2071-2100. Meteorological data were simulated with the regional model RM5.1 with boundary conditions from the global model ARPEGE for the scenario SRES: A1B. Reference period was 1971-2000.The measure of crop water demand is potential evapotranspiration. It was calculated using the Penman-Monteith method and crop factors. The impact of climate change on potential evapotranspiration of late potato was evaluated in Poland at the five meteorological stations representative for agroclimatic regions: Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Warszawa, Wrocław, Kraków. Water demand of late potato will increase of up to 7% in 2021-2050 and of up to 18% in 2071-2100. Increase will be the biggest in the south-west and central-east regions and the smallest in south-east region. Predicted climate change and increased crop water demand should result in increase of irrigated area and irrigation water requirements. ...
Assessment of soil moisture conditions on permanent grassland in Poland is made within the nationwide monitoring of water deficit and surplus in agriculture performed by Institute of Technology and Life Sciences from 2013. Soil moisture index SMI is used to categorize soil moisture in the end of each 10-day period during the vegetation period (April-September), using the original classification proposed by the authors. SMI enables the comparison of moisture conditions in soils with different water retention and the objective evaluation of soil drought and water excess. Assessment is made for grassland in wet, moist, periodically dry and dry habitats in 2013-2014. In wet and moist habitats soil moisture was in the optimal range for grassland plants and meteorological conditions affected in small degree. In periodically and dry habitats soil moisture was more differentiated and was affected by actual meteorological conditions greater. Soil droughts dominated. ...
The paper describes the problems which are encountered in the upper Notec river catchment in agriculturally used peatlands, with hay-making as the main land use type. Economic situation in agriculture and lack of are the main reasons for the cessation of irrigation system maintaining and conservation as well as controlled water management. Decreased interest in utilization of water facilities is observed. Taking into account the present situation of agriculture in the region and the economic state of most farmers, the simple and cheap technique of controlled run-off of water from existing irrigation-drainage systems is recommended to demonstrate and implement practically as a method of irrigation and peatland protection. ...
In the paper the verification of precipitation condition forecasts are presented. The forecasts have been developed in the monitoring system of water deficiency and excess conducted by the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences. Analyses were performed for seven meteorological stations within Kujawy Region, south-eastern part of Pomerania and western Wielkopolska in the months of the growing season (April-September) in 2013-2014. Actual precipitation deficit and surplus and their 10-day and 20-day forecasts were determined every 10/11 days for the period of 30/31 days using the standardized precipitation index SPI. Two verification criteria were adopted: the difference between actual and predicted SPI cannot be greater than 0.5 and the agreement of the precipitation category classes. The verifiability is determined as the relative frequency of the forecasts meeting these criteria. It was found that the average verifiability of 10-day forecasts in the study area was high and equal to 80% for the assumed criteria. In the case of 20-day forecasts average verifiability was respectively 52%. ...
