Pond management and water quality for drip irrigation in Mediterranean intensive horticultural systems

Abstract

The influence of pond management on water quality for drip-irrigated crops was studied throughout a field survey and a mesocosm experiment. Water sources were pooled into two groups: ground or surface water (GW/SW) and recycled wastewater. Pond covering, which was limited to about a quarter of them, improved water quality by reducing phytoplankton biomass. However, biocide applications and pond dredging were ineffective at improving in-pond water quality. Dredging did not reduce the concentrations of planktonic chlorophyll a or total suspended solids (TSS) in GW/SW fed ponds, whereas biocide applications increased both parameters. Field and experimental data proved that the two predominant taxa of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) found in ponds (Potamogeton pectinatus and Chara spp.) improved water quality by increasing water oxygenation and decreasing chlorophyll a and TSS concentrations. Preserving SAV (especially Chara spp.) appears to be an environmentfriendly, cost-effective and recommendable alternative strategy for irrigation pond management

Effects of organic matter, alkalinity and pH on acute copper toxicity to mosquitofish,Gambusia holbrooki: Implications for a multipurpose management of irrigation ponds

“…The main argument put forward by growers for applying copper sulfate to their ponds was the eradication of submerged vegetation [13]. However, recent studies have shown that this management practice had negative consequences on water quality for irrigation, since it significantly increased the levels of particles suspended in water as compared to those in vegetated untreated ponds, thus increasing the plugging potential of emitters of the drip irrigation systems mostly used in the greenhouse horticulture [15]. Therefore, despite the remarkable natural copper-buffering capacity we have detected for pond water in the area studied, diverse agronomical, environmental (this study, [17,18]) and human health (e.g.…”

“…The combination of both high Cu doses and alkalinity has resulted in vast accumulation of Cu in pond sediments, averaging up to 2.2 g Cu/kg dry sediment . Although pH in these ponds is normally alkaline (8.2) , such that most sedimentary Cu must be scarcely bioavailable, these extremely high Cu levels might eventually jeopardize associated species. Recent studies indeed have shown that untreated irrigation ponds with submerged aquatic vegetation harbored more diverse macroinvertebrate assemblages as well as denser and healthier subpopulations of the endangered endemic Mediterranean toothcarp, Aphanius iberus (Valenciennes, 1846), than those treated with copper sulfate .…”

Disturbance from pond management obscures local and regional drivers of assemblages of primary producers

“…Interviews with the pond owners revealed that the average flushing rate was <22 days in ART ponds (Juan et al ., ). Intensive and destructive management practices such as periodic biocide treatment and dredging of submerged vegetation are common (Juan et al ., ; Bonachela et al ., ).…”

“…The influence of management practices on biodiversity has recently drawn the attention of conservationists, who attempt to understand the functioning of anthropogenically disturbed ecosystems (Lemmens et al ., ; Chester & Robson, ; Usio et al ., ). This is because the degree of manipulation and the management regime of ponds are both highly related to use and construction type (Casas et al ., ,b; Juan et al ., ; Bonachela et al ., ), with strong implication for their α‐, β‐ and γ‐diversities (Fuentes‐Rodríguez et al ., ).…”

Efectos del tratamiento con sulfato de cobre (Cuso4) sobre la calidad del agua de balsas de riego

“…En particular, las plantas acuáticas sumergidas, en la actualidad mayoritariamente denostadas por los agricultores, tienen capacidades para aclarar el agua, mejorando su calidad para sistemas de riego localizado (Bonachela et al, 2013;Juan, Casas, Elorrieta, Bonachela, Gallego, Fuentes-Rodríguez y Fenoy, 2014), y, a su vez, crean hábitats que sirven de refugio y proveen de alimento a numerosas especies de macroinvertebrados bentónicos (Fuentes-Rodríguez et al, 2013).…”