A new irrigation technology developed by Chinese scientists that can cut farmers' water use by a quarter in arid areas has won an international conservation award.
Tian Fuqiang, an associate professor who heads the research team at Tsinghua University, was recognised for his contribution to the development and mass application of a water and salt regulation technology for mulching and drip irrigation in China's far western region of Xinjiang.
He was presented with the WatSave Technology Award in Bali, Indonesia on September 4. The award from the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) is presented to the best new water-saving technology every year.
Gao Lihui, administrative director of the ICID's Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage in Beijing, said the award was significant recognition of the research team's technological achievement in the area of water conservation.
"They faced fierce competition from the candidates from other countries [in the running for the prize]," Gao said on Tuesday.
"But the bigger challenge now is to promote this technology around the world."
Tian Fuqiang was recognised for his contribution to the development and mass application of a water and salt regulation technology for mulching and drip irrigation. Photo: Thuwater alt=Tian Fuqiang was recognised for his contribution to the development and mass application of a water and salt regulation technology for mulching and drip irrigation. Photo: Thuwater
It was the seventh time Chinese scientists have taken out the award in the past two decades. Australian researchers have won the prize for the last two years.
The Chinese technology has been used to irrigate more than 20,000 hectares (49,400 acres) of cotton farms " a highly water intensive crop " in Xinjiang since 2011. According to the researchers, it has saved more than 500 million tonnes of water on those farms in that time.
It can reduce water use by 25 per cent and increase agricultural output such as cotton by nearly 20 per cent compared to irrigation systems currently used in hot, dry climate zones, according to the ICID.
The technology uses a mathematical model that, according to Tian's team, can simulate and predict the movement of salt and water in different types of soil " something that has not been well understood by scientists before.
In a dry region like Xinjiang, too much or too little water can lead to salinisation " a major threat to agriculture. Salinisation can be caused by the rapid evaporation of too much water, or an insufficient leaching process and poor plant growth brought on by too little water.