Irrigation Scheduling and Water Distribution Evaluation Model Based on Water Supply Flow Rate

An open-channel water distribution system is often the main infrastructure for agricultural irrigation, and a reasonable water distribution scheme can improve the efficiency of agricultural water use. This paper discusses different water distribution methods for lower-level channels based on different water supply flows of higher-level channels and meeting the constraints of the water distribution system. The water distribution method first meets the water demand of the lower-level channels and affords as much convenience to the on-farm management as possible. In this paper, water distribution evaluation indices are also selected to judge the advantages and disadvantages of the water distribution scheme. The optimization solution method NSGA-II was used, and the feasibility of the method was illustrated with the water distribution scheduling of a typical traditional open channel network (secondary channels and tertiary canal systems in large irrigation districts in China). The results indicate that the model effectively determines the optimal irrigation strategy, either continuous or rotational, based on the varying water supply flow rates from the higher-level channels. Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive evaluation of water distribution efficiency, highlighting the impact of these strategies on resource allocation.