Farmerless Profit-Oriented Irrigation Scheduling Strategy for Solid Sets. I: Development
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 4
Abstract
Liberalization of agricultural markets is changing the irrigation focus from maximizing yields to maximizing profits. This study was conducted to develop a self-programmable irrigation scheduling strategy for solid sets aimed at improving profits. It is based on simulation models and water and crop prices. The economic optimization of solid-set irrigation is constrained by the fact that the efficiency is not previously known because of the unpredictability of seasonal weather and the accumulated effect of nonuniform irrigations in the soil water depletion (SWD) uniformity. Consequently, seasonal revenue and cost functions cannot be determined. The strategy addresses this constraint by (1) refilling SWD under weather conditions that minimize water losses when crop is not water stressed and SWD is high and uniform enough to prevent percolation; and (2) estimating revenue and cost functions for each irrigation event in order to determine the economically optimal water depth when SWD uniformity is so low that percolation and/or crop water stress are unavoidable. The strategy is presented in this paper and assessed under different conditions in the companion paper.
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Acknowledgments
The research contract of S. Lecina was funded by the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
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Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 4 • April 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 15, 2015
Accepted: Sep 24, 2015
Published online: Dec 31, 2015
Published in print: Apr 1, 2016
Discussion open until: May 31, 2016
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