IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v299y2024ics0378377424002312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing variable rate irrigation using model and satellite-based dynamic prescription maps

Author

Listed:
  • Corbari, Chiara
  • Gabrieli, Davide
  • Furlan, Lorenzo
  • Furlanetto, Jacopo
  • Skokovic, Drazen
  • Sobrino, Josè
  • Morari, Francesco

Abstract

Variable rate irrigation is usually based on prescription maps delineated according to a static approach. Irrigation rate and timing are optimized by sensor and/or models applied within homogenous zones whose spatial distribution is kept constant during the crop season. The objective of this study was to develop a procedure based on the combination of the crop-energy-water balance model FEST-EWB-SAFY with satellite data of vegetation variables and land surface temperature (LST) to generate dynamic irrigation prescription maps. The FEST-EWB-SAFY model couples the energy-water balance FEST-EWB, which allows computing continuously in time and distributed in space soil moisture and evapotranspiration, and the SAFY, a simple model for yield prediction and plant development. The model was tested in a 17.6 ha field cultivated with soybean in 2022 at Ceregnano (Italy). Irrigation was provided by a lateral move irrigation machine, equipped with a precision irrigation system with lateral resolution of 34 m. The model was pixelwise calibrated with satellite LST (RMSE 1.3 °C) and leaf area index (RMSE 0.45) as well as local measured soil moisture at 10 cm and 50 cm depth (RMSE 0.04). Four dynamic prescription maps were generated, calculating the pixel-by-pixel difference between the field retention capacity and the daily average of the 50-cm soil moisture profile computed by the FEST-EWB-SAFY. Dynamic variable rate irrigation was compared with a conventional irrigation system according to an experimental block design with three replicates and evaluated in terms of crop yield, irrigation volumes and irrigation water productivity (WP). The computed dynamic maps captured the crop water requirement variability originated by the interaction of ET, soil properties and field management. Compared with conventional system, there was a significant increase in WP, but not in crop yield. These results confirm that model-based dynamic prescription maps could be used to optimize variable irrigation in highly spatio-temporal dynamic cropping systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Corbari, Chiara & Gabrieli, Davide & Furlan, Lorenzo & Furlanetto, Jacopo & Skokovic, Drazen & Sobrino, Josè & Morari, Francesco, 2024. "Optimizing variable rate irrigation using model and satellite-based dynamic prescription maps," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:299:y:2024:i:c:s0378377424002312
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108896
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377424002312
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108896?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:299:y:2024:i:c:s0378377424002312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.