Irrigation Scheduling Methods Affect Water Use

Abstract

Irrigation scheduling has been one of the most important management practices to improve crop production. For citrus, there are multiple options to schedule irrigation including evapotranspiration-, plant-, and soil-based. These methods can provide different water requirement estimates based on environmental variables, plant uptake, or water content in the soil. Although each method can provide good irrigation estimates, some of them are more precise than others. The more accurately the irrigation system applies water, the more water savings are achieved. In this article we provide an overview of irrigation scheduling methods for micro irrigation systems, which includes both microsprinkler and drip irrigation. We cover the main advantages and disadvantages of each method and provide suggestions in terms of practical solutions for field applications.