Integrating Deficit Irrigation Strategies and Precision Agriculture for Sustainable Pomegranate Production in Mediterranean Conditions

Water scarcity in Mediterranean regions demands innovative irrigation strategies for perennial crops such as pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). Previous studies have demonstrated that deficit irrigation approaches—regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and sustained deficit irrigation (SDI)— reduce water use while influencing agronomic performance and fruit quality. RDI, which applies water restrictions during specific phenological stages, achieved moderate water savings without compromising yield or fruit characteristics, whereas SDI provided substantial water savings (up to 50%) but significantly reduced commercial yield and increased physiological disorders such as fruit cracking. These findings highlight the potential of RDI as a sustainable solution under water-limited conditions.

However, traditional agronomic approaches in these studies assumed uniformity within experimental replications and did not account for variability among individual trees. Our new research addresses this limitation by incorporating precision agriculture techniques, specifically the use of drones equipped with multispectral sensors to capture high-resolution canopy data. This approach revealed considerable differences between trees within the same replication, underscoring the need for site-specific management. The results demonstrate that integrating remote sensing and data-driven strategies is essential to optimize water use efficiency and improve agricultural sustainability in Mediterranean fruit crops.