Increasing water use efficiency and understanding the value of information for the management of deficit irrigation systems

Due to climate change, extreme weather conditions such as droughts may have an increasing impact on the water demand and the productivity of irrigated agriculture. For the adaptation to changing climate conditions, the value of information about irrigation control strategies, future climate development, and soil conditions for the operation of deficit irrigation systems is evaluated. To treat climate and soil variability within one simulation-optimization framework for irrigation scheduling, we formulated a probabilistic framework that is based on Monte Carlo simulations. The framework can support decisions when full, deficit, and supplemental irrigation strategies are applied. For the analysis, the Deficit Irrigation Toolbox (DIT) is used for locations in arid and semi-arid climates. Deficit Irrigation Toolbox (DIT) is an open-source software to simulate and maximize crop-water productivity of deficit irrigation systems. The toolbox allows you to perform complex analysis of crop yield response to climate change, soil variability, and water management practices. A case study shows that information about soil data has a different value in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, the provided results can serve as an easy-to-use support tool for decisions about the importance of climate and soil data at a local or regional scale.