Within the Project – “Developing Strategies for Regulating and Managing Water Resources and Demand in Water Deficient Regions (WSM)” funded by the EU in 5 Research Framework Program, the Ribeiras do Algarve River Basin was chosen as a case study to develop a DSS for planning purposes. Located in the southern stretch of the Portuguese territory, crucial conflicts do exist between tourist and agr...

Successful irrigation management of tree and vine crops to control soil salinity requires adequate leaching, which is defined as sufficient water to remove excess salts from the root zone above that required to meet crop demand. Excess salts decrease growth and yield in trees and vines and may lead to more severe effects such as leaf bum and even plant death. The salt tolerances of many crops h...

With a population of more than six billion people, food production from agriculture must be raised to meet increasing demand. While irrigated agriculture provides 40% of the total food production, it represents 80% of the freshwater consumption worldwide. In summer and drought conditions, efficient management of scarce water resources becomes crucial. The majority of irrigation canals are manag...

Irrigation consumes considerable water to satisfy the current food demand. An improvement in water use efficiency for irrigation is essential. Wind drift and evaporation losses reduce the water use efficiency of center pivot irrigation systems in arid and semi-arid areas. In this paper, a model of water vapor dynamics during and after overhead sprinkler irrigation was developed and validated by...

One well cited ascertain in the literature is that, irrigation water is important for the productivity of a society and the livelihood of its members. The primary objective in coming years will be to balance water supply and demand among users to ensure adequate water for agriculture and sustainable irrigation system management while satisfying other needs. The methodology used in this study in...

Most P losses from surface-irrigated fields occur via runoff, are associated with eroded sediment, and can be minimized by eliminating irrigation-induced erosion. A convenient new practice that eliminates furrow irrigation-induced soil losses uses a high molecular weight, anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) applied to initial irrigation inflows. We hypothesized that, compared to control furrows, PAM t...