Optimization of the Cropping Pattern Using AquaCrop-GIS (Case Study: Dehloran Plain, Ilam Province)

Optimization of cropping pattern is one of the most important methods to increase water productivity and protect the limited water resources throughout the country. The objective of this study was optimization of cropping pattern in Dehloran plain based on spatial variations of water quality, water availability, chemical and physical characteristics of soil, and groundwater level. To this end, the Dehloran plain was divided into four zones: area covered by the Meymeh networks, Doyraj, Tropical systems and lands covered by wells. Then, AquaCrop-GIS software was calibrated and validated by filed data. Finally, the production functions were extracted and the cropping pattern was optimized using the linear programming method and the objective function of maximum net benefit. The results showed that AquaCrop-GIS are a robust tool for analyzing spatial variation of parameters affecting yield and cropping pattern in a plain. Moreover, crop pattern optimization related to water quality and quantity features beside soil physical and chemical properties could be influential on the net benefit and water productivity to be increased by 30 to 120 percent in different regions of Dehloran plain.