Evaluation of SALTMED model in estimation of wheat yield under deficit irrigation and salinity stress in arid areas (Case study: Birjand)

The application of modeling is an appropriate alternative for field experiments that save time and cost. SALTMED is a generic model for modeling plants response to water and salinity stress. This study was done to evaluate the performance of SALTMED model for wheat plant in an arid area in Birjand, South Khorasan Province. The treatments include water stress (50, 75, 100 and 120 percent of water requirement) and salinity stress (1.4, 4.5 and 9.6 dS/m) in three replications. The statistical indices of measured and predicted yield showed the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) less than 10 percent and the coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 0.99 and 0.96 for model calibration and validation, respectively. The model could also simulate the temporal variation of evapotranspiration and soil salinity profile during the growing season accurately. Therefore, according to the results, SALTMED is an accurate model to predict the yield and plant reactions of wheat under different water and salinity stress levels in the arid areas.