Investigating Cultivation Priority of Walnuts and Almonds from the Prospective of Water Consumption and Water Productivity in the Esfandegheh region of Kerman province

Estimating the amount of irrigation water and assessing water productivity in gardens is particularly critical in the context of current drought conditions and water scarcity. This article examines the cultivation of walnut and almond trees from the perspective of water consumption. The study was conducted in Koran Village, located in the Esfandegheh area of Kerman Province. The permanent Gishki River serves as the source of water for surface irrigation in this region. Water is transferred from the river to storage pools and irrigation canals through a network of channels managed by local operators. The reference crop evapotranspiration was calculated using the Hargreaves-Samani equation, while irrigation water consumption was determined based on the volume of water stored in the pools and the area of the gardens. Consequently, the study assessed the implications of excess or deficit irrigation in relation to farmers' water management practices. The water productivity in the current irrigation conditions of the region was calculated for almond and walnut trees as 0.6 and 0.27 kg/m3, respectively. Water productivity in water shortage conditions for almond and walnut trees was determined to be 14% higher and 10% lower than in sufficient water conditions, respectively. Additionally, Ky of almond was 47% lower than walnut. Also, the economic water productivity achieved for almond trees is 1.8 times that of walnuts. The findings indicate that the cultivation of almond trees is more advantageous than that of walnut trees in the Esfandegheh region, particularly in terms of water consumption and economic efficiency, especially under conditions of water scarcity.