Increasing water productivity of irrigated crops in Borkhar irrigation district, Isfahan

To explore the on-farm strategies which result in higher economic gains and water productivity (WP), a physically based agro-hydrological model, Soil Water Atmosphere Plant (SWAP), was calibrated and validated using intensive measured data at 8 selected farmer fields (wheat, fodder maize, sunflower and sugar beet) in the Borkhar district, Isfahan during the growing seasons of 2004-05. The WP values for the main crops were computed using the SWAP simulated water balance components i.e. transpiration (T), evapotranspiration (ET), irrigation (I), and the marketable yield (Y)M in terms of YM T -1, YM ET -1 and YM I -1. The average WP, expressed as YM T -1 (kg m-3) was 1.18 for wheat, 3.38 for fodder maize, 0.33 for sunflower and 1.72 for sugar beet. This indicated that fodder maize provided the highest economic benefit in the Borkhar irrigation district. Soil evaporation caused the average WP values, expressed as YM ET-1 (kg m-3), to be at least 11 to 27% lower than the average WP, expressed as YM T-1. Furthermore, due to percolation from root zone and stored moisture content in the root zone, the average WP values expressed as YM I-1 (kg m-3), had a 24 to 42 % reduction as compared with WP expressed as YM ET-1. Improved irrigation practices in terms of irrigation timing and amount, increased WP in terms of YM I-1 (kg m-3) by a factor of 1.5 for wheat and maize, 1.3 for sunflower and 1.1 for sugar beet.