Pros and Cons of Different Irrigation Scheduling Approaches: A Review

Abstract

Scheduling irrigation involves making a decision of how much water to apply and when. Three factors enter into the decision: water needs of the plants, water availability, and storing capacity of the soil around the roots. When to irrigate should be greatly influenced by water needs of the plants. Irrigation scheduling (IS) aims to give plants the right amount of water at the right times in order to promote plant growth and achieve high yield and/or quality. The four most popular ways of operating irrigation scheduling includes: evapotranspiration and water balance (ET-WB), soil moisture status, plant water status, and models based irrigation scheduling. When the four types of irrigation scheduling systems are thoroughly examined, it becomes clear that they are all centered on soil moisture, which serves as a link or bridge between crop water needed for growth and irrigation management). A few studies have been accomplished on pros and cons of different irrigation scheduling approaches. The purpose of this review was to provide some information on pros and cons of four selected irrigation scheduling methods, viz: evapotranspiration and water balance (ET-WB), soil moisture status, plant water status, and models based irrigation scheduling. When the four types of irrigation scheduling systems are thoroughly examined, it becomes clear that they are all centered on soil moisture, which serves as a link or bridge between crop water needed for growth and irrigation management. Plant-based techniques can need professional oversight since farmers may find it difficult to understand the tracked data, which reduces the dependability of irrigation. When built software or a procedure is based on a well-calibrated model, model-based methods are simpler for users. When compared to the soil moisture sample irrigation scheduling approach, the evapotranspiration losses irrigation scheduling method uses less irrigation water regardless of the minimal yield difference.