Assessing SALTMED model for wheat experiments irrigated with basin and sprinkler systems

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant professor and graduated MSc. Student, respectively, Water Engineering Department, Agricultural College, Shiraz University, Iran

2 Assistant professor and graduated MSc. Student, respectively, Water Engineering Department, Agricultural College, Shiraz University, Iran.

Abstract

Comprehensive agricultural models are crucial for assisting several decision making
processes due to their capability for use under different conditions. SALTMED is a holistic
generic model, which simulates yield, dry matter and soil water content under different
irrigation managements and systems. The aim of this study was to calibrate the SALTMED
model to simulate wheat yield, dry matter and soil water content of two different field
experiments using different irrigation amounts and systems, namely sprinkler and basin
irrigation systems. For both irrigation systems, experimentation was conducted for two
consecutive years. For the sprinkler irrigation system, three irrigation treatments (wet, medium
and dry) were considered. For the basin irrigation system, 50, 75 and 100% of the irrigation
requirement were applied as irrigation treatments. The SALTMED model reasonably predicted
the wheat yield and dry matter for both irrigation methods by small tuning of crop coefficients
and some growth parameters. Besides, a good agreement between observed and simulated soil
moisture content was obtained for both experiments with different irrigation treatments and
systems. Comparison of the soil moisture prediction for the two different irrigation methods
revealed that the SALTMED model simulated the soil moisture content better under the
sprinkler system. It is concluded that SALTMED model performed better under sprinkler
system rather than basin irrigation system.

Keywords

International Journal of Plant Production
Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
February 2016
Pages 233-250

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