Effect of deficit irrigation on the cost of producing native spearmint oil in Washington state

Irrigated agriculture is facing increasing competition for dwindling water resources, especially in the arid and semiarid areas of the world. Potential water-saving strategies that limit water losses should be applied in agriculture today to ensure sustainable and efficient use of available water resources. One water-saving strategy is deficit irrigation. Deficit irrigation is defined as deliberately irrigating a crop with less water than it would use if it were being fully irrigated. Successful application of deficit irrigation requires knowing how a specific crop will respond to various waterstress levels. Also, it is important to know how deficit irrigation affects the profitability of these crops.