Using a crop growth simulation model for evaluating irrigation practices

Abstract Water management decisions are dependent on crop variety, soil and climatic conditions. A properly structured plant growth simulation model which takes these factors into account can be successfully used to quantify the effects of irrigation practices on crop yields. The use of such a simulation model will be considerably less expensive and time consuming than conducting field experiments. This paper reports the results of using such a model for making important water management decisions, such as determining: (a) optimum soil moisture depletion and replenishment levels; and (b) timing and amount of irrigation during different crop growth stages.