Assessment of satellite-based water requirements for a drip-irrigated apple orchard in Mediterranean agroclimatic conditions
Daniel de la Fuente-Saiz,
Samuel Ortega-Farias,
Marcos Carrasco-Benavides,
Samuel Ortega-Salazar,
Fei Tian,
Sufen Wang,
Yi Liu
Affiliations
Daniel de la Fuente-Saiz
Research and Extension Center for Irrigation and Agroclimatology (CITRA) and Research Program on Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change (PIEI A2C2), Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Chile
Samuel Ortega-Farias
Research and Extension Center for Irrigation and Agroclimatology (CITRA) and Research Program on Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change (PIEI A2C2), Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Chile; Corresponding author.
Marcos Carrasco-Benavides
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Universidad Católica del Maule, Curicó, Chile
Samuel Ortega-Salazar
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
Fei Tian
Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Efficient Water Use of Oasis Agriculture in Wuwei of Gansu Province, Wuwei 733000, China
Sufen Wang
Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Efficient Water Use of Oasis Agriculture in Wuwei of Gansu Province, Wuwei 733000, China
Yi Liu
Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Efficient Water Use of Oasis Agriculture in Wuwei of Gansu Province, Wuwei 733000, China
Accurate assessment of evapotranspiration (ETa) and crop coefficient (Kc) is crucial for optimizing irrigation practices in water-scarce regions. While satellite-based surface energy balance models offer a promising solution, their application to sparse canopies like apple orchards requires specific validation. This study investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of ETa and Kc in a drip-irrigated ‘Pink Lady’ apple orchard under Mediterranean conditions over three growing seasons (2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15). The METRIC model, incorporating calibrated sub-models for leaf area index (LAI), surface roughness (Zom), and soil heat flux (G), was employed to estimate ETa and Kc. These estimates were validated against field-scale Eddy Covariance data. Results indicated that METRIC overpredicted Kc and ETa with errors less than 10 %. These findings highlight the potential of the calibrated METRIC model as a valuable decision-making tool for irrigation management in apple orchards.
