Decision-making irrigation system based on MIKE SHE model for addressing water scarcity in Mediterranean olive orchards

<p>In the Mediterranean area, Greece is considered as one of the most important olive producing countries. Specifically, olive (<em>Olea europaea</em>) is the main crop covering more than 75% of the total tree cultivation area, while about 45% of the total cultivated area is being irrigated. Groundwater is the main source of irrigated water in Greece, but the growing demand and the climate change are putting this resource in risk. &#160;The design of an optimal irrigation plan, based on detailed measurements and modeling tools, can effectively contribute towards water saving with no loss on crop yield, in the area. In this study, an IoT-based decision-making system for the management of irrigation water resources of olive orchards in a small sub-basin of Lasithi, Crete, Greece is presented. &#160;The system integrates monitoring of soil moisture and atmospheric parameters in four fields within the study area and modeling approaches, using the modules of MIKE-SHE model, to simulate water flow in the unsaturated zone at the sub-basin level. &#160;Additionally, 45 soil samples (from 3 different soil depths) have been collected and analyzed from the study area for soil texture, bulk density, rock percentage, pH, organic matter, and mineral nutrients. After the successful calibration of the model (comparison of simulated against observed soil moisture values) the spatio-temporal representation of soil moisture is used as guidance for developing optimal irrigation scheduling, considering olive tree water requirements, for the entire study area (sub-basin), even for olive orchards with lack of monitoring equipment installation.</p><p><em>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</em></p><p><em>The authors acknowledge contribution of the AgriCapture CO₂ - Horizon 2020 project. This project has received funding from the European Union&#8217;s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101004282</em></p>