Location: Water Management Research
Project Number: 2034-13000-013-010-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Nov 20, 2024
End Date: Jul 30, 2027
Objective:
1. Evaluate deficit irrigation strategies for water conservation in citrus.
2. Simulate water conservation if 30% of citrus production shifts to high yielding trellis systems and remaining lands are fallowed.
Approach:
For objective 1, we observed 20-30% deficit irrigation in a tangerine orchard in prior year field measurements in the watershed. Therefore, using modeling approaches, such as the integrated groundwater-land surface watershed model ParFlow-CLM, we will evaluate water savings if all tangerine and navel oranges are using 20% and 30% deficit irrigation within the watershed. This scenario analysis will be performed using the ParFlow-CLM calibrated against in-situ and remotely sensed evapotranspiration observations and groundwater level measurements in the watershed. For objective 2, grower reports claim that the trellised system can increase citrus production by 300-400% on a per acre basis. Considering that the citrus market is near saturation and the growers’ goal is not unlimited increase in production, they could fallow up to 70% of the citrus lands if trellised citrus can be implemented at scale. We will use the ParFlow-CLM model to estimate water conservation if 30% citrus production shifts to the high yielding trellised systems and remaining lands are fallowed. Simulation scenarios will include: A) 30% land remains in citrus production, under irrigation, using the trellised system and remaining 70% land fallowed with natural vegetation cover such as shrubs without irrigation, B) 30% land remains in citrus production, under irrigation, using the trellised system and the remaining 70% land planted with small grain winter cover crop without irrigation plus groundwater recharge.