Study of the Soil Water Movement in Irrigated Agriculture

In the last century, innovations in agricultural technologies centered on maximizing food production to feed the growing population have contributed to significant changes in agroecosystem processes, including carbon, nutrients, and water cycling. There are growing concerns regarding soil fertility depletion, soil carbon loss, greenhouse gas emissions, irrigational water scarcity, and water pollution, affecting soil health, agricultural productivity, systems sustainability, and environmental quality. Soils provide the foundation for food production, soil water and nutrient cycling, and soil biological activities. Therefore, an improved understanding of biochemical pathways of soil organic matter and nutrient cycling, microbial community involved in regulating soil health, and soil processes associated with water flow and retention in soil profile helps design better agricultural systems and ultimately support plant growth and productivity. This book, Agroecological Approaches in Soil and Water Management, presents a collection of original research and review papers studying physical, chemical, and biological processes in soils and discusses multiple ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, nutrients and water cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and agro-environmental sustainability.

Precision irrigation is becoming a crucial management approach for environmentally and economically sustainable fruit tree production. The vast majority of fruit crops need irrigation supply as rainfall does not match crop water requirements (Stöckle et al., 2011; Snyder, 2017). In most cases of fruit crops cultivated in dry areas, rainfed agriculture is not sustainable and deficit irrigation (DI) is a reasonable strategy to improve water use efficiency. Fereres and Soriano (2007) highlighted the benefits of regulated DI as a strategy to reduce agricultural water use. The main purpose of regulated DI is to reduce irrigation at specific developmental stages of the crop with no or limited effects on yield. The use of DI in different phenological stages of fruit crops started in the 1980s by Chalmers et al. (1981, 1986).