Proposing an Appropriate Soil Water Content Estimation Technique for Iran

Abstract

Limitation of water resources is one of the major factors in the agricultural development of Iran. In recent years. Iran suffers from increases water consumption and drought conditions, This is why efficient water management in agriculture production becomes an inevitable requirement. One of the main aspects of water management in agriculture production is operating any type of irrigation system efficiently. A good on-farm irrigation water management requires a routine monitoring of soil water content (SWC). Recently a substantial number of different experimental methods in categories of direct, indirect, ground based and remote sensing have been developed to determine the SWC, and a large body of knowledge is now available on theory and applications. The need for indirect ground-based automatic methods for obtaining water content or indices of water content is evident when the time and labor involved in direct sampling is considered. In view of Iran conditions, selecting the best soil water measurement technology for the optimal management of irrigation system is a challenge for managers and the decision makers. This research aims to (i) compile the available ground based SWC measurement methods and discuses along with their advantages and their limitations, (ii) propose a technique that will be most useful for Iran condition. Considering regional parameters of Iran, these researchers found tensiometers as a proper technique for good water management. This technique with lower price in addition with other advantages could be more effective in development of Iran Agricultural Mechanization.