Evaluation of Irrigation Practices of the Çamözü- Akbaba Irrigation Cooperativ in Sultandaği, Afyon

Abstract

In Türkiye, effective irrigation programs are of great importance in areas irrigated with groundwater and where water is scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate the existing irrigation practices implemented in the area in 2017 and 2018, to determine an optimum irrigation schedule that will ensure water and energy savings, and to identify the yield losses occurring under deficit irrigation conditions. In this area irrigated by a drip irrigation system, calculations were made and evaluated for the years 2017 and 2018. Crop water consumption (evapotranspiration) values were determined using the Penman–Monteith method, and the irrigation schedule was developed using the IRSIS program. In the Afyon Sultandağı-Çamözü-Akbaba Irrigation Cooperative area, irrigating cherry trees plays a critical role. In this area, which uses drip irrigation, important results were obtained in a Master's thesis conducted in 2017 and 2018. According to the optimal irrigation program, 392.9 mm of water should have been applied in 2017, and 303.3 mm in 2018. In both years, deficit irrigation was applied, resulting in a yield loss of 16.5% and 13.5%, respectively. However, it was determined that with the optimal irrigation program, the plant would not experience water stress, and there would be no yield loss.