PREDICTING WATER DEMAND FOR IRRIGATION BASED ON A CROP SIMULATION MODELAND LOCAL WEATHER DATA

摘要

Recent issues that affect water use in the state of Georgia are the tri-state water dispute between Georgia, Alabama and Florida, the continuing drought in the southeastern USA, and the rapidly increasing irrigated acreage in agriculture. An understanding of present and future water needs by agriculture is needed to ensure availability of water for current and future users. Unfortunately, how much water is required and how much is actually being used for irrigation is unknown. In Georgia, most agricultural operators are required to be permitted, but they are not required to report their water use. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD), the designated state regulatory agency, therefore has to rely on estimates of current and future water needs by agriculture. The objectives of this study were: 1) to predict the irrigation demand for major crops in Georgia using a crop simulation model, and 2) to assess the impact of local weather and soil conditions onirrigation demand.